Csanád and Csillag have been ringed

On 19 May 2014 Csanád and Csillag, the young dwellers of the online Saker Falcon nest in Hungary, have been ringed. About 80% of the Hungarian Saker Falcon population breed in artificial nest boxes installed on pylons of transmission power lines. In the end of May, most of the Saker Falcon chicks are already 3-4-week old, which is an ideal age for ringing that can be done along with regular nest controls. The aim of ringing on one hand is data collection – number, age and sex of the nestlings, collecting prey remains, etc. - and on the other hand the ringing itself. During this latter, the birds are ringed with aluminium rings with individual codes. Those rings provide valuable information for conservation experts later, when the birds are found again, and help the more targeted conservation of the species. 

MAVIR have been supporting MME's Saker conservation work for years now, in the frame of a long-term co-operation. A very positive working relation have been formed with the company maitaining the transmission grid. Monitoring on nest boxes on pylons and ringing of chicks would not be possible without the contribution of the line managers and colleagues, because the power lines – transmitting sometimes as high as 750 kV – and  pylons are considered as extremely dangerous objects. Without their help, even the Saker Falcon nest boxes could not have been installed in the frame of the first and second Saker conservation LIFE projects coordinated by Bükk National Park Directorate. It was also MAVIR that helped the installment an online web camera to a Saker Falcon nest box, which resulted in several thousands interested people from dozens of countries following online the life of the Saker pair and the chicks in the last years.
The web camera was active also in 2014 and the pair bred successfully. Thus in mid-May, in the usual date, the chicks could be ringed. The chick received names from their online „godparents”, who were also present on this great event. Csillag – which means „Star” – and Csanád, the two chicks were perfectly healthy, as the ringers could diagnose. After ringing, the two little Sakers were returned to the nest boksz, in front of the camera. Because of the sensitivity of strictly protected and rare birds of prey species, it is not possible to involve hundreds of spectators in the nest monitoring. At the same time, modern technology made it possible that nowadays anyone could follow the life of such a rare species as the Saker Falcon.

Photos were taken by Mátyás Prommer   

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