Champions of the Flyway 2016

For tredje år i træk arrangerer The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel i deres Champions of the Flyway konkurrence, hvor hovedformålet er at samle penge ind til fuglebeskyttelse. Indsamlingen sker i koordinering med BirdLife International og er en del af deres BirdLife Internationals Migratory Birds & Flyways Programme.

I 2014 støttede Champions of the Flyway Bird Conservation Georgia og i 2015 støttede projektet BirdLife Cyprus.

I 2016 har man fra projektets side valgt at støtte Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) – BirdLife in Greece.


Begrundelserne for at vælge Hellenic Ornithological Society er følgende:

2016 Project – Tackling the illegal killing of birds on the Greek mainland and its Islands
Sadly, recent reports highlight a very grim picture for migratory birds in Greece, where more than one million are illegally killed every year. The problem is widespread throughout the Greek Islands and on the mainland.
There is a lot to be done on the ground in Greece and through the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) – BirdLife in Greece – we will focus on 2 major projects:

1. The illegal shooting and trapping of Turtle Doves and other migratory species passing through the Greek Islands.
The Greek Islands are known for their pristine beaches and breathtaking scenery. Hundreds of thousands of tourists choose to vacation here every year. Little do they know that just above the modern resorts and beaches lies a killing zone for thousands of birds.
Together with HOS, Champions of the Flyway 2016 will highlight the situation on two of the biggest tourist islands – Santorini and Zakynthos. These islands host thousands of tourists at any given moment.
Large numbers of Turtle Doves and Quail are harvested as they migrate through these islands. The Turtle Dove was once a common breeding species and migrant in Greece, but sadly now no longer returns to breed.
The islanders use a variety of methods to shoot birds and trap them, all illegal and with utter disregard to any laws. One of the most common methods is called “The lakes”; where a bait bird in a cage is placed in the middle of a puddle of water, attracting other birds to run the gauntlet.

2. The illegal trapping of small songbirds for the cage bird black market.
Cage birds are a big deal in Greece. Many finches and other small birds are regularly collected in great numbers by poachers all over Greece. There are many methods used to catch them and all are gruesome and illegal!
Wild birds are regularly sold online and in markets all over Greece, including the famous “underground” market in Athens and even more openly in pet shops in Athens too. As part of the conservation action we will target the poachers on the ground but we also aim to work with the city of Athens to stop the illegal trade.

På nuværende tidspunkt er der offentliggjort 11 deltagende hold i Champions of the Flyway 2016 og som vanligt er der hold fra hele verden der deltager i arrangementet. Med hold fra både USA, Sydafrika og Finland, så er nord, syd og vest indtil videre repræsenteret.

Hvis du kunne tænke dig at støtte et af holdene i deres indsamling af penge til Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) – BirdLife in Greece, så kan du finde holdene på ”dette link” og går du ind på det enkelte hold, så kan du se holdets deltagere og donere penge til projektet via den gule ”Donate Here” knap.


Andre links:
Champions of the Flyway
2016 teams
Eilat Bird Festival
Hula Valley Bird Festival
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
Visit Israel
BirdLife Internationals Migratory Birds & Flyways Programme
Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS)
Bird Conservation Georgia
BirdLife Cyprus

På DOFs hjemmeside Pandion findes der en udførlig artikel af Champions of the Flyway 2014 konkurrencen. Artiklen kan læses via dette link: http://pandion.dof.dk/artikel/champions-flyway-bird-race-i-israel

Det er også udarbejdet en 8 minutters video fra Champions of the Flyway 2014. Videoen ses på det link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIrHupa19RY