Cernícalo primilla

Between last May and June, the lesser kestrel chicks scheduled for release this year under the LIFE ZEPAURBAN Project were indeed released.

DEMA is a beneficiary partner of this Project and is responsible, among other things, for undertaking this action -- an action aimed at the production of chicks in the Lesser Kestrel Breeding Center and their release into the natural environment for the recovery of the urban SPA of San Vicente de Alcántara.

On October 14, LIFE-ZEPAURBAN will participate in the final Steppes of La Mancha Conference. This is an online conference in which professionals, experts, and businessmen responsible for initiatives to enhance the natural heritage with a special focus on the conservation of steppe birds and the general biodiversity of the agricultural landscape will participate. Registration is already open and you can check out the program at this link:

https://estepasdelamancha.es/congreso-final-estepas-de-la-mancha/

Last week, the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN Project received a visit from Sara Mora, from the NEEMO-IDOM external team of the European Commission, so that she could see firsthand how the project is unfolding. On Monday the 9th, a meeting of all the partners was held in Mérida in which the development of the project's main actions was reviewed and their future was analyzed.

On August 7, the announcement for a tender process for the RESTORATION AND ADAPTATION OF WALLS FOR THE LESSER KESTREL AT THE LA VISITACIÓN CONVENT (PUEBLA DE ALCOCER), was published on the State Contracting Platform.

URBAN BIRDING is the name of the tourist product that has been created in Extremadura (under the Life ZEPAURBAN Project, funded by Europe) with the lesser kestrel and other urban birds in mind.

Under Action A2 "Study and characterization of feeding habitats of the lesser kestrel in the urban SPAs and roosts of Extremadura", for which the partner Terra Naturalis is responsible, it was planned to place seven satellite transmitters on lesser kestrel specimens from several previously selected colonies -- selected due to their geographical location and their accessibility when doing the capturing.

Tuesday, May 28 is the day scheduled for the first of three releases of lesser kestrel chicks to be carried out this year under the LIFE ZEPAURBAN Project, a project developed in Extremadura and coordinated by the General Directorate of the Environment of the Government of Extremadura, with DEMA as a beneficiary partner.

For yet another year, the LIFE ZEPAURBAN Project received a visit from the external team to supervise the work being undertaken. On the 19th and 20th of March, the third monitoring visit for the LIFE ZEPAURBAN Project took place under the direction of Sara Mora, the individual responsible for the Nemo-Idom team's monitoring of the project.

As part of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN Project, a series of activities have been started designed to disseminate the wealth of the birding community at the urban SPAs of Extremadura, with special attention being paid to the lesser kestrel, as well as to raise awareness among the local population about the need to protect the area as well as about its potential as a tourist resource. These actions revolve around talks and guided tours for schoolchildren, as well as other activities that are open to the rest of the population.

In mid-February, the first lesser kestrels began to arrive at the San Vicente de Alcántara SPA (Badajoz) after spending the winter in Africa. As part of Action C3 of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN Project, the reinforcement or recovery of a lesser kestrel colony at risk of disappearance was contemplated. The chosen colony was that of San Vicente de Alcántara, which had disappeared years ago. The recovery work for this colony began in 2018 with the construction of the release module in the church tower and the transfer of the first 50 chicks born in captivity at the DEMA Breeding Center.