Signs of affection between Íbex (on the left) and Ares (on the right). © Boumort-Alinyà Team

This season, three chicks were raised by the pairs of the colony. One more chick, born in captivity and released through hacking has to be added to these. Besides, this Autumn 15 new black vultures will be released.

This year, three new black vulture chicks were born into the wild in the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida. Besides, one individual born in captivity this Spring at the breeding centre of GREFA (Majadahonda, Madrid) has been released in the area where the colony is sited, using the hacking technique. The four chicks born this year are staying in the area.

Marking the new black vultures: measuring the wings. © Boumort-Alinyà Team

Marking the new black vultures: an individal already with a transmitter on its back. © Boumort-Alinyà Team

On the other hand, 14 new black vultures where marked on 8 and 9 October for the subsequent release, this week. These individuals came from wildlife rehabilitation centres from the Iberian Peninsula. They have been donated by several autonomous communities. (To be highlighted, the GREFA centre and Los Hornos centre –Junta de Extremadura–, that provided 5 and 4 individuals for the project, respectively.) They were brought last Spring to the acclimatization facilities in Boumort and Alinyà. They stayed there for 6 months to favour that now, once released, stay in the area. One more black vulture from this group (so, 15 in total) escaped three weeks ago, before the marking, and is staying in the reintroduction area.

A black vulture overflying the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida. © Boumort-Alinyà Team

The current colony, if we add the 4 juveniles from this year, will be formed by 33 black vultures (besides, taking into account a new immature exogenous black vulture with no bands, probably coming from the Iberian Peninsula, that is joining the colony since May, they would be 34). The colony will be increased with the new 15 individuals released this Autumn (the aim is that all these black vultures stay in the area). If we put together the inviduals released through the acclimatization facilities and the individuals released through hacking, including those from this year, we have 62 black vultures have been released in the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida since the beginning of the project (2007).

After marking the new black vultures, on last 9 October. A big team: rangers of Boumort (DAAM), Fundació Catalunya-La Pedreda, GREFA and Trenca. Also Víctor García, from the MAGRAMA, specialist in placing transmitters on large birds of prey. © Boumort-Alinyà Team

The reintroduction project of the Black Vulture in the Pyrenees is promoted by the Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural de la Generalitat de Catalunya and by the Fundació Catalunya – La Pedrera. GREFA and Trenca are involved in the assisment and implementation of the Project, toghether with the staff of the Espai Natura Muntanya d’Alinyà and the rangers of the NHR of Boumort. The Estació Biològica del Pallars Jussà carries out several educational actions related to the project.

For further information on this project, please check the section Reintroduction of the Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in the Pyrenees on this website.