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Month: March 2019

  • Teacher training on innovative nature education materials held in Gevgelija

    Teacher training on innovative nature education materials held in Gevgelija

    Macedonian Ecological Society continued with teacher training which was initiated in the in the “Empowering Teachers and Pupils for a Better Life through Nature” project implemented in cooperation with five environmental NGOs from Europe, and financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. On 23 March, MES and a representative from Kindergarten “Majski Cvet” – Skopje held one-day training for the kindergarten teachers and caregivers from Kindergarten “Detska Radost” – Gevgelija.

    The purpose of the training was to familiarize the kindergarten teachers and caregivers with the educational materials for nature and birds that they can use in their educational programs. The training also took part in nature in the recreational area Dinkjut, where the participants tested some of the activities from the material.

    The educational materials encourage educators working with children of the earliest age in rural or smaller urban areas to spend more time in nature and to study it closely, as well as to introduce interactive component in learning about birds.

  • The wild side of Prespa – the beginning of a series of events

    The wild side of Prespa – the beginning of a series of events

    MES-Resen is organizing a series of lectures titled “The wild side od Prespa”. The short presentations are meant to introduce all interested parties (especially locals) to biodiversity monitoring and organism-specific skills, and most importantly – to tell stories that will spark up excitement for the field studies to follow and make the wait for the spring and summer more bearable. With this in mind, we are going over examples and anecdotes derived from monitoring studies on different taxonomic groups (birds, reptiles, plants, etc.), most coming from Prespa. Those that will attend will learn that without proper monitoring we can have strong misconceptions regarding the state that our organisms of interest are in, and at the same time will learn that monitoring is not only meant for biologists and ecologists, but rather, its quality is strongly dependent on the initiatives of enthusiasts and nature lovers.

    In the biodiversity hotspot that is Prespa, monitoring can (and has) uncover(ed) biodiversity surprises around every corner, that can turn even the least of nature lovers into “nature addicts”. Inevitably, the attained monitoring skills will prepare all volunteers for potential careers as biologists, ecologists, field assistants, researchers, or simply for a lifetime of nature enthusiasm. At an age when a substantial proportion of the international ecological and conservation interests and resources are focused on Prespa, there is no better allocation of time and effort than that spent on local engagement by practicing biological/ecological skills! “The wild side of Prespa” is organized with financial and logistical support from PONT (Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust, https://www.pont.org) and the municipality of Resen, respectively.

  • New male lynx collared in Mavrovo National Park

    New male lynx collared in Mavrovo National Park

    Another lynx got a GPS collar in Mavrovo National Park to track its movement. On 27 February, together with Park staff, we managed to collar this individual and now we are successfully tracking its movement. The lynx is a two-year old male weighing 19 kilograms.

    –              After the Park’s employees called us about a chamois kill, we returned at the site and placed a foot snare. The lynx returned at the feeding site six hours later, whereas the whole procedure to take blood and measures lasted for about an hour, after which the lynx was released. On this occasion we had assistance from Miha Krofel, a lynx expert from Slovenia – stated Dime Melovski, managing MES Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.

    It will be interesting to find out whether this lynx has not established its own territory yet. Such case will be helpful to determine which paths and corridors are used by lynx when establishing their home range. Hence, following the lynx’s whereabouts in the next few months will be of crucial importance.

  • Early spring surprises from IBA Lower Vardar

    Early spring surprises from IBA Lower Vardar

    During regular fieldwork activities in the scope of the “One Flew Over the Storks Nest” project we encountered two interesting bird sightings in the Lower Vardar river IBA.

    The first surprise was the White Storks pair in the village Bogorodica. According to the locals the pair was first noted in January and has stayed in the village ever since. We suspect that the pair didn’t migrate and has survived feeding in the adjacent wetlands and dumpsites, or stayed in the warmer parts of Greece. Such phenomena of non-migrating Storks are noticed since the 1980s. The most frequent such cases in the last decade occur in Spain and Portugal. The scientists consider attribute this behavioral change as a combined result of the climate change and the easily accessible food source found in both legal and illegal dumpsites. If we confirm that the pair was overwintering, it will be the first such documented case for the country.

     

     

     

     

     

    The second surprise finding occurred in the adjacent village of Stojakovo. In a big flock of Magpies gathering around their roost, we noticed a partially leucistic Magpie individual. Instead of the trademark black-iridescent and white feathers pattern, it had dominantly white feathers on the flanks, the belly and the coverts and light brown feathers on its head and the vent. Such genetic changes in the expression of the melatonin (black pigment present in all animals) are rare occurrences, but not strange. More often than not, this type of different pigmentation in animals causes more negative than positive advantages (they can easily be spotted by predators; there are difficulties in thermoregulation and reduced probability to find a suitable nesting partner etc.). MES has knowledge of occurrences of several albino birds, but this is the first documented leucistic bird in the country. We hope this particular Magpie has a successful breeding season and continues to be part of this flock.