International Bearded vulture Monitoring (IBM) Annual Report 2009 March 2010

International Bearded vulture Monitoring (IBM) Annual Report 2009 March 2010 Dr. Richard Zink on behalf of Hohe Tauern National Park / Owl- and Raptor Centre Haringsee c/o Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna & The project partner: Parc Nationale du Mercantour Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime Parc National les Ecrins Parc National de la Vanoise Regione Autonoma Valle d Aosta & Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso A.S.T.E.R.S. Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio/NP Stilfserjoch Stiftung Pro Bartgeier Vulture Conservation Foundation Scientifically and technically managed by the Vulture Conservation Foundation and supervised by ALPARC

GLOSSAR 1 RELEASE 2009... 3 1.1 Mercantour National Park (Vignols)... 3 1.2 Hohe Tauern Nationalpark (Mallnitz)... 4 2 COMMON OBSERVATIONS 2009... 5 2.1 Number of observations... 5 2.2 Birds certainly identified... 6 3 SATELLITE TELEMETRY... 7 3.1 Frequencies of the VHF unites... 7 3.2 Overview on Alpine individuals equipped with satellite transmitters... 8 4 REPRODUCTION IN THE ALPS 2008/2009... 2 5 FROM RELEASE TOWARDS POPULATION MONITORING... 6 5.1 Estimate Population Size... 6 5.1.1 Need of visual marks... 6 5.1.2 Other methods... 6 5.2 Effective Population Size... 7 5.3 Mortality... 8 5.4 Condition of the population... 9 5.5 Connectivity and gene flow... 10 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT... 10 2

1 Release 2009 In the year 2009 Bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) have been released in three different sites ( Hohe Tauern NP / Austria, Mercantour NP / France and Andalusia / Spain). The birds have been marked by bleaching in their dark plumage with a unique pattern (Frey & Zink 2000). 1.1 Mercantour National Park (Vignols) In the south-western Alps the release took place on 5 th of June. Two birds have been released: 1. BV583 Vaulabelle Place of birth: Breeding Centre Haute Savoie (F) Birth date: 24.2.2009 Equipped with transmitter: yes Marks: left wing (4,5), left tail (1,2) Rings: right (black), left (blue). Sex: female Release date: 5.6.2009 2. BV586 Condamine Place of birth: Zoo of Ostrava (CZ) Birth date: 28.2.2009 Equipped with transmitter: yes Marks: left wing (12,13 & 19,20) Rings: right (black), left (black). Sex: female Release date: 5.6.2009 Both birds have been equipped with satellite transmitters. The last position of Vaulabelle was about 20km southwest of the release site in Vignols on 21.2.2010. The last position of Condamine was about 20km northwest of the release site in Vignols 14.2.2010. 3

1.2 Hohe Tauern Nationalpark (Mallnitz) In the north-eastern Alps this year the release took place in the community of Mallnitz on 5 th of June. Two birds have been released: 3. BV585 Maseta Place of birth: Tiergarten Schönbrunn (A) Birth date: 28.2.2009 Equipped with transmitter: yes Marks: left wing (4,5 & 12,13), left tail (1,2) Rings: right (black), left (violet). Sex: female Release date: 5.6.2009 4. BV587 Eustachius Place of birth: Breeding Centre Guadalentin (E) Birth date: 2.3.2009 Equipped with transmitter: yes Marks: right wing (3,4 & 11,2,13 & 21,22,23) Rings: right (black), left (silver). Sex: female Release date: 5.6.2009 Both birds have been equipped with satellite transmitters. Especially the journey of Maseta is remarkable. In mid October the female crossed the Adriatic Sea from Trieste to Venice and went to Tuscany. Since then the female stood in Alpi Apulane and surroundings. It is the first prove of an Alpine Bearded vulture in the Italian Apennine. The last position of Maseta was about 12km southeast of the city Massa on 20.2.2010. The last position of Eustachius was in the area of Niedere Tauern (A) about 34 km northeast of the release site in Mallnitz on 13.2.2010. 4

