The emblematic black vulture is back in southern Portugal after a 40 year absence and is nesting at two artificial sites at the Herdade da Contenda in Moura, Alentejo.
As this large scavenger has been absent from southern Portugal for so long, a project project to encourage the black vulture's return was set up and seems to have been successful.
Two black vulture pairs are nesting happily, which the League for the Protection of Nature says may be the first step in restoring a breeding stock of the bird.
The artificial nest sites were installed at the estate as part of the LIFE-Nature programme called ‘Habitat Promotion of Iberian Lynx and Black Vulture in Southeast Portugal.’
“The occupation of the two artificial nests is an important milestone in black vulture conservation for Portugal,” reports the league, adding that there has been a 40 year gap since the birds were spotted south of the Tagus river.
One pair did nest in 1996 at the Contenda estate, but without producing young.
The project actually ended last September and the two breeding pairs were detected during regular monitoring of the sites set up to attract the birds.
The league said that in the coming months, in collaboration with staff at Herdade da Contenda owned by Moura council, they will continue to monitor the nests and see how the pairs manage alongside the other activities at the property such as hunting, forestry, ecotourism and access by the public for leisure pursuits.
Black vultures returned in 2010 to the Tagus and Douro regions and the league hopes that this nucleus in the Alentejo will represent the re-establishment the third breeding area for the species in Portugal.
In 2012, the project managers arranged for 30 artificial nests to be installed to attract black vultures to the Alentejo in Moura, Mourão and Barrancos and the Guadiana Valley, "to improve the conditions for the establishment and reproduction of the species.”
In addition to the installation of these artificial nesting sites there also is a network of feeding stations for scavenger birds, and conservation measures to help the Iberian Lynx, both initiatives undertaken alongside a programme of 'raising awareness and involving local communities,' i.e. asking people to stop shooting them.
