In July I had the great joy of being able to talk about the Central Asian Vultures Project at this year’s Global Birdfair. Before joining the Hawk Conservancy Trust, I wasn’t particularly familiar with the Egyptian vulture and sadly I am yet to see one in the wild. My closest encounter has been with Boe, our resident Egyptian vulture at the Trust, whose curious and gentle nature has made a big impression on me.
Something I heard from Vladimir Dobrev, Conservation Officer for the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, which really stuck with me is the beautiful way Egyptian vultures are depicted in the Balkans. They are seen as sign of spring’s arrival and affectionately called the ‘Horse of the Cuckoo’, based on the idea that the cuckoos ride in on their backs to usher in the new season. It is a striking and poetic image that feels like it captures the deeper role vultures play in nature, removing what has passed to make room for renewal much like spring itself. Since joining the Trust, learning little things like this and becoming more involved in this inspiring collaborative project, Egyptian Vultures have quickly earned a special place in my heart.
Being able to talk about the project to a group of engaged and bird-loving people at Birdfair was great. The talk I gave covered the history of how and why this project started, the objectives it has and some of the progress and individual migration stories we have from birds tracked so far. The number of questions at the end of the talk was really pleasing, as it suggested a fantastic level of interest, engagement and enthusiasm from the audience and hopefully means more people are taking that information and sharing it with their own friends and family, furthering the knowledge of this wonderful species and the project. We also had a stand for all three days of the fair, which meant we had a lot of people coming to chat there too, which was another fantastic opportunity to talk about the project further and give out flyers with more information on. And, of course, the awesome Central Asian Vultures Project stickers were very popular!
Birdfair also offered a great moment to look back on the progress this project has made. Although it has now been running for a few years, it still feels as pioneering and exciting as ever, perhaps because it remains the first dedicated initiative to track Egyptian vultures across Central Asia. Although I haven’t had the chance (yet!) to join the team in the field, I am proud to be contributing to the project through data analysis, publication work and communications such as talks like this one.
I am looking forward to Saturday 6 September too, because it will bring with it this year’s International Vulture Awareness Day, known as IVAD, which for us at the Hawk Conservancy Trust will be particularly focused on this project too – so another really fantastic opportunity and engaged audience to chat all things Egyptian vultures and the Central Asian Vultures Project with.