2 Common Observations 2009 2.1 Number of observations 1.1.2009-31.12.2009 During the year 2009 a total of 1309 common observations have been recorded in the IBM data base (excluding data of pair monitoring). Figure 1: Number of Alpine observations in 2009 Austria 443 France 490 Germany 5 Italy 332 Switzerland* 39 total number 1309 *For Switzerland data entry is delayed due to restructuring the Swiss BV-Foundation. However, also in Switzerland about 300 observations have been recorded in 2009. Figure 2: Proportion of age classes of bearded vultures in the Alps (2009) Age Class Observations Proportion juvenil 1.y. 94 juvenil or immatu 89 immature 2.y. 125 immature 3.y. 83 dark head 10 immature or suba 35 subadult 4.y. 40 subadult 5. or 6.y 57 subadult or adult 131 adult >6.y. 512 bright head 17 31% 6% 55% unknown 116 9% total number 1309 100% 5

2.2 Birds certainly identified 1.1.2009-31.12.2009 Including information such as common observations, monitoring of territorial birds and reproduction, telemetry and the information of birds found dead, the number of birds certainly identified is 37 during the year 2009. Figure 3: Identified birds (n=37) in the year 2009, in bold birds found dead. Bird ID BirdName finale date Age (y) 583 Vaulabelle 22.09.2009 0,3 586 Condamine 27.11.2009 0,5 585 Maseta 31.12.2009 0,6 587 Eustachius 31.12.2009 0,6 559 Rurese 23.03.2009 0,8 557 Ikarus 19.12.2009 0,8 528 Romaris 02.01.2009 1,5 558 Pinzgarus 31.12.2009 1,6 549 Girasole 31.12.2009 1,6 548 Nonno Bob 31.12.2009 1,6 524 Blick 14.03.2009 1,8 526 Samuel 11.04.2009 1,8 520 Fontvieille 15.07.2009 2,1 488 Michegabri 03.05.2009 3,0 433 Blangiar 09.07.2009 5,1 446 Hubertus 2 30.12.2009 5,5 388 Paolo Peila 11.12.2009 7,6 395 Martell 31.12.2009 7,6 380 Natura Mate 23.07.2009 8,1 370 Roure 31.12.2009 8,6 364 Louis 31.12.2009 9,5 359 Pablo 31.12.2009 9,5 361 Montblanc 31.12.2009 9,5 357 Retia 31.12.2009 9,6 348 Sereno 31.12.2009 9,6 321 Veronika 31.12.2009 10,6 299 Gildo 31.12.2009 11,6 288 Republic 11 31.12.2009 11,6 283 Tell 15.07.2009 12,1 279 Gelas 26.12.2009 12,6 260 Andreas Hofer 31.12.2009 13,6 229 Firmin 07.04.2009 13,9 186 Cic 14.04.2009 15,9 169 Jo 15.07.2009 17,1 139 Diana 24.07.2009 18,2 111 Assignat 14.12.2009 20,4 99 Balthazar 14.12.2009 21,5 6

3 Satellite Telemetry 3.1 Frequencies of the VHF unites Satellite telemetry has become an important monitoring method in the bearded vulture reintroduction project (Martinelli, Perfus & Hegglin 2009). Beside the opportunity to get signals by satellite technology usually the transmitters can be located also manually using Very High Frequency (VHF). VHF is the so to say old fashion system used before satellite technology came up. The technical unit usually is more robust and works even in case the satellite unit has failed. So if you can get a receiver please check your area for signals (see below) if there is evidence that a certain bird with transmitter roams around. Figure 4: Frequencies of the transmitters used in the Alps, individuals with active satellite unite in bold. Name frequency (MHz) satellite unite active Samuel 148,560 No Blick 148,700 No Rocca 148,950 No Argentera 149,470 No Haristraufu 150,600 No Nonno Bob 151,400 No Girasole 151,700 No Fontvieille 434,625 No Vaulabelle 148,030 Yes Condamine 148,070 Yes Maseta 142,600 Yes Eustachius 142,700 Yes Ikarus 149,100 No 7

