The ornithologists of Altai-Sayan will be receiving sms from saker falcons

Resurrection of saker falcon population in Altai-Sayan is the unique project supported by WWF Altai-Sayan Programme and a World Around You Foundation, a corporate donor. The population of saker falcons in Altai-Sayan Ecoregion has been almost destroyed for the last 20 years. Catching alive birds to sell to the Middle East for the need of falcon hunters, decreasing the level of pre are the main threats to the species.

The ornithologist of the Southern Siberia took a challenge to resurrect the population of saker falcon by using a unique methodology. They used the chicks that grew up in nursery. The little falcons were provided by Vitasfera, Moscow nursery for birds of prey. Ten chicks were brought to Republics of Altai and Tyva by he experts by plane and then the birds were taken to the places of their new location.

In Republic of Tyva the prey is abandon and there are enough birding places as there has been a project to set the several artificial nests for the falcons. The pairs of wild saker falcons were found easily and the chicks were put right to the nests together with the little chicks of wild birds.

In Republic of Altai the project was implemented in partnership with Sailugemsky National Park. Only one nest was found suitable for placing the chicks. Moreover the level of prey was too little so the scientists had to add some prey like chickens and mice to the nest so the chicks were well fed.

The female saker falcons took new chicks as they were their own and do not distinguish between the birds.

The ornithologists believe that  this method of growing birds right in the nests of the wild birds will help them to adapt, learn to prey from the wild birds. It is a method successfully used in the other countries.

Some chicks from the nursery and some from the wild were marked by GPS-trackers. The scientists plan to track the migratory routes and follow the life of the birds to estimate whether the project is successful.