In the heart of autumn, the Archipelagos Institute continues its actions to protect the rare nature of the Aegean. Again, we turn our attention to the uninhabited islets and islets – the small diamonds of the Aegean – that support rare biodiversity of international environmental significance.
These days, utilizing the collaboration, expertise and new technologies of our collaborators from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, we monitor bird migration in islets, but we focus primarily on assessing and responding to anthropogenic impacts, such as the erosion caused by overgrazing, but also the illegal hunting that has been on the rise in recent weeks even in the most remote areas of Greece.
As the summer season ends, life in the Aegean is returning to normal, which is particularly important for wildlife, following the severe nuisance of the tourist season.
Utilizing modern passive surveillance technology and specialized software developed by Norwegian University researchers, we are able to monitor both nesting behavior and the ecology of this rare species, day and night, while minimizing the nuisance caused by human presence.
As part of this investigation, a falcon was recorded when giving to give its chicks plastic waste as food. This alarming behavior recorded on an uninhabited rock island demonstrates the dramatic extent of plastic pollution in the Greek seas. The consequences are dangerous not only for wildlife but also for humans! Read the scientific publication in the Marine Pollution Bulletin https://archipelago.gr/…/plastic-mistaken-prey-colony-breed…/Eleonora’s Falcons surveillance camera
