Dissemination

Our partners from the General Directorate of Tourism are starting to hold the new activity workshops for those who are part of the Urban Birding tourism product.  These include the presentation of the pilot routes to observe lesser kestrels and other birds in the urban SPAs of Extremadura where said product is being developed:

Zafra: Tuesday, November 12, 9:00 a.m. Manuel Pérez Business Initiatives Center (Fairgrounds).

Jerez de los Caballeros: Wednesday, November 13, 9:00 a.m. Vasco Núñez de Balboa House Museum (C/ La Oliva, 12).

Since last September and within the context of the Life ZEPAURBAN Project, work has been being carried out to improve the feeding habitats of the lesser kestrel at the designated estates of the SPAs of Trujillo, Cáceres, and Acedera. Specifically, the spreading of fertilizer (superphosphate) has begun in grassy areas, with the aim of improving the grass quality, which in turn will increase the abundance of prey for the kestrel in the spring.

LIFE ZEPAURBAN Project: Action C1. Adaptation of the nesting sites in buildings of heritage value in urban SPAs of Extremadura.

The General Directorate of Tourism of the Regional Government of Extremadura will undertake, during the last quarter of 2019, the consolidation phase of the urban ornithological tourism initiative known as Urban Birding, whose protagonist is the lesser kestrel -- the only bird of prey that nests in colonies in urban centers, mainly in historical buildings.

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.

Within the context of the follow-up activities for Action D1 of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project, “Monitoring of the impact of the project's conservation actions on the lesser kestrel in the urban SPAs of Extremadura”, monitoring is being carried out to discover the effectiveness of the conservation actions undertaken within the project's scope. To this end, periodic visits are being made to the buildings where activities have been undertaken under Actions C1 and C2 to determine the degree of acceptance of the improvements made.

The General Directorate of Tourism, as a partner of the LIFE ZEPAURBAN Project in its commitment to strengthening the “URBAN BIRDING” Product, has provided all its members with various materials for the theming of their establishments.

"URBAN BIRDING" is an urban ornithological tourism product that is based on the development of activities that generate local economic wealth around the observation of the lesser kestrel in five Extremaduran towns: Cáceres, Jerez, Plasencia, Trujillo, and Zafra.

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.

On the 17th, 18th, and 19 of May, the XI City of Cáceres Bird Festival will be held, organized by the General Directorate of Tourism and with the collaboration of the General Directorate of the Environment, Cáceres Provincial Council, and Cáceres City Council. Within the context of this festival, on Friday the 17th we invite you to the VII Conference on “URBAN SPAS OF EXTREMADURA.