Lectures

During the evening lectures, we present you an array of interesting guests, leading raptor specialists and conservationists. We are proud to present you Dr. Keith Bildstein (Hawk Mountain, USA). As director of the oldest raptor migration sanctuary, he will relate their history with the importance of and benefits gained from protecting migrating raptors worldwide. Alejandro Onrubia (Fundacion Migres, Spain) will highlight the possibilities of monitoring raptors from migration watch-sites throughout Europe.  Erwin van Maanen (EcoNatura, the Netherlands) will introduce you to the tradition of Sparrowhawk-trapping in the region and its issues. Andrea Corso (Messina & CIR, Italy) will help you "Advance in sexing and aging Western-Palearctic Raptors" with a presentation and a workshop. 

Dr. Keith L. Bildstein

Alejandro Onrubia was born in Valladolid, northern Spain in December 1966. He achieved his degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Leon. Currently he’s working on a PhD on ecology of migratory birds and recent changes in migratory patterns. Already for 24 years, he has been professionally involved in numerous studies and projects related to nature conservation and wildlife management, in several Universities, Environmental Consulting and NGOs. He is an expert on capturing and marking wildlife; 28 years as an expert bird bander accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Environment. Member of the Scientific Committee on Avian Influenza for the Basque Government and Professor of the Spanish Game School of the Spanish Hunting Federation. He assisted in 110 courses, conferences and scientific meetings, national and international, related to environment, made 190 contributions to scientific or informative in various publications and did over 150 talks and lectures in various masters, courses, seminars and conferences. Currently he works as coordinator of the Bird Migration Monitoring Program in the Straits of Gibraltar in the Migres Foundation, entity promoted by the regional Government of Andalucia. During his lecture, Alejandro will illustrate the power of migration watch sites for monitoring raptor populations and discuss the importance of trans-european cooperation.

Erwin van Maanen

Erwin van Maanen is trained as environmental scientist and conservation ecologist. He has studied the ecology of raptors and owls since early childhood, starting with research into the population ecology of Northern goshawk and Eurasian sparrowhawk in the early 1980s, as part of a research team led by Dr. Paul Opdam in the Netherlands. He is also an expert on the identification of feathers of European and Australian owls and raptors. With his good friend Lexo and other members of GCCW he performed wildlife surveys in other parts of Georgia, discovering the occurrence of previously unknown (disjunct) populations or breeding and wintering locations of red-footed falcon, rough-legged buzzard, lanner falcon, eastern imperial eagle, and barn owl.
 
Erwin pioneer researched the Adjaria-Imereti raptor flyway and other inland flyways in Georgia, together with Alexander (Lexo) Gavashelishvili, Irakli Goradze and Sophiko Akhobadze. Erwin was instrumental and dedicated in promoting raptor conservation in Georgia in arranging a partnerships with BirdLife International, catalyzing further research into the 'Batumi bottleneck' and opening dialogue with the Adjarian Falconry Association about promoting proper falconry practice and dissolving the abominable shooting of raptors, a culturally and deeply ingrained problem yet to be fully solved. This resulted in the article in Bird Conservation International (2001; volume 11) about “Trapping and hunting migratory raptors in western Georgia”.
As a specialist in this field, he will introduce you to the tradition of falconry and Sparrowhawk-trapping in the region and associated problems. This is a story of passionate nature conservation and another plight for the importance of the raptor flyway, in particular for safe passage of migratory birds in Georgia, also in recognition and remembrance of its advocates and those who have died in the process.

Andrea Corso