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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Sociable Lapwing wintering grounds found!! (1 Viewer)

Whilst I admire the sentiment and obviously want to help I wonder if an email bombardment is the right approach. I know from the other threads on this subject that Birdlfie International are working on this situation. I would rather take guidance from them on this, based on how their initial work has progressed. I'm not saying this is the wrong approach but it could be counter-productive. Is there any way we can get advice from those "closer to the action?" And is David Conlin hinself advocating that we replicate his efforts?

Graham
 
John Eaton said:
Further information from Ibrahim Kahder of Birdlife Middle East. Looks like they are really trying in this case, thank goodness.
Nice to know our subscriptions are used in a worthwhile way.

Dear John,

Indeed, We are following up this issue with the Syrian government/authorities to resolve this issue. There is a team member in the area following on ground and will discuss the situation with the Qatari prince. We started also our contacts in Qatar in case attempts in Syria couldn’t result in a relieving result.

Many thanks for your support

Best wishes

Ibrahim
Click to expand...
John: As you have contact with those at Birdlife working on this can you enquire as to whether this type of campaign would be productive.

Thanks,
Graham

PS - great work getting on the case and keeping us posted.
 
bitterntwisted said:
Whilst I admire the sentiment and obviously want to help I wonder if an email bombardment is the right approach. I know from the other threads on this subject that Birdlfie International are working on this situation. I would rather take guidance from them on this, based on how their initial work has progressed. I'm not saying this is the wrong approach but it could be counter-productive. Is there any way we can get advice from those "closer to the action?" And is David Conlin hinself advocating that we replicate his efforts?

Graham
Click to expand...

Graham I agree, so I've emailed the Birdlife people involved to ask their advise. Might be the morning now before we get a reply.

John
 
Sociable Plover

bitterntwisted said:
Whilst I admire the sentiment and obviously want to help I wonder if an email bombardment is the right approach. I know from the other threads on this subject that Birdlfie International are working on this situation. I would rather take guidance from them on this, based on how their initial work has progressed. I'm not saying this is the wrong approach but it could be counter-productive. Is there any way we can get advice from those "closer to the action?" And is David Conlin hinself advocating that we replicate his efforts?

Graham
Click to expand...

Yes David did request that people contact the embassy. I understand your point and I am unaware that BLi are in discussion specifically on this matter if you can confirm this si the case then it would be useful.

Ta C
 
Sociable Plover

John Eaton said:
Mods - There are about 3 threads now on this subject, Can they be brought together in one place please.
Chris see thread in Conservation about what Birdlife are doing.
Click to expand...

Don't know if you read my first post in it's entirety - but this is happening now all of the other posts appear to be general and ongoing. A hunting party in a prime area, for 1 month. As I have just posted is this particular incident being acted upon. Apologies if it is.

Ta Chris
 
Chris,

This is the response yesterday from Birdlife International in the Middle East regarding what is happening. They have acted very quickly in actually getting someone to the area.

"Dear John,

Indeed, We are following up this issue with the Syrian government/authorities to resolve this issue. There is a team member in the area following on ground and will discuss the situation with the Qatari prince. We started also our contacts in Qatar in case attempts in Syria couldn’t result in a relieving result.

Many thanks for your support

Best wishes

Ibrahim"

As Graham rightly says we should first find out from BLI if a petition would be productive or not in helping their guy(s) on the ground in Syria.
 
Sociable Plover

I hope someone manages to do something. Funny isn't it 2.5 million people whinge about road tax and bung up the UK government server, but us birders aren't sure if we are being PC by emailing the Syrian embassy about the plight of a close to extinction bird - sorry but that about sums up the UK today!

Ta Chris

Ta C
 
I just received this from BLI Middle East. Doesn't appear that the Qatari prince has gone out shooting Sociable Lapwings as yet. Hopefully BLI HQ will tell us the best way to help later in the day.

Many thanks John for your email,

Indeed there are many supporters and birds passionate that thankfully want to help. The situation in Syria is quite sensitive and hence we should be careful in making contacts/articles/email as this might be damaging to the efforts of many who are involved to resolve the issue, specially mentioning the threat is coming from the Qatari hunting party and this may create bad attitude towards the team members in the field. RSPB and BirdLife are currently preparing for press releases given the fact that the Qatari camp has been cooperative and need to focus at this stage on the discovery issue.

I would strongly suggest that for any who is keen to help, publish, send emails to help to coordinate with communication staff at Birdlife and RSPB, Jules and Cath.

