The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (1994) as a vulnerable species, and has the status of ‘Least Concern’ in the Red List of IUCN/Birdlife (2004). In the new edition of the Red Data Book (in print) it is referred as ‘rare’.

The second half of the 20^th century was characterized with a catastrophic decrease of species numbers in all parts of the range especially in the Mediterranean area. As a result in 1980s the Peregrine population in Ukraine reached its minimum equaling to about 15-20 pairs. However already since 1980s the population showed a restoration trend in the Crimea. In the end of the 20^th century and in the beginning of the 21^st century the increase rate of numbers was rather high (as for such a rare species). This process attracted attention of ornithologists from Ukraine and recently three groups of specialists have published 3 papers, which we present below to download. All of them mutually complete each other and allow to receive quite a full image of the current status of the Peregrine Falcon in Ukraine. The numbers of breeding birds in the Crimea were estimated by V.N. Kucherenko and S.Yu.Kostin (2003) as 50-55 pairs, M.M.Beskaravainy and A.N.Tsvelykh (2009) – about 70 pairs, V.V.Vetrov, S.P.Prokopenko and Yu.V.Milobog (2009) about 105–110 pairs and additive 10-15 pairs in the Carpathians.

Thus, the Peregrine Falcon still remains a rare bird in Ukraine requiring all the protection. Today the Carpathian population of the peregrine is the least known. Any find of a nest is of undoubted interest. Also there are poor data on breeding of the Peregrine Falcon in cities all over Ukraine; such cases of breeding are informed from time to time but they are not proved. And, at last, since 1960s any case of the Peregrine Falcon’s nesting on a tree has not been known.

Wide distribution of such a “business” at the present moment is confirmed not only by quantity of the birds proposed for photographing in places of mass recreation. Recently, it is also quickly developing the trade of birds of prey exactly for aims of taking pictures. See, for instance, the site ЗооРынок.com.ua.

Now it is holiday time, and many of us actively spend it at the seaside. At present we know that raptors are used by photographers, but a real scale of this phenomenon is rather difficult to estimate. If you see birds of prey in these situations please write comments to this publication, and send photo of birds to our email info@raptors.org.ua. This data will give us possibility to plan better activity to prevent and work against this distractive event.

It is necessary also to explain that it is the demand which causes supply. Don’t take pictures with wild birds and explain to others why it should not be done!

Maxim Gavrilyuk, Sergey Domashevsky

The participants of the expeditions were Vitaly Vetrov, Sergey Domashevsky and Elena Vetrova. In the first place they investigated the power lines adjoined the sites with good food resource (colonies of small sousliks, rooks, gulls and other species of birds) and with absence of territorial pairs of ravens (main suppliers of nests for falcons) or human disturbance factor.

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Territories of Kherson region, Zaporizhzhya region and Crimean Autonomous Republic were studied by car ‘Niva’. The route crossed both virgin steppes and agricultural landscapes. The points interested for the project were fixed with GPS. A total of 49 points, prospective for further setting up of nest boxes, were identified.
Steppes and agrocoenoses of the Central and North Crimea, south areas of Kherson region and Zaporizhzhya region were rather thoroughly investigated. In a total, the expedition covered over 2,500 km.

In spite we had to escape frequent rains, especially intensively followed us on the Crimean Peninsula (fortunately, in the steppe you can see everything from one skyline to another), spring landscapes of the flowering steppe enjoyed us and gave no reason for melancholy. We intensively study the points which interested us, at the same time counting birds of prey and searching for their nests.

