Julio 2017

On 24th July the team involved in action A6 (“Industrial manufacture of mortar-cork nest boxes”) of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project met to assess the performance of the new nest boxes in the various tests carried out.

El 24 de julio se reunía el equipo implicado en la acción A6 “Fabricación industrial de nidales de mortero-corcho”, del proyecto LIFE-ZEPAURBAN, para evaluar el comportamiento de los nuevos nidales en los distintos ensayos llevados a cabo.

Within the framework of action A1 the first lesser kestrel census has begun. 

The State Office of Libraries, Museums, and Cultural Heritage and the State Office for the Environment have made a joint visit to the centre of the historic city of Cáceres to assess the adaptation of holes for the nesting of the lesser kestrel.

Did you know why the scientific name of the lesser kestrel is Falco naumanni?

Within the framework of this Action C2 "Adaptation of nesting sites on buildings managed by the State Office of Libraries, Museums, and Cultural Heritage", part of the roof and the tower of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Purificación de Almendralejo will be remodelled to avoid filtrations in the building and ensure the permanence of its important colony of lesser kestrels.

On Friday 19th May the fifth edition of this interesting congress on urban birds, conservation, and tourism was held as part of the Cáceres Bird Festival.

The activities of the Bird Festival include in particular the congress entitled “Urban ZEPAs: conservation and tourism”, which has given special importance in its fifth edition to the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project.

The person of the external team appointed to follow up and support the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project is Dolores Hedo, who has made an initial visit to get to know the project and its partners at first hand.

One of the key actions of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project is action A6, the industrial manufacture of mortar-cork nest boxes for the lesser kestrel. The main objective is to test the efficiency of a new design and materials for the construction of nest boxes for this species with improved technical and ethological conditions that allow the improving of its breeding success.

“In the Spanish tongue the name cernícalo from cerner meaning to hover is used, because the bird stays aloft without moving but stirring its wings and tail; hunters call this hovering.”

Writing a press release for the presentation of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN Project - Publication in the regional press and national agencies (EFE)

First coordination meeting for all partners of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project at the Cornalvo Nature Reserve in Trujillanos (Badajoz)

Meeting of the State Office for the Environment and Terra Naturalis, both partners of the ZEPAURBAN project, with a view to initiating its first actions to be carried out and in particular the 2017 census (A1) and the fitting of birds with transmitters (A2).

Up to December 2020 the Regional Ministry for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Policies, and Territory will carry out a total of 30 actions included in the LIFE project for the conservation of the lesser kestrel in the urban Special Bird Protection Areas.

The State Office for the Environment holds meetings with the personnel of the Service for the Conservation of Nature and Protected Areas so as to disseminate the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project.

On 15th February 2017 the first Scientific Committee meeting was held as part of the LIFE15 NAT/ES/001016 project on the “Management of urban ZEPAs for the conservation of the lesser kestrel in Extremadura”, LIFE-ZEPAURBAN.

The Group for Restoring Indigenous Fauna and its Habitat (Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su hábitat, GREFA) is involved with the urban population of the lesser kestrel in Extremadura

On 8th March the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project received the visit of the “Lesser Kestrel Recovery - Greater chance for the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) in Bulgaria”