3.2 Overview on Alpine individuals equipped with satellite transmitters During the last years a considerable number of satellite transmitters has been used a) to follow the young bearded vultures after fledging and b) to secure the live of injured or weakened birds after their re-release (e.g. Blick, Doraja, Argentera & Ikarus). An overview on the birds equipped with transmitters is given in Figure 5 (data provided by Daniel Hegglin). Figure 5: Overview on the transmitters used in the Alps 2006 2007 2008 2009 months 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Girasole Nonno Bob Balente* Rosa Monte* Sandalia* Haristraufu Ikarus Argentera Blick Samuel Rocca Fontvieille Temperatio Zufall Voltoi Natura Folio Ortler Culan Vaulabelle Condamine Maseta Eustachius active period still active Data transmission failed bird in captivity bird died transmitter dropped off 8

4 Reproduction in the Alps 2008/2009 Two and a half decades after the reintroduction in the Alps has started a small population with two to three population nuclei and a small number of breeding pairs have established. The first successful breeding attempt occurred in 1997. Since then the majority of pairs have settled in the northern French Alps and in the border area between the Swiss- and Stelvio National Park (see Figure 6). There number continuously grows and has reached almost 20 territories and as much as 15 incubating couples per year (see Figure 7). In the breeding season 2008/2009 as much as 17 territories with mature couples (excluding birds/couples of unknown status) were registered in the IBM data base. Out of these 13 pairs started with incubation. In 10 cases hatching could be verified and finally 9 couples were able to raise offspring until fledging. Unfortunately one fledgling had to be recaptured due to a dysfunction of plumage development. This bird is kept in the breeding centre in Haute-Savoie ever since. Figure 6: Alpine reproduction of bearded vultures in the season 2008/2009

Figure 7: Development of the Alpine population since the first breeding success in 1997 Reproduction in the Alps 2008/2009 9 8 7 Austria France Italy Switzerland 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 territories clutches hatchlings fledglings Figure 8: Reproduction (territories, clutches, hatchlings and fledglings) in the Alps 2009 3

Table 1: Summary of controlled, mature couples in the season 2008/2009; successful reproduction in bold. Country Pair Status Austria Gastein Shift of the territory to the west. Occupation of a new nest (previously used by golden eagle). Egg-laying 15.1.2009, breeding failure about 27.03.2009 (+/-5 days). Katschberg Maybe the pair is still too young. It seems there was no clutch this year. France Bargy Start of incubation on 12.02.2009, date of hatching ~03.04.2009, on 20 th of July the chick fledged. Aravis Start of incubation on 24.01.2009, date of hatching ~16.03.2009, on 25 th of July the juvenile fledged. However it had to be recaptured du to dysfunction of its plumage development. Termignon The pair started with incubation on ~1.1.2009, hatching observed on ~ 01.03.2009, on 25 th of April there was a breeding failure. All of a sudden the chick disappeared. Val d Isere A couple present between Val d Isere and Bonnval has made a clutch close to the previous nest site on 17 th of February. On ~12 th of April hatching was verified. About 9 th of July the juvenile fledged successfully. Peisey Nancroix The pair (two birds, the trio of the past obviously has split up) started with incubation on 14th of January. Hatching on 11 th of March and successful fledging on 29 th of June 2009. Haute-Ubaye The pair is present and even completed the previous nest. However, it did not start with- or stopped very soon with incubation. There are different hypothesis for the situation. It might be that a helicopter caused an early breeding failure? Sixt Fiz Start of incubation on 30.01.2009. On 25 nd of March the chick hatched. Fledging was observed on 29 th of July 2009. Modane On 2 nd of February copulations have been observed. No clutching could be verified. Obviously the female of the new pair was Natura Mate that was found dead on 23.07.2009 in the area of the territory. Switzerland Tantermozza Start of incubation beginning of February in an old nest of Golden eagle used also by Peregrin Falcon previously. Breeding failure before 14 th of March reason of failure unknown. Ofenpass The pair has started with incubation end of January. Hatching has been confirmed ~25.03.2009 (+/-10 days). Fledging could be verified on 20 th of July 2009. Albula The pair has started with incubation between 20 th and 23 rd of January. Hatching was registered about 16.03.2009. The juvenile bird fledged on 11 th of July. Derborence Until 5.01.09, the pair has rebuilt two nests for the reproduction. Moreover, two other nests have been visited by the pair. However no mating could be observed. Francois Biollaz was able to check one of the nests in the middle of March. It was empty. Breeding could have occurred in another nest but could not be verified for a long time. End of April the valley was checked in detail. Two adults where seen on a nests used in previous years. However, there is no doubt that there was no reproduction this year! Italy Bormio The pair is breeding since ~12 January. Hatching has been confirmed for the 11 th of March. The chick fledged on 14 th of July. Livigno Start of incubation on 12.01.2009. No option to see the nest. After a check of Enrico Bassi on 14.4.2009 it is sure that the pair has failed this year. Zebru Start of incubation on 30.01.2009. Hatching on 21 st of March. The juvenile fledged on 22 nd of July. 4

