Conference "Dravcy a sovy 2002", 20.09-22.09.2002, Mikulov
Meeting of the KOO Board
Hurricane-force winds in the RDLP Białystok

Conference "Dravcy a sovy 2002", 20.09-22.09.2002, Mikulov

Traditionally, as each second autumn, in 2002 a conference devoted to birds of prey and owls, organised by the Group for Research and Protection of Birds of Prey and Owls (SOVDS), was held in Mikulov, Moravia (Czech Republic), on the premises of a castle towering above its surroundings. On the day preceding the official commencement of the conference the KOO members, due to poor attendance reinforced by three Czech colleagues, played a football match with the SOVDS representation. Having won this match, we are afraid that the next competition our team will enter for will have to be in ice hockey...

During the two days of conference we got acquainted with 32 papers and 9 posters. Ten persons from Poland actively participated in the meeting and delivered the following speeches:

G. Grzywaczewski - "Breeding area and use of space in the Little Owl Athene noctua in the agricultural landscape in the vicinity of Lublin",

S. Sielicki - "Restoration of the Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus in Poland";
and posters:

G. Grzywaczewski and W. Gustaw - "Owls Strigiformes of the agricultural landscape in the environs of Lublin",

Z. Kasprzykowski and A. Goławski - "Habitat preferences of the Barn Owl Tyto alba and Little Owl Athene noctua in central-eastern Poland",

R. Mikusek, T. Stawarczyk, A. Wuczyński, J. Lontkowski - "Birds of Prey of the Ziemia Kłodzka region".

It should be emphasised that both the level of the surveys as such and that of their presentation definitely rise year by year, the reason for which being certainly regular meetings of this type. As many as 10 speeches concerned preservation of the species of raptors and owls. The issue of getting juvenile Peregrines adapted to tree nesting by putting them into Goshawk nests, a task pursued by falconers in the Czech Republic, provoked an animated discussion. Arguments against this type of endeavours, put forward by the Czech and Slovak specialists in preservation of birds of prey, regard mainly:

• unknown consequences of nest adoption by another species (imprinting, danger of predation by Goshawks etc.);
• existence of alternative and proven methods of the Peregrine Falcon restoration;
• good condition and incessant growth in the number of the Peregrine breeding pairs in the Czech Republic (in 2002, 16 breeding pairs were recorded to nest plus further 4 sites to be occupied);
• manipulation of broods of a protected species;

The presentation by S. Siryova and P. Fend from Slovakia on the invertebrate fauna of the nests of raptors is also worth mentioning. This speech made us aware of how important a nest itself can be as an additional component of the environment. Another valuable presentation was that by P. Vořišek, T. Bélka and L. Schröpfer, who, based on their experience gained during the study for the reprint of the "Fauna of the Czech Republic - Birds (II)", drew attention to mistakes of the merits occurring in the previous edition of this publication and gaps in the knowledge about the groups of birds concerned. The book, extended with the material from 1982-1998, which concerned, among others, nearly 12.5 thousand nests, will probably appear in print as soon as next year.

Taking the opportunity, we wish to express our gratefulness to our Czech Colleagues for friendly reception and nice atmosphere, both this more and that less official.

Meeting of the KOO Board

On 14 September 2002, in the Kolegium Cieszkowskich on the premises of the Agricultural University of Poznań, a meeting of the Eagle Conservation Committee Board was held. Apart from the Board, the meeting was also attended by some regional co-ordinators and more active members of the KOO. During the course of the meeting the participants discussed the advancement of the projects pursued by the Committee and new ideas for further projects to be developed (among others: protection of hunting grounds, and strategies for preservation of particular species). The plan of how to use the donation from the Environmental Protection Bank, amounting to 22 281 zł, obtained for the "Programme to rescue the Osprey in Poland", which comprises a survey of the species breeding sites, monitoring the causes of brood losses and reconstruction of destroyed nests, was accepted. The participants became familiarised with the situation in the protection zones of birds of prey in the forest divisions of Drygały, Pisz, Borki, Giżycko, Myszyniec, Rajgród and Nowogród, which, at the beginning of July 2002, were afflicted by hurricane-force winds bringing about tremendous destruction in the tree stands. Further, the Board resolved to validate the balance for 2001. During the meeting, Colleague Krzysztof Wacławek resigned from the functions of the KOO Treasurer and a member of the Board, adducing important career-related reasons. The Board acquiesced to his request, simultaneously expressing their sincere thanks for the Colleague's year-long fruitful work for the Committee. Then, a unanimous resolution was passed to appoint Colleague Sebastian Jakowszczenko to be a member of the Board and to entrust him with the function of the KOO Treasurer. The conclusion of the meeting was devoted to discussion on the future membership programme and the need to publish the results of the conservation and scientific activity of the Committee.

Hurricane-force winds in the RDLP Białystok

The hurricane-force winds which occurred on 4th July, 2002, caused disastrous damage in the State Forests under the Białystok Regional Headquarters. After consultations with the Provincial Nature Conservator, Ms Maria Mellin, representatives of the Eagle Conservation Committee decided to immediately undertake visits to the nests of birds of prey and the Black Stork situated in the forest area destroyed by the winds. On the first days after the hurricane there was still a possibility of finding the nestlings which had survived the disaster. The territory afflicted by the hurricane ranks among valuable Polish centres of occurrence of the White-tailed and Lesser Spotted Eagles. Jointly, in four forest divisions (Borki, Czerwony Dwór, Drygały and Pisz) 43 nests of the Lesser Spotted Eagle, 17 nests of the White-tailed Eagle and single ones of the Red Kite, Black Kite, Osprey, Eagle Owl and Black Stork were controlled. In 23 zones (out of 65 covered by controls) of 7 bird species the damage inflicted in tree stands was assessed at 20-80%. Altogether, 19 trees with nests had got uprooted or broken. Of the 14 wind-destroyed nests of the Lesser Spotted Eagle, three were not found at all. In the Czerwony Dwór Forest Division, one Lesser Spotted Eagle fledgling was successfully saved. The bird was fed and a platform constructed for it in one of the nearby trees. Later, a control revealed that the fledgling was being fed by adult birds. By signing a three-sided agreement with the Provincial Nature Conservator and Forest Divisions of Borki, Czerwony Dwór, Drygały and Pisz, the Eagle Conservation Committee declared to help with making a register of the currently existing nests of the species taken under zone protection.