- 2,495 Saker chicks!
Mongolian
Artificial Nest Project: 2014 update
In 2010 we
erected 5000 artificial nests in areas of the Mongolian steppe where there are
very few natural nest sites for predatory birds. The primary aim of this
project is to create a managed population of Saker Falcons that can be readily
monitored, which can then potentially be used to underpin a sustainable harvest
of the species for falconry. Over the last four years the number of breeding
pairs of Saker Falcons occupying these artificial nests has increased
annually. In 2014 we found 764 breeding pairs of Saker Falcons and we
ringed 2,495 chicks at the artificial nests. The network of artificial nests
also supported 959 breeding pairs of Common Kestrels, 425 Upland Buzzards, 371
Ravens and one pair of Eagle Owls. All these species prey on small
rodents, which are considered to be pests as they contribute to grassland
degradation in the steppe. The Mongolian Artificial Nest project is
implemented by International Wildlife Consultants (UK) and the Wildlife Science
and Conservation Center (Mongolia) on behalf of the Environment Agency-Abu
Dhabi (EAD, UAE). The Mongolian Artificial Nest Project forms part of a wider
programme of research, conservation and education projects related to Saker
Falcons in Mongolia, which are funded by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi under
a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Nature, Environment and
Green Development, Mongolia and International Wildlife Consultants.