The speed of population resettlements seems high in the central and north-western Alps whereas it is low in the Alpine periphery (SW, NE & SE). The difference in reproductive success underlines this geographical pattern. Whereas average productivity is highest in France (0,50) and Italy (0,56), not a single reproduction success could be registered in the Austrian Alps (see Table 2). This is remarkable since a high proportion of birds has been release in Austria. Interestingly also in Switzerland the first successful breeding was not before 2007(!). However, productivity in this country is equal to the core areas of reproduction in France and Italy today (e.g. in the year 2009: 0,50). Meanwhile Switzerland hosts several couples situated mainly in the east but also in the west of the country. Table 2: Data & parameter of the Alpine bearded vulture population for the year 2009 Alpine Bearded Vulture Data 2009 Alps AUT FRA ITA CHE F/C2 Productivity 0,53 0 0,63 0,67 0,50 D/C2 % Breeding Pairs 0,76 0,50 0,75 1,00 0,75 F/D % succ. Breeding Pairs 0,69 0 0,83 0,67 0,67 C1 controlled Territories 17 2 8 3 4 C2 controlled mature Pairs 17 2 8 3 4 D pairs with egg 13 1 6 3 3 E pairs with hatching 10 0 6 2 2 F pairs with chick 9 0 5 2 2 G fledglings 9 0 5 2 2 All in all not less than 97 breeding cycles (couples with incubation) could be registered up to date. As a result 59 chicks fledged since the beginning of the reintroduction. Not surprisingly most of the offspring fledged in France (28) and Italy (24). Remarkably in the last three years not less than 7 birds fledged in Switzerland. Table 3: Data & parameter of the Alpine bearded vulture population for the whole period of the reintroduction project 1986-2009. Alpine Bearded Vulture Data Total Alps AUT FRA ITA CHE F/C2 Productivity 0,46 0 0,50 0,56 0,39 D/C2 % Breeding Pairs 0,76 0,80 0,86 0,72 0,56 F/D % succ. Breeding Pairs 0,61 0 0,58 0,77 0,70 C1 controlled Territories 143 14 57 46 26 C2 controlled mature Pairs 127 10 56 43 18 D pairs with egg 97 8 48 31 10 E pairs with hatching 78 4 36 29 9 F pairs with chick 59 0 28 24 7 G fledglings 59 0 28 24 7 5

