Join citizen science and collaborate in the nocturnal raptor census
PRESS RELEASE
Registration is now open for the new edition of the census of nocturnal birds of prey in the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park, a participatory science activity open to anyone interested in the study of biodiversity, birds of prey, nature, conservation and the discovery of natural spaces and their environment.
Registration is now open for the new edition of the census of nocturnal birds of prey in the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park, a participatory science activity open to anyone interested in the study of biodiversity, birds of prey, nature, conservation and the discovery of natural spaces and their environment.
As in previous editions, participants will work with scientists to identify tawny owls (Strix aluco) and eagle owls (Bubo bubo) by means of the males’ calls during the mating season. The tawny owl — a medium-sized nocturnal bird of prey — breeds mainly on caves in cliffs and, during the breeding season, its low hooting is one of the most characteristic sounds of the forest.
The groups of participants — well equipped with a coat, a pair of binoculars, hiking boots, a torch, an audio guide to identify the birds’ calls, a notebook and a pencil — will collaborate with the team to draw up a census of the birds of prey that inhabit two areas of the park, specifically the eastern slope and the Obac mountain range.
A few days before the action, a virtual meeting will be held to explain how the task will be carried out and how the team will be organized, as well as to answer doubts.
This activity is organized by the Pilot Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring in Mediterranean Mountains (CMBMM), an entity created in 2016 by the University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Provincial Council, and directed by Professor Joan Real, head of the Conservation Biology Group of the UB’s Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio). Also collaborating in this initiative are Barcelona Provincial Council, Matadepera Town Council, the Association for the Defence and Study of Nature (ADENC) and the Catalan Ornithological Institute (ICO).
Once the census is completed, the CMBMM managers will analyse the data provided and prepare a report that will be shared with all the participants in the activity. On Thursday 20 November, at 7.00 p.m., the results of the 2024 census campaign and the follow-up of the 2025 census campaign will be announced at an event to be held at the Casal de Cultura de Matadepera.
The Conservation Biology Group, linked to the UB’s Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, began to carry out the first censuses of birds of prey in this natural park more than three decades ago.
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