Conserving Wintering Sites of White-tailed Eagle in Ukraine

Project Results in 2007

The project on conserving wintering sites of the White-tailed Eagle has started in September 2006 thanks to the support of Vogelbescherming Nederland. In 2007, the project work continued (it was the first project year out of 3 years). It is aimed at improving condition for wintering White-tailed Eagles in Ukraine and protecting them from killing and disturbance.

What is done in 2007

Key activities under the project (including monitoring, targeted conservation measures, education) were initiated in the priority area, which supports up to 80% of the wintering White-tailed Eagle population. This target area includes Dnipro river basin, as well as southern part of the Azov-Black sea region. The rest of the wintering ground is covered with educational activities.

During the first year of the project implementation, a monitoring network was established in priority areas. This was done based on the analysis of previously collected materials. Selected sites are mainly located outside the protected areas, as there the need for urgent birds’ protection is usually higher.

All monitoring sites are surveyed within a frame of the 3-stage winter counts on a monthly base. Collected information includes number of birds, their state, characteristics of behaviour and foraging, accessory species, threats.

The monitoring has being conducted by 5 teams of professional ornithologists, which were established based on the administrative principle. The monitoring covered Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk oblasts and adjacent areas of Poltava and Kirovograd oblasts in Dnipro floodplain, as well as Kherson, Mykolayiv, Odesa oblasts and AR Krym in the Azov-Black area. As a result of the first year monitoring, key sites for the White-tailed Eagle wintering were identified, and wintering conditions and negative factors (direct and indirect) described.

The second project component was developing and implementing conservation programme for the wintering White-tailed Eagle. It has 3 main directions:

- The 1st direction is aimed at establishing a sustainable conservation network on wintering sites. This is a large-scale work, which in the long run contributes to the targeted control and monitoring of key wintering areas and individual sites of the White-tailed Eagle.

- The 2nd direction includes constructing protective structures on wintering sites where White-tailed Eagles experience high disturbance or where there is a threat of destructing habitats used as foraging or roosting sites by eagles.

- The 3rd direction includes educational activities among local public to increase awareness about the White-tailed Eagle, establish/ reinforce positive attitude towards the species, stop poaching and bird killing. These activities started in the first project year and include preparing and disseminating educational materials (posters, leaflets, pens, video etc.), publications in mass media, presenting relevant information on radio and TV, placing information on the web site, conducting lectures and meetings with different audiences (educational authorities, administrations of forestry districts, game husbandries, agricultural companies), holding meetings with taxidermy masters.

The results of the conservation activities in 2007-2008 are as follows:

1. The volunteer network has been established and is developing in the White-tailed Eagle versatile wintering sites. Regional centers regularly (weekly) receive updates from volunteers on recoded White-tailed Eagle. This information is then used for assessment of wintering conditions and planning conservation activities.

2. The conservation network has been launched in January 2008 in 17 permanent key wintering sites in Dnipro basin and the Azov-Black sea regions. Information on the recorded White-tailed Eagles is collected from these sites on a weekly base. It is further used for assessing wintering conditions and preventing possible negative impacts on the species population and habitats.

3. The feedback is regularly received from web site visitors after the project web page was launched. In 2007, an interesting proposition was received by the Coordination Center from Winston Company, which expressed its readiness to fund White-tailed Eagle conservation activities. Site visitors also submit data on recorded White-tailed Eagles from all over Ukraine.

4. After one year of educational activities, an interest of public to the species has increased. The Coordination Center started receiving inquiries (by mail, e-mail or phone), filled out field forms with data on recoded White-tailed Eagle and other raptors.

Based on results of project activities, a first issue of the project newsletter was published and partly disseminated.

The relevant monitoring and conservation activities were continued in December 2007.

Further priorities identified based on the first year results, include:

  • Development and strengthening the conservation network in permanent White-tailed Eagle wintering sites in order to cover all key areas and increase the network sustainability;
  • Development and strengthening volunteer network, achieving network coverage for the maximum number of the White-tailed Eagle wintering sites;
  • Developing knowledge and skills of volunteers through conducting trainings on field work methods, bird identification, keeping field notes, filling out field forms, working with stakeholders;
  • Developing a database of the White-tailed Eagle wintering sites. Conservation recommendations should be developed for every area with an emphasis on wintering White-tailed Eagles.

 

© The Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds 2008