1st meeting of the AEWA NBI International Working Group

The first meeting of the AEWA Northern Bald Ibis International Working Group will take place at the Jazan University in Jazan, Saudi Arabia on Monday the 19th to Thursday the 22nd of November 2012 at the kind invitation of the Saudi Wildlife Authority and Jazan University.

After convening the Working Group in 2011 as foreseen in the AEWA International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Northern Bald Ibis, a first face to face meeting with the appointed representatives from all the seven range states as well as other international experts will take place.

Following the Terms of Reference for the Working Group, the meeting will focus on setting up and agreeing on Working Group functions (electing a Chair country, confirming observers to the Working Group and discussing budgetary issues) and identifying international priority measures for the Northern Bald Ibis on the basis of the AEWA International Single Species Action Plan.

Since its adoption in 2005 the plan has become largely outdated and this meeting presents an excellent opportunity to launch its revision process.

Different conservation actions resulting from the identified priority measures will also be discussed.

East Population update: Odeinat back in Southern Saudi Arabia

Migration started again for the Syrian ibis, and confirming a report from the wardens in Palmyra that the birds had left the colony, Odeinat has already departed and made a very fast journey down to NE of Jazan, in Saudi Arabia, quite near to a previously favoured area.

News from the Eastern population

Wonderful news from the Eastern population. After the new activity recorded last February 8th, Odeinat started moving North. Since 16th, in few days crossed Bab el-Mandeb, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and arrived to Syria!!

No signal yet from Salama, which is worrying as other years she re-started transmitting before these dates.

EWNHS

Other good news came from Ethiopia. Our colleagues from the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society (EWNHS), our BirdLife Partner, have been checking last week the area frequented by wintering NBI. They were able to find three birds. Two of them unringed (maybe same birds as appeared unexpectedly last year by the same area, perhaps Syrian juveniles from 2007 that have yet to return to the breeding grounds) and one ringed bird, either Zenobia or Salama.