Adult Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus meridionalis)

Photo: Ch. van Royen, South Africa FOREWORD

Now my turn has come to take up the baton in guiding the Foundation for the Conser- vation of the Bearded Vulture. I take it with respect and gratitude toward my predeces- sors, the late lamented RICHARD FAUST and MAARTEN BIJLEVELD VAN LEXMOND. I am also most grateful to the other two Members of FCBV’s Board who have now resi- gned, PIERRE GOELDLIN DE TIEFENAU and JAN LOUWMAN. The work they all have done for many years has made of this Reintroduction Project the great success we know today. The Foundation has now to deal with new challenges and new problems, which, I am certain, it will meet with the unaltered strength, enthusiasm and unconditional help of every participant in the Project. Already last year we began to elaborate new strategies, in order to improve the coloni- sation of the by Bearded Vulture, and to help surviving relict populations in Euro- pe. This work is in progress, although a definite strategy has, as yet, not been decided upon. For sure, we shall have to fight against the use of poison, which unfortunately received new impulses because of the expansion of the Wolf, and we shall have to improve moni- toring as it becomes more and more important in following formed pairs and their repro- duction, in discovering and checking on those in formation, and above all in quickly detecting possible threats. Monitoring will also have to be adapted to new requirements as with the increasing num- ber of wild born - and therefore unmarked - young, greater experience and competen- ce is needed to determine the age of birds on the basis of the different phases of their plumage. I feel confident that these new challenges will be encountered by all partners with the same passion and spirit of co-operation that was shown in the past. As from my side, I shall be at their entire disposal, whenever they need to contact the Foundation, and hope to come up to their expectations.

Dr. PAOLO FASCE President of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Bearded Vulture 2 Contents 2005

Foreword 1

Breeding Network Reproduction in 2005 3 Transfers - Increases - Deaths in 2005 10 EEP stock in 2005 19 Reproduction between 1978 and 2005 22 Age distribution in 2005 24 Release Report on Releases in 2005 25 Report on the release in the Hohe Tauern National Park, Rauris 2005 34 Report on the release at the Haute Savoie site in 2005 35 Release in Swiss Nationalpark Engadine in 2005 38 Release in the Argentera - Mercantour site in 2005 39 Wing marks and ring colours from 1986 - 2005 40

Monitoring Bearded Vulture Monitoring in Engadine, Switzerland in 2005 49 The project: „BEARDED VULTURE ON THE MOVE“: First results of a satellite tracking study 60 Hohe Tauern National Park - Breeding in the wild 2005 63 Austrian Bearded Vulture Monitoring 2005 63 Status of the Bearded Vulture in Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio in 2005 66 The situation in Aosta Valley and in the National Park Gran Paradiso, Itay 69 The situation in Natural Park Alpi Marittime and the neighbouring region - Italy 70 Monitoring in Piedmont (Western Alps Observers Network) 72 Western Alps Observers Network: results from the first 13 years 73 Pairs and breeding in Haute Savoie 2005 80 Review of Bearded Vulture breeding 2005 in Vanoise and origin of marked Bearded Vultures observed in this between 1990 and 2005 82 The situation of Bearded Vultures in Parc national des Écrins (IBM 24) 83 Terminology of population data and reproductive parameters 84 "MONITORING” an Evaluation Tool to Determine Reintroduction Success 85 ALPINE MONITORING: effects of release site and natural reproduction on species distribution and population growth 87

Autochthonous Populations Bearded Vulture in the French Pyrenees - Results of the monitoring of 2005 92 The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) population in the Spanish Pyrenees in 2005 94 Three Years of Bearded Vultures´ Surveys in Morocco 98

Miscellaneous Actions for the reintroduction of the Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) in Andalusia 102 The Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus): Age features and moult process 104 Annual Report of the Breeding Centre Natur- und Tierpark Goldau, Switzerland, 2005 109 Soaring to Extincton: The population status of the Bearded vulture, Gypaetus barbatus meridionalis, in southern Africa 109 The FCBV Annual Meeting, Cuneo, Italy, 18th November 2005 114 FCBV’s medium term strategy 117

Techniques of release for Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Italy 121

Editorial 126 2005 Breeding Network 3

Reproduction in 2005 by Hans Frey *

The Vienna Breeding Unit In this breeding season, six pairs produced a clutch: BG 009 x BG 006019020 produced two eggs (8th/9th and 23rd of December). The first hatched on 31st of January (BG 452009006) without any problems although the embryo was in malposition. The second was still alive and developing on 23rd of January and on 2nd of February but died during hatching on the 14th of January. The single egg of BG 014 x BG 133134135 was laid on the 25th of December and removed a few hours later to an incubator. The egg was still alive and developing (checks on 23rd of January and on 2nd of February) but died short time before hatching (16th of January). BG 105161162 x BG 178 had two eggs laid on the 2nd and on 7th of January. The second proved to be infertile, the first was destroyed by the male. The pair BG 017019021 x BG 070022023 produced two eggs (29th of December and 6th of January), which hatched on 20th of February in the nest of its parents (BG 460017070) and on 27th of February in the incubator (BG 462017070). Both pulli hatched without any problems. BG 199 x BG 107150151 laid one egg on 29th of December, the second on 6th of January. The first hatched on 27th of February (BG 461199107), the second on 4th of March (BG 465199107). Both hat- chlings needed human help, were very weak during and after hatching, but recovered and develo- ped well. BG 108065040 x BG 175152153 had produced two eggs (8th and 14th of December), which hatched on the 30th of January (BG 451108175) and on 5th of February (BG 454108175) without any pro- blems. ¦ Remarks on pair BG 009 x BG 006. On 28th of January, female BG 006019020 limped but con- tinued to incubate. Therefore she was not removed from the facility. On 5th of February, BG 452009006 was returend from incubator and hand rearing to its parents and female BG 006 imme- diately started to warm the juvenile and to feed it. On 10th of February, the limping of BG 006 had nearly stopped and an appointment at the CLINIC OF RADIOLOGY (Vet. Med. Univ. Vienna) was chan- celled. ¦ Remarks on pair BG 014 x BG 133134135. Male BG 014 was observed „playing“ with the egg, layed a few hours before. He continued to manipulate (lifting it with the bill and dropping it back to the nest) the dummy egg up to eight days after exchanging it. Nevertheless this pair adopted and reared successsfully BG 454108175 and BG 458180274 (Liberec Zoo). BG 454 proved to be a rather calm nestling, which did not feed with much enthusiasm during the first days of life, but in the care of this foster pair it developed very well. At the beginning of October, BG 014 fell ill, had to be seperated and died on 11th of November. ¦ Remarks on pair BG 105161162 x BG 178. Although this pair was not successfully reproducing in 2005, both birds adopted and reared BG 461199107 without any problems. The exchange of the egg on 2nd of January could be done without any movement of the incubating female - the bird stay- ed in the nest and tolerated this manipulation. ¦ Remarks on pair BG 017019021 x BG 070022023. This pair adopted BG 454108175 without any problems and reared it successfully and with great routine. The female immediately started to warm the nestling after moving it into the nest. ¦ Remarks on pair BG 199 x BG 107150151. This pair reared BG 460017070 without any problems, the male immediately approached the nestlin