A griffon vulture has been noticed feeding in southern Poland within the first confirmed sighting of the species within the nation for greater than a decade.
Naturalists described the go to by Europe’s second-largest fowl – which in all probability as soon as nested in Poland, however is now formally extinct within the nation – as an “ornithological sensation”.
Jerzy Sikora, a forester in an space neighbouring Babia Góra nationwide park, noticed the fowl of prey feasting on a useless sheep whereas he was observing injury achieved by wolves within the space.
“The remark must be considered as an ornithological sensation, as a result of vultures are seen extraordinarily hardly ever in Poland,” wrote naturalists from the Kraków department of State Forests in a social media submit.
The fowl was additionally photographed in flight by employees at Babia Góra nationwide park, which posted footage of the “unique” customer. Park worker Maciej Mażul famous {that a} griffon vulture had additionally been seen flying previous final yr, however they’d not managed to acquire photographic proof.
“Once they mature, these birds discover their place,” he mentioned, quoted by Polsat Information. “They cowl massive distances, and keep the place they discover good residing situations. On this case we have no idea the place it was flying from.”
Griffon vultures are round one metre lengthy with a wingspan as much as 2.8 metres – round 30 centimetres greater than the white-tailed eagle, Poland’s largest fowl of prey. They’re extra generally seen in mountainous areas additional south, together with northwestern Africa, the Spanish highlands, southern Russia, and the Balkans.
A griffon vulture was final noticed in Poland 11 years in the past, additionally within the Babia Góra space. One was additionally seen in 2006 within the mountain city of Zakopane, though it was in all probability pressured to make a stopover in Poland by unhealthy climate situations.
It’s thought that these vultures nested in Poland within the nineteenth century, stories native information service Nasze Miasto. On the time, there have been many extra sheep within the highlands within the south of the nation. The latest stories of nesting, from 1914, are unconfirmed.
Poland’s bison faraway from endangered record however 16 fowl species have disappeared from the nation
The species has formally been declared extinct in Poland. One idea behind their disappearance is that, because the variety of predators dwindled, they didn’t have sufficient carcasses to feed on. Legal guidelines requiring landowners to eliminate animal stays additionally make life troublesome for vultures.
“Within the final century, younger birds roaming lengthy distances utilizing updraughts have sporadically been noticed in Poland,” wrote State Forests. “Was that the case on this event too? Or may this be step one to the looks of vultures in Poland for good? Time will inform!”
Uncommon peregrine falcons elevating chicks in nest on forty third flooring of Poland’s tallest constructing
Important picture credit score: Stefan Krause/Wikimedia beneath CC BY-SA 3.0
Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Initially from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.