5 From release towards population monitoring While release and collection of observations of marked birds has been the main focus in the past the monitoring of reproduction and population development becomes more important with every new breeding pair (Zink 2009a). The perspectives of bearded vulture conservation will be based on population size, health of the population including reproductive output and on the connectivity with other populations (gene flow). Only if we succeed to manage these pylons of conservation the survival of the newly established Alpine population can be secure on the long-term (Zink 2009b). 5.1 Estimate Population Size When looking back to the first release in the year 1986 a steady increase of individuals was observed. The further increase of bird numbers is of outermost importance to stabilise the newly settled population in the Alps. Unfortunately with increasing bird numbers the tracking of population size becomes more and more difficult. Therefore population modelling was started about 2 decades after the first release. Thanks to individual recognition pattern (bleach feathers, colour rings etc.) of release birds it was possible to calculate survival rates and accordingly population size with the help of complex sight re-sighting statistics cf. (Schaub et al. 2007;Schaub et al. 2009). The majority of re-identifications relays on the technique of feather bleaching (>90%). Presently the international strategy is to reduce the number of birds released in the Alps. Thus the option to use feather bleaching for identification successively gets lost. The question how to assure re-identification of a certain fraction of the population arises. Obviously only marks in the wing can serve to get enough re-sightings on the basis of the Alpine observer network. However, conventional plastic wing tags considerably impact the behaviour and maybe even flight characteristics of bearded vultures as has been shown (pers. comm. Krause) in the Spanish Pyrenees. Thus only a few techniques remain. 5.1.1 Need of visual marks Presently there are three different options to keep a certain number of birds marked: Further release of marked birds Marking chicks at the nest in nature Capture of birds after fledging There is quite an experience to mark birds before fledging at the nest. However, this procedure bears considerable risks to loos birds and to frighten breeding birds. For sure clear rules (e.g. nest climbing only in cases of experienced couples) will be needed to avoid losses in the future. Anyway it will be hardly possible (need of water, takes too long, etc.) to use the bleaching method at nests in nature. As a consequence we can consider bird trapping a more suitable method. Experts in Spain and Southern Africa established a rather gentle method using nooses. To succeed trapping birds it will be necessary to establish feeding sites at least temporarily. For both nest climbing and capture it is recommended to establish an Alpine Expert Group. 5.1.2 Other methods A variety of other methods should be used additionally to complete the picture of the population. First of all this must be intense monitoring of breeding units. Second our focus should be to increase the number of genetic samples from natural broods (sample chicks in the nest!). So far about 27% of birds born in the wild could be sampled by colleting feathers in or below the nest after fledging. Especially in areas of elevated bird losses telemetry can serve to evaluate survival rates. In total 11 (19) birds have been equipped with transmitters during the last 6

years. The average working period of transmitters was about 12 months (Hegglin pers. Comm.). Since three years a synchronous population count (Alpine Observation Day) is carried out annually. The results depend strongly on the weather conditions. It is hardly possible to find dates with stable weather conditions throughout the Alps in advance. Therefore some of the counts primarily serve to improve public relation for the bearded vulture instead of giving absolute figures for scientific population analyses. However, a total of 96 (!) birds could be counted under favourable conditions in the year 2008 and 71-83 birds have been monitored in the year 2009. This numbers have been an unexpected huge success. Finally the demographic model (Schaub et al. 2009) should be repeated from time to time (e.g. every 5 years) to trace changes in population development and to calculate population size. 5.2 Effective Population Size A key element of our conservation efforts must be the further enlargement of the effective population size (Hegglin & Hefti-Gautschi 2009a). Basically this can be done by increasing the number of individuals. However, in this context genetic considerations age and sex distribution become most important. Foremost two points have to be considered cf. (Hegglin & Hefti-Gautschi 2009b): Broadening of the genetic basis considering a priory birds with rare alleles and Balancing sex ratio (until now sex ratio of release birds is 0.84 males/female) To broaden the genetic basis the Vulture Conservation Foundation (owner of most of the bearded vulture breeding stock) has planned to release birds with less common alleles in the future. These birds shall be released in the most efficient release areas. This will be mainly the central parts of the Alps e.g. Switzerland. The bigger the breeding stock becomes and the more offspring it produces the easier it will be to balance the sex ratio in nature. However, breeding bearded vultures in captivity remains a difficult task and world wide less than 20 chicks can be raised per year. Thus it will take some time until the sex ratio of 0,84 can be balanced in the Alpine reintroduction project. 7

