zepaurban

The last weekend new captures of lesser kestrels took place as part of Action A2 of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN urban. In 2018 50 individuals were fitted with transmitters but given the useful life of the appliances most of them either no longer give off signals or do so inadequately. As the date of the end of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project has been extended it was necessary to fit birds with GPS datalogger transmitters to continue the follow-up of the collaborating estates (Actions B1 and C4).

The Life-ZEPAURBAN project hopes to see you at the 2021 virtual International Birdwatching Fair (Feria Internacional de Turismo Ornitológico, 2021); we will be delighted to welcome you to the European project stand of the Tourist Department and the stand of the Regional Ministry for Ecological Transition and Sustainability. There we will be able to give you all the updated information on the project and will present the new material which has been published.

In the last year of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project, a complete census of all the urban SPAs that are part of its scope of action is planned. Nevertheless, following the criteria established by the scientific committee for the project (Action F2), in 2020 an attempt was made to count the largest possible number of SPAs in Extremadura in order to have information on population trends.

The lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) is a small falcon and as such is integrated into the Falconidae family.

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.

ALGAKON, the company selected for the campaign, is starting work on awareness-raising and information dissemination to the local population and schools within action E7 of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project. In the framework of this action, external assistance was planned to be contracted to provide talks to primary and secondary schools, as well as to provide guided visits to urban centres, for both school students as well as the local population, to increase awareness about the lesser kestrel..

As part of action A6 nest boxes are being manufactured industrially by the partner Prefabricados Extremadura 2002 and are available for installation in colonies of lesser kestrels.

Once the design phase was over, undertaken primarily by DEMA, testing was carried out in laboratories by INTROMAC, a partner in the LIFE project responsible for new materials as well as in the Church of the Purification in the SPA (Lesser kestrel colonies of Almendralejo”. The nest boxes developed in the framework of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project are now being produced and are ready for installation. 

The use of cork helps to comply with one of the objectives of the LIFE-ZEPAURBAN project: to develop stronger and safer nest boxes for the species at a lower cost than at present.

Like last year, the General Directorate of Libraries, Museums and Cultural Heritage and the General Directorate of the Environment of the Government of Extremadura have started visits to all the buildings for which they have responsibility during autumn and winter 2018/2019.

The VI workshop “URBAN SPAs OF EXTREMADURA. CONSERVATION AND TOURISM” will take place on 18th May, organised by the General Directorate of Tourism and The General Directorate of the Environment of the Government of Extremadura, as part of the City of Cáceres Bird Festival (www.festivaldelasavescaceres.com).