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03-06-2019

Cliffs, ropes and rappel to study an owl population in Vallès Occidental and Baix Llobregat

Rappelling in the cliff walls until reaching the nests is a common activity in scientific monitoring of the owl population (Bubo bubo) and other birds of prey, promoted by the Conservation Biology Group led by lecturer Joan Real, from the the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the UB (IRBio).



Other participants in this scientific activity, which is determining for the conservation of this threatened species, are the members from the Support Mountain Group of the Rural Agents of Generalitat de Catalunya and experts from the General Subdivision of Biodiversity of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition.

Since 2014, the Conservation Biology Group (UB-IRBio) has been conducting a scientific monitoring on a population of B. bubo that was found in the areas of Vallès Occidental and Baix Llobregat, and they study several parameters related to their successful reproduction, diet and use of territory. This species, which indicate environmental quality and whose habitat has many preys, has disappeared in emblematic landscapes such as the mountains of Montserrat and Sant Llorenç del Munt.

This research and conservation project has been enlarged since 2017 with new scientific aims –bird ringing, sampling tasks, etc.- to know about the population dynamics of this threatened species and therefore promote effective measures to protect the species.

According to the first results, everything points out that the group analysed by the UB-IRBio experts has an outstanding successful reproduction and population dimension. However, the direct threat by several factors –electrocution in electric lines, collisions, drowning in basins, accidents, etc.- is causing a high mortality on the owl population, researchers say.

This video offers a summary of the studies carried out in 2019 to access the nests and take samples for their scientific study.

Photo: From left to right, the experts Joan Real, head of the Conservation Biology Group, and Antonio Hernández-Matías.