In Hungary, hundreds of ornithologists took part in the census of eagles and saker falcons. The aim is to assess the number of raptors as well as their wintering areas.
Hundreds of ornithologists participated in the “eagle census”, a synchronized raptor count organized at the start of each year in Hungary. A census which should make it possible to assess the number of wintering birds as well as their wintering areas with as much precision as possible.
The Saker Falcon, chosen as bird of the year 2024, is the star species of the current census.
“There are areas of 2.5 x 2.5 square kilometers where the collection takes place – wherever you are, you could write down what you see, then the app saves the coordinates as a base and you can write data on species, age, sex, etc. explains one of the ornithologists.
Over the decades, the Hungarian Society of Ornithology and Nature Conservation has become the largest environmental NGO in Central Europe. Attila Zelenák, one of the members of MME BirdLife Hungary adds: “It is interesting to count eagles in winter, because the old breeding pairs are usually in their territory, guarding the nest or even the nesting area, but the young ones are wandering. And very often, in good feeding areas, many of them congregate. And we want to discover these wintering groups.”
Several partner organizations and experts from neighboring countries joined the event for the 7th consecutive year, and update the “Eagles Cards”, wintering in the Carpathian Basin. The monitoring results are currently being processed and the eagle census should be finalized in February.