Students and volunteers took part in hands-on activities involving the preparation and ringing of endangered Lesser Kestrels. The practical training was held at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre as part of the educational initiative Nature Academy, implemented within the framework of the Life for the Lesser Kestrel project (LIFE19 NAT/BG/001017), co-funded by the European Union's LIFE Programme. The main objective of the initiative is to identify motivated university students, support their future professional development, and at the same time promote Green Balkans' conservation work among Bulgarian universities.
All of the birds the participants worked with had hatched at the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre during the current breeding season. Under the guidance of the organisation's experts, the participants carried out a complete veterinary health check and ringed the juvenile Lesser Kestrels before their release into the wild.
A key highlight of the training was the participation of Professor Maurizio Sarà, current President of the Italian Centre for Ornithological Studies (CISO ODV) and researcher at the Water Research Institute of the Italian National Research Council (IRSA-CNR). Professor Sarà has more than 40 years of experience in the study of birds of prey and the conservation of their habitats in Mediterranean steppe ecosystems. The opportunity for the participants to work alongside such a distinguished European expert provided them not only with valuable practical skills but also with an important international perspective on conservation.
The activities are carried out within the framework of the Life for the Lesser Kestrel project (LIFE19 NAT/BG/001017), co-funded by the European Union's LIFE Programme.
All of the birds the participants worked with had hatched at the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre during the current breeding season. Under the guidance of the organisation's experts, the participants carried out a complete veterinary health check and ringed the juvenile Lesser Kestrels before their release into the wild.
A key highlight of the training was the participation of Professor Maurizio Sarà, current President of the Italian Centre for Ornithological Studies (CISO ODV) and researcher at the Water Research Institute of the Italian National Research Council (IRSA-CNR). Professor Sarà has more than 40 years of experience in the study of birds of prey and the conservation of their habitats in Mediterranean steppe ecosystems. The opportunity for the participants to work alongside such a distinguished European expert provided them not only with valuable practical skills but also with an important international perspective on conservation.
The activities are carried out within the framework of the Life for the Lesser Kestrel project (LIFE19 NAT/BG/001017), co-funded by the European Union's LIFE Programme.
