This year has been a year with an unprecedented succés in regards to the reproduction of the Black Vulture in Boumort (pre-Pyrenees of Lleida) with six chicks.

After the loss of three black vultures that were couple at end of 2015, the colony has managed to make 10 incubations, the same as the previous year. But the good news are that this year six chicks survive and are waiting to start flying in a few days.

We have crossed the line that we had no able to cross in previus years with only three chicks.

One of the chicks of black vulture (Aegypius monachus) of this 2016 season in the nest. © Boumort-Alinyà work-team

In 2016 the chicks have been growing up under the care of their parents. All of them are in very good health conditions and they have been marked with GPS/GSM emisors and  with PVC and metalic rings to monitoring them. This marking operations have been carried out in diferents days after chicks have reached the 80-90 days of age and the expert of MAGRAMA (Spanish Goverment)  could operated in safety conditions for the chicks. In marking operations they also colaborated the ngo TRENCA and GREFA, NHR of Boumort and the Forest Rangers of the Catalonian Goverment.

Medical checkup of a chick of black vulture (Aegypius monachus) of the 2016 season in catalonian pre-Pyrenees. © Boumort-Alinyà work-team

The recovery of the pairs of vultures in such a short time in this 2016 season is a result of the good health of the Project. The increase of vultures of outside of the colony and the fixation of a breeding french pair (Montenegro and Pline) to the colony are another exit of the Proyect and a very good news to the future of this. This french couple was the first pair to incubate a chick who was marked in july with 84 days of age.

Weighing operation of one of the black vulture chicks (Aegypius monachus) of the season. © Boumort-Alinyà work-team

After this first marking , with 2-3 week between diferents markings, three chicks of Menta and Mario, Oriol and Pessonada and Perla and Portel were marked. All of them are experimented couples in the colony. During de breeding time ,Perla was missing, a very especial female because she was the first vulture to breed a chich in the Catalonian pre-Pyrenees colony (2010). The male (Porte) have been working so hard to take care about the chick with succés!.

The las two marked chicks , are sons of two pairs formed by an individual for the proyect and a exogenous individual: Ibex( ibèric exogenous withourt marks) pair of Ares (released in Alinyà) and Quasimodo (french exogenous) pair of Lorena (released in Boumort). All of them are inexperienced breeding pairs except of Quasimodo who had a chick the previous year with the missing female Coma.

Now we only have to wait to the next days for see the new chicks of this season start flying to becoming more and more independent!.

A black vulture (Aegypius monachus) flying around the catalonian pre-Pyrenees. © Boumort-Alinyà work-team

To learn more about the project, you can visit the section: Reintroduction of the black vulture (Aegypius monachus) in the Pyrenees in this same web page.

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 NHR of Boumort. Obra Social “La Caixa” (with the support of Generalitat de Catalunya) and REE participate in a remarkable manner to the financing of the project.