5.3 Mortality For the increase of the population mortality (especially of adults) has to be considered a key factor. Consequentially survival rates must be evaluated regularly to trace changes in survival. These changes will primarily depend on human caused mortality such as cable collision, poison (incl. lead intoxication) and shooting (cf. Figure 9). More recently lead intoxication as threat for carnivorous raptor species turned out to be more serious than previously expected e.g. (Chesley.J. et al. 2009;Hill 2009;Krone et al. 2009;Parish et al. 2009;Saito 2009;Sieg, Sullivan & Parish 2009). Tiny little fragments of ammunition are enough to kill a bearded vulture (Fünfstück & Frey 2007). Various actions to reduce this risk have been started recently (e.g. project in Stelvio NP, use of unleaded ammunition in parts of Hohe Tauern NP, etc.) Figure 9: Reasons of mortality in the Alps (n= 30 of 219) To calculate survival based on the data collected throughout the Alps a study has been carried out recently (Schaub et al. 2009). Fortunately the results promise that the Alpine population will remain stable even with a ~50% increase of mortality. This sounds promising however, we have to consider that successively birds will occupy less suitable habitats in the future. This circumstance alone could already raise mortality! Moreover it has to be explained that in general mortality was very low until now. After the first year of life mortality is expected to be only 5%. A short example shall illustrate that the Alpine population remains very fragile. Considering the Alpine population to be about 135 individuals in the year 2009 the average loss of birds is estimated to be about 7,5 birds each year. An increase by 50% consequentially means if we would loose only 4 (!) more birds a year the promising population trend would turn and become negative. Therefore actions to reduce mortality risks are of outermost importance for the conservation of the species. Unfortunately we are facing new mortality threats these days. Numerous wind parks shall be built in the Alps e.g. (Convegno Italiano di Ornithologia 2009;Loupal & Landmann 2004). The lethal effects of wind mills undoubtedly have been documented (Hunt 2002;Langston & Pullan 2003) in other vulture species such as the Egyption- and the Griffon vulture (Carrete et al. 2009). It does not necessarily depend on population density (de Lucas et al. 2008). To inform public about the real picture the auditory of this year s Bearded Vulture Information Meeting in Bormio (I) decided to set up a resolution against wind parks in areas where accidents have to be expected (see: http://www.stelviopark.it/italiano/convegno_gipeto/resolution_20091217.pdf). 8

5.4 Condition of the population Not surprisingly productivity is one of the best indicators to determine the status of a population. Usually productivity is highest in areas of high habitat suitability. Moreover the quality of nest sites and the experience of the breeding pair determine breeding success. In the Alps the average productivity is about 0,5 (see Figure 10) whereas it can be up to 0,7 or 0,8 in the most suitable habitats (population nuclei). Nevertheless it seems oversimplified to evaluate the condition of the population only by using population parameters such as productivity, percentage of brooding pairs and breeding success. There are many more factors giving us an idea about the health status of the population for instance the age of birds when they start to form couples or when they start with reproduction. We can assume that population density and the proportion of floaters should be somehow correlated with the average age of first reproduction. The Stability of pair bonds or vice versa the turnover rate of reproducing birds is another indicator for the condition of the population. Especially in the periphery of the Alps (SW, NE and SE) a series of bird turnover has been observed. This might be a hint for increased mortality!? However, such incidents are difficult to observe. Especially in areas with high population density lost individuals can be replaced at once by floaters of similar age. The time until a lost territorial bird is replaced might indicate floater density. So far we know not very much about the role of trio formation in the bearded vulture. In the Pyrenees and in the Alps trios can be observed primarily in the most suitable habitats. Probably the floater density plays an important role for polyandry. The proportion of polyandrous unions is another option to evaluate the status of floaters and somehow also the condition of the population. Figure 10: Fluctuation of productivity and the percentage of breeding pairs in the Alps since 1997 The role of survival rates has been discussed earlier in this report and it seems ridiculous to write about the importance of population size again. However there is another point that should be taken into account to distinguish the status of breeding units. Summarizing 55 breeding cycles reproduction tends to starts earlier every year (see Figure 11). This is not the case for first year breeders (n = 8, y = 0,5679x + 38922). The reason could be advanced experience and/or age of breeding pairs as it has been discussed in other species cf. (Zink 1998). Accordingly reproductive timing to some extent reflects the condition of a pair. Reproductive timing can be used especially is the case a series of breeding data are available for a certain pair. A significant shift in reproductive timing substantiates the suspicion of a partner replacement by a younger, less experienced individual. 9

