Bad news first

Good or bad news first? We have chosen to tell you about other unfortunate moments of this 2024 season.

Finding the right method of release into the wild for young falcons has been, and still is, a great commitment for the project operators, but it is essential to ensure the highest probability of survival in nature for the individuals. The results of the releases must also include risk factors, both natural and anthropogenic, which also affect individuals born in the wild, increasing juvenile mortality.

Cesare and Carmine, the two chicks born at our center in May, from the second clutch of Gea and Atlante, are unfortunately the protagonists of this announcement. These two individuals, born under their parents and raised in social imprinting, were included in the hacking process along with the first 3, who were already flying in the hacking area and had begun to experiment with their first movements. About 25 days after their first flights, they also began to explore the surrounding area, returning to eat every day at the release point.

They decided to leave on the same day, August 1st: for Carmine, the smallest, we no longer received GPS positions, while for Cesare, a few hours after his departure, we had constant updates. Despite all GPS devices today being equipped with VHF or UHF systems, it is not easy to find the signal without having an approximate position: exploration flights in most cases lead the specimens to move even hundreds of kilometers! On August 6th, we intercepted Carmine again, and upon reaching his position, we found only his feathers scattered on the ground and the GPS with evident signs of chewing and fox traces. The predation occurred exactly under the wires of a high-voltage pylon, a few kilometers from the box area. For this reason, there are two hypotheses: he could have collided with the pylon wires and, injured on the ground, been preyed upon, or he could have been preying himself and been preyed upon by the fox during the meal; next to his remains, there were also those of a smaller bird. However, for this second possibility, it must be considered that the place was not among the most suitable, characterized by large bushes and ditches covered with vegetation, not appreciated by a species that prefers open environments. Unfortunately, we have already seen how anthropogenic structures such as pylons, wind turbines, and roads represent a real danger for wildlife, but we will never know the truth of this sad ending.

Cesare, on the other hand, moved in the first days between northern Lazio, lower Tuscany, and Umbria, then returning to the province of Rome, where he moved between many countryside areas, characterized by agricultural fields and rich in possible prey. The operators reached and observed him several times, following him in his movements and monitoring his health status.

Unfortunately, on the nineteenth day after his departure from the box, during a routine check, he was found dead, and for only a few hours, given the state of the carcass at the time of discovery. Investigations are underway at the Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio and Tuscany to identify the exact causes of his death, currently attributable only to the hypothesis of a severe parasitosis, very common in young raptors in the post-fledging period, which, together with the intense rains of the last days before the discovery, and the success in hunting still to be perfected, could have quickly debilitated the animal.