Number of Red-footed Falcons nesting in forest belts was striking. In the place they are common inhabitants of Corvidae nests, especially rookery. In this period these small falcons still had incomplete clutches, therefore they sat near nests or sort out their relationships with neighbours. In one concentration of hunting Red-footed Falcons we counted at least 100 individuals. In Corvidae nests located both on trees and poles of power lines we observed quite a lot of Kestrel pairs. Clay cliffs of Sivash sheltered even small colonies of these birds 10 to 20 pairs, inhabited ledges and niches of cliffs in the neighborhood with the Little Owls and Rollers. It is interesting that some pairs already had fledglings (two cases), but mostly small chicks and clutches occurred. We found nests of Hobby Falcons in forest belts, in Corvidae nests, on poles of power lines. As for other raptors, Marsh Harriers were observed the most frequently, though a part of them obviously did not breed (vagrant individuals). There were only two records of Montagu’s Harrier (late migrant and immature bird). There were found 4 nests of Long-legged Buzzard, three of them we managed to investigate. The nests contained 3, 4 and 3 chicks respectively, which we ringed. Also there were discovered 2 unoccupied nests of Long-legged Buzzard, which were easily distinguished by presence of anthropogenic garbage in their construction (cellophane, rags, paper). We also discovered 14 territorial birds of this species, unknown before. The Common Buzzard was more frequently recorded in Zaporizhzhya region, several meetings were in the north of Kherson region.
We checked the known nest of the Imperial Eagle, built by birds in a forest belt. After fire all trees have shriveled, and a construction of birds was easily seen from a distance. Adult birds kept at a new nest, the old construction had disappeared. In a tray we found remains of a small hare and a souslik. The grass trampled under the nest tree and broken twigs were clear evidence that lately the nest had been visited by someone. Later, a local birdwatcher said to us that there were 3 chicks in the nest on the other day.
One of the most prominent events of the expedition was a meeting of feeding scavengers. Between the villages of Gvardeiskoye and Novy Sad over 50 Black and Griffon Vultures were feeding on a large dump of entrails of domestic animals, about the same quantity were hovering above the place. Some birds were flying away with food toward the mountains and it was uneasy to count all of them. In the end, about 110 Griffon Vultures and 25 Black Vultures were counted at the place. This is one of the largest concentrations of scavengers known in the Crimea for the current century. Here we also have met the Black Kite – the only record during this expedition. The White-tailed Eagle was also observed once – a young bird at North Sivash.
Our main hero, the Saker Falcon, did not avoid us either. We have found 7 nests not known before and met 2 pairs. In one of the days we discovered at once 5 occupied nests of this falcon. One pair already led good-flying chicks, other birds had completely or partly feathered chicks, the rest had birds in the first or second downy plumage. The Saker’s diet contained sousliks, small murine rodents, Calandra Larks, Mediterranean Gulls, Slender-billed Gulls and small waders. Under nests of some pairs we found up to 15 pairs of gull wings. The closest nests of falcons were only 1.5 km apart.
Of nocturnal birds of prey the most common species was the Long-eared Owl. Broods and females, incubating repeated (or even the second?) clutches were easily discovered in forest belts. The Little Owl was frequently observed. These birds kept near the human buildings, also many Little Owls we saw on clay cliffs of Sivash. This breeding season in comparison with the previous ones was rich in records of the Short-eared Owl. However, the Scops Owls were rather scanty.

We have recorded a total of:

Red-footed Falcon – at least 754 pairs;
Common Kestrel – at least 444 pairs;
Hobby Falcon – 10 pairs;
Marsh Harrier – 61 individuals;
Montagu’s Harrier – 2 individuals;
Common Buzzard – 10 pairs;
Long-legged Buzzard – 4 occupied nests, 2 – unoccupied nests and 14 territorial birds;
White-tailed Eagle – 1 individuals;
Black Kite – 1 individuals;
Griffon Vulture – 110 individuals;
Black Vulture – 25 individuals;
Imperial Eagle – 1 pairs;
Saker Falcon – 8 occupied nests and 2 pairs;
Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Little Owl, Scops Owl.

136 bird species have been registered in overall.

There were also recorded species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (1994): White Pelican, Glossy Ibis, Ruddy Shelduck, Long-legged Buzzard, Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Saker Falcon, Common Crane and Demoiselle Crane, Great Bustard, Stone Curlew, Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Oystercatcher, Collared Pratincole, Great Black-headed Gull, Caspian Tern and Black-headed Bunting.

Sergey Domashevsky, Vitaly Vetrov

In one of our previous publications we have raised the problem of absence of any raptor rehabilitation centre in Ukraine. It is pleasant to notice that on regional level there are attempts of solving this problem.

In the region of Ukrainian Carpathians there isn’t any specialized agency for rehabilitation of wild animals which suffered or temporarily lost abilities to survive in nature. Institutions for reintroduction of rare species don’t exist either. So, suffered animals are usually killed and stuffed or, as a better variant, given to zoos or traveling menageries, where kept till their death.
In August 2007, according to an initiative of staff-workers of the Scientific Department of Galych National Natural Park (Ivano-Frankivsk region, Galych City – www.halychpark.if.ua) the first animal was taken for rehabilitation and further release to nature. In 2008, an idea was born to establish the West Ukrainian Wild Animals Rehabilitation and Reintroduction Centre (hereinafter the Centre) on basis of the Park. The Park administration gave less than 3,000 hrivnas to construct open-air cages, buy food and a freezer.