Figure 11: Fledging date can be a hint for pair quality and breeding experience (r²=0,8). 5.5 Connectivity and gene flow To improve connectivity (gene flow) between the last European bearded vulture sub - populations strategic planning for further release is necessary. When looking back to Figure 6 it seems obvious that the species has settled close to release sites. This is most probably due to the phylopatric behaviour of the species (Hirzel et al. 2004;Ludwichowski, Barker & Brager 2002;Zink 2005). At the moment the most vital vulture populations (black, griffon, egyption and bearded vultures) live in Western Europe. Moreover the bearded vulture has survived in the Southwestern Alps fairly long before it became extinct (Mingozzi & Estève 1997). As a consequence in a first step new release sites will be established between the Alps and the Pyrenees in France. This strategy should increase also the chance to bridge to the remaining population in Corse. A connection which is very important for gene flow since Corse hosts not more than 10 territories lately. Corsican birds are of extraordinary genetic value (Bretagnolle et al. 2004) because they are the closest relatives to the former (historical) Alpine population (Gautschi et al. 2000;Godoy et al. 2004). 6 Acknowledgement This summary would not have been possible without the provision of data by- and the good cooperation with several institutions. Special thanks go to: Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime Nationalpark Hohe Tauern ASTERS Parc National des Ecrins Stiftung Pro Bartgeier Regione Autonoma Valle d Aosta Parc National du Mercantour Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio Parc National de la Vanoise Vulture Conservation Foundation For the scientific supervision of the International Bearded Vulture Monitoring I am grateful to the VCF and ALPARC the network of Alpine protected areas. 10

