The Djibouti Egyptian Vulture Project 2013

During 28 February - 14 March we studied the migration of soaring birds (mostly Egyptian vultures and booted eagles) migrating between Africa (Djibouti) and Arabia (Yemen) over the Bab el Mandeb Straits.  The photo above is of Ras Siyan; about 20 km beyond it across the straits is Yemen.  The purpose of the study was to better understand the composition and scale of migration across the straits, and we also aimed to capture an Egyptian vulture and fit it with a satellite radio transmitter and follow its movements.  The effort was funded from a variety of sources:  The EURAPMON/European Science Foundation, Mohammed Shobrak at Taif University in Saudi Arabia, the Milwaukee County Zoo, the African Bird Club and International Avian Research.  The satellite tracking is a collaborative study with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

This blog will detail the effort and regularly post maps of the movement of the tagged vulture.  We aim for the blog to become a platform for conservation education, and will aim to link with a Djiboutian school.  If this proof-of-concept effort is successful, we aim to expand it by conducting more field work during the migration times (autumn and spring) and fit more birds with satellite transmitters.  So, "follow" us, visit the blog often and ask questions or comment on the effort.  We will try to respond to any questions and do our part in discussing the work.  As Djibouti is Francophone, some postings may be made in French.  You need only click on the Google Translate button above to switch (imperfectly) between languages.