Now the Centre is situated on a territory of the dendropark of Galych NPP and neigbouring forest. A staff-worker of the Scientific Department, engineer-zoologist takes care about animals. They are vaccinated and treated; data are recorded in the registry; ecological awareness for youth is provided.

Since the Centre has been founded, 19 animal species were kept. 10 of them were rehabilitated (the badger, honey buzzard, goshawk, sparrowhawk, hawfinch, buzzard, and great bat) and released in nature, 4 (fox, dormouse, lesser white-fronted geese, kestrel) are being treated and will be released in nature after recovery, 3 (white stork, buzzard and partridge) will be kept till death because they are crippled and cannot survive in nature.

The Centre regularly receives animals which require help, but lack of finances does not allow curing and keeping them properly. The Centre needs funds for valuable work (building of open-air cages and barns, buying of food and medicine).

It expected that lives of many wild animals will be saved due to the Centre’s activity. Reintroduction of rare species of animals and ecological awareness are also foreseen. New methods will be developed for keeping, rehabilitation and reproduction in captivity of common wild animals and reintroduction of rare species. There is a hope that the existence of the Centre will favour development of tourism in the region.

Maxim Gavrilyuk (according to materials of Volodymyr Buchko)

Cases of detention of illegally transported falcons by customs officers in Ukrainian airports have been already known. For instance, in 2002 Donetsk Airport suppressed exportation of three Gyrfalcons and six Sakers. After that, the birds were given to Kyiv Zoo. In 2005, Zaporizhzhia customs stopped an attempt of transportation of a falcon consignment (probably transit through Ukraine), comprising over 40 birds. In 2006, five Gyrfalcons were detained in the airport of Borispol, and due to unknown motives given to the Ukrainian Children Ecological and Naturalistic Centre (UCENC). Conditions of bird- keeping did not correspond to the norms prescribed for such cases, and the keeper in the UCENC was unqualified. As a result, birds began getting sick and die. It is strange, that the director of UCENC did not want to part with falcons until the last moment, and did not address for help to experts of Kyiv Zoo.

The year 2008 was also fruitful with detentions of illegal consignments of falcons by the customs of Borispol Airport. October 10, during customs examination of passengers of the flight Kyiv-Damask there were detained a consignment of 9 birds. According to our data it included the Gyrfalcon, Peregrine and 7 Sakers, all in awful condition. And again, due to inexplicable reasons these falcons were given to UCENC. The situation repeated with a bad scenario for the forfeited birds. To-date we know that one Saker died. There is also a suspicion that some birds were substituted for less “marketable” individuals.

November 19, again in Borispol Airport an Arabian citizen made at attempt to export 4 Sakers and was detained. In this case all birds were given to Kyiv Zoo and examined by veterinary service immediately after their receipt. Now birds are kept in good conditions under supervision of qualified specialists.

However, what about future of these raptors? At present there isn’t any special rehabilitation centre in Ukraine for keeping such birds, though much is said about it. This centre would both provide qualified keeping and prepare birds for further release in nature.

In addition, return in nature exclusively concerns the birds breeding in Ukraine (Saker and Peregrine) and only local populations. It is known that individuals of these species breeding in Ukraine are less demandable, and that is the reason why birds of other populations are more frequent among contraband falcons. But, what to do with the falcons, captured in other regions, in Asia, for instance? Experts can identify the original population of birds according to morphological parameters. The release of these ‘alien’ birds to nature is not justified ecologically. The problem is even more difficult in case of releasing the Gyrfalcon as the nearest sites of its breeding are located in Transpolar Europe. Effective release of these birds to nature is possible only in case of international agreements.

On the other hand, in Transpolar area and in Mongolia ornithologists observed breeding Peregrine Falcons having Arabian reins on their legs. Probably they were birds released (or escaped) from countries of Middle East. It means, for some subspecies of falcons it is possible to propose their release in nature within Ukraine. This way birds get a chance for normal life. However, this problem needs additional comprehensive investigation.

So, at present there is an urgent need to create a rehabilitation centre for birds of prey in Ukraine. This centre would provide good conditions for forfeited birds before their further release to nature. Besides, this centre also can be used as a shelter for injured birds, simply for birds which need help. Today the role of such centres is played by zoos, but generally this is not their function. As an ideal variant the centre of birds of prey rehabilitation should be established under the Ministry of Environmental protection of Ukraine, because most zoos are now subdivided to Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine

Sergey Domashevsky