References Bretagnolle,V., Inchausti, P., Seguin, J.-F. & Thibault, J.-C. (2004) Evaluation of the extinction risk and of conservation alternatives for a very small insular population: the bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus in Corsica. Biological Conservation 120, 19-30. Carrete,M., Sanchez-Zapata, J., Benitez, J. R., Lobon, M. & Donazar, J. A. (2009) Large scale risk-assessment of wind-farms on population viability of a globally endangered long-lived raptor. Biological Conservation 142, 2954-2961. Chesley.J., Reinthal, P., Parish, C. N., Sullivan, K. & Sieg, R. (2009) Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans (eds R.T.watson, M.Fuller, M.Pokras & G.Hunt), The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho, USA. www.peregrinefund.org, Boise, Idaho, USA. Convegno Italiano di Ornithologia (2009). de Lucas,M., Janss, G. F. E., Whitfield, D. P. & Ferrer, M. (2008) Collision fatality of raptors in wind farms does not depend on raptor abundance. Journal of Applied Ecology 45, 1695-1703. Frey,H. & Zink, R. (2000) Raptor Biomedicine III including Bibliography of Diseases of Birds of Prey (eds J.T.Lumeij, D.Remple, P.T.Redig, M.Lierz & J.E.Cooper), pp. 281-288. Zoological Education NEtwork, Inc., Lake Worth, USA. Fünfstück,H.-J. & Frey, H. (2007). Gautschi,B., Tenzer, I., Müller, J. P. & Schmid, B. (2000) Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and cross-amplification in three Old World vulture species. Molecular Ecology 9, 2193-2195. Godoy,J.A., Negro, J. J., Hiraldo, F. & Donazar, J. A. (2004) Phylogeography, genetic structure and diversity in the endangered bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus, L.) as revealed by mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Ecology 13, 371-390. Hegglin,D. & Hefti-Gautschi, B. (2009a) pp. 12. Fundación Gypaetus, Jaén, Spain. Hegglin,D. & Hefti-Gautschi, B. (2009b) pp. 10. Parco Alpi Marittime, Valdieri. Hill,H.J. (2009) Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans (eds R.T.watson, M.Fuller, M.Pokras & G.Hunt), The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho, USA. www.peregrinefund.org, Boise, Idaho, USA. Hirzel,A.H., Posse, B., Oggier, P.-A., Crettenand, Y., Glenz, C. & Arlettaz, R. (2004) Ecological requirements of reintroduced species and the implications for release policy: the case of the bearded vulture. Journal of Applied Ecology 41, 1103-1116. Hunt,G. (2002) pp. 1-72. CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION, Santa Cruz, California, USA. Krone,O., Kenntner, N., Trinogga, A., Nadjafzadeh, M., Scholz, F., Sulawa, J., Totschek, K., Schuck-Wersig, P. & Zieschank, R. (2009) Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans (eds R.T.watson, M.Fuller, M.Pokras & G.Hunt), The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho, USA. www.peregrinefund.org, Boise, Idaho, USA. Langston,R.H.W. & Pullan, J. D. (2003) (ed BirdLife International), pp. 1-58. BirdLife International, Strasbourg. Loupal,G. & Landmann, A. (2004). 11

Ludwichowski,I., Barker, R. & Brager, S. (2002) Nesting area fidelity and survival of female Common Goldeneyes Bucephala clangula: are they density-dependent? Ibis 144, 452-460. Martinelli,L., Perfus, M. & Hegglin, D. (2009) pp. 6-7. Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime, Valdieri. Mingozzi,T. & Estève, R. (1997) Analysis of a historical extirpation of the bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus (L.) in the Western Alps (France-Italy): former distribution and causes of extirpation. Biological Conservation 79, 155-171. Parish,C.N., Hunt, G., Feltes, E., Sieg, R. & Orr, K. (2009) Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans (eds R.T.watson, M.Fuller, M.Pokras & G.Hunt), The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho, USA. www.peregrinefund.org, Boise, Idaho, USA. Saito,K. (2009) Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans (eds R.T.watson, M.Fuller, M.Pokras & G.Hunt), The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho, USA. www.peregrinefund.org, Boise, Idaho, USA. Schaub,M., Zink, R., Beissmann, H., Sarrazin, F. & Arlettaz, R. (2009) When to end releases in reintroduction programmes: demographic rates and population viability analysis of bearded vultures in the Alps. Journal of Applied Ecology 46, 92-100. Schaub,M., Zink, R., Sarrazin, F. & Arlettaz, R. (2007) pp. 372. Sieg,R., Sullivan, K. & Parish, C. N. (2009) Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans (eds R.T.watson, M.Fuller, M.Pokras & G.Hunt), The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho, USA. www.peregrinefund.org, Boise, Idaho, USA. Zink,R. (1998) Fortpflanzungsstrategie kolonialer und solitärer Turmfalken (Falco tinnunculus). Universität Wien. Zink,R. (2005) Modellierung der Nahrungsverfügbarkeit und des Habitatpotenzials für Bartgeier (Gypaetus barbatus barbatus) in den österreichischen Alpen. Doktor der Naturwissenschaften Universität Wien. Zink,R. (2009a) Fundación Gypaetus, Jaén, Spain. Zink,R. (2009b) pp. 8-9. Parco Alpi Marittime, Valdieri. 12