Best regards,

Ibrahim
 
From: Sumit K Sen on 2004-02-24 01:07:32
Institution :www.kolkatabirds.com
Site :Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan
Country : India
Coordinate: 27°13' 0'' North ; 77°28' 60'' East
Coordinate Accuracy : precise

7 birds were observed on 25th January 2004 at Bharatpur. Locals indicated the presence of 20+ birds in 2004 about the same number as in the previous winter. Sociable Lapwings winter in India.
Observers: Bikram Grewal; Bill Harvey; Sumit K Sen

From: nagarajan k a on 2006-11-26 20:47:55
Institution :
Site :naliya airfield
Country : India
Coordinate: 23°13' 0'' North ; 68°53' 0'' East
Coordinate Accuracy : approximate

This bird is spotted at this place in flocks of large numbers.This bird is seen to fly low over grass land and feeds on seeds and termites

From: Arpit Deomurari on 2006-12-06 01:07:08
Institution :
Site :Dasada
Country : India
Coordinate: 23°29' 16'' North ; 71°59' 21'' East
Coordinate Accuracy : precise

Date: 27-11-2006

Location: N 23.29.16.0 / E 71.59.21.8

Habitat: Crop Field.....Just nearby the road, 6 kms towards DASADA from Becharaji

Individuals: Seen 2 Individuals in field and 7 individuals flying across but not landed on the same field....

Note: There is a good wetland just nearby which seems the forgagin grounds for Sociable Lapwings....Wetland is now drying up but leaving good grass reeds and plenty of small pools....with plenty food...available...


Arpit Deomurari

Naturalist And Consultant - (IT, Environment and GIS)



Yep looks like just 'no recent sightings' in one particular area - interesting that this more recent info has locals saying they were present last winter in 'large flocks'?! - still, compared to numbers found in Syria, as you say 'insignificant' in comparison, as Syrian numbers seem to amount to at least or even more, of recent estimates of total number of pairs globally, so does this mean global population could be healthier (although still critical) than previously thought? - unless I've got that wrong.
 
Last edited:
deborah4 said:
Perhaps the Harris 2001 reference ie. 'no recent sightings', just refers to sightings in the Dehli region - or its just very out of date info?

http://www.rdb.or.id/viewupd.php?id=161#
Click to expand...

The article you refer to, though does speak wider, is titled 'the birds of Okhla barrage', so the authors 'no recent sightings' does, I assume, refer specifically to that site. Okhla incidently is certainly not classic Sociable Lapwing habitat - it is not an arid area, but a scummy, rubbish-filled section of the Yamina River in the southern parts of the city ...it does have to be said though that birds in general seem to have a great fondness of bobbing about amongst the flotsam there! My guess only, but I would be surprised if Sociable Lapwings have ever been more than occasional visitors there. The dry habitats at Bharatpur, not so far to the south-west and more akin to the habitat you might expect to find them, holds varying numbers each winter - if I remember, there were 12 last winter. Large areas of Gujarat, in the borderlands with Pakistan, offer suitable habitat, are largely unwatched or underwatched and, I suppose, could have further birds.
 
Last edited:
On behalf of Gianluca Serra

Fortunately BirdLife International, through its Middle East Office and the
Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife, have informed the authorities
and are keeping the situation under control: the hunters on the other hand
are cooperative so far, and therefore the alarm can be for the moment turned
down.

Gianluca Serra, Florence (Italy
 
John & everyone thanks for the feedback, been out of the office all day today so haven't posted. Does sound fairly positive, I will feed comments back to the source I received it from, whom is not on Birdforum.

Ta Chris
 
ruggiel said:
On behalf of Gianluca Serra

Fortunately BirdLife International, through its Middle East Office and the
Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife, have informed the authorities
and are keeping the situation under control: the hunters on the other hand
are cooperative so far, and therefore the alarm can be for the moment turned
down.

Gianluca Serra, Florence (Italy
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting, Luciano. Good news and fingers crossed the situation stays under control. Hopefully some formal and official protection measures can be taken for future years. Perhaps pressure to implement such measures would be an appropriate email campaign?

Graham
 
current situation sociable plovers in syria

dear all, it took a while before i managed to access this forum ...

just a few words to say that BirdLife Middle East is currently coordinating the sensitive protection job with Ministry of Environment. there are two Syrian conservationists that are currently monitoring the hunting party, which has shown to be quite cooperative so far - I just hope the hunters
will leave the area soon.

I really have to congratulate with Remco Hofland and the team he
lead - made of Ducth birders and Syrian ecoguides and rangers.
(This mission was supported by the RSPB, the Ornithological Society of the Middle East and the Dutch Van Tienhoven Foundation.)

I am so glad that in a few years, thanks to all these exciting ornithological discoveries, the Syrian desert has raised to such an international importance conservation-wise: without these discoveries, these rare birds would have likely vanished without anyone even noticing it...

(while now they will probably vanish anyway, but at least with full coverage!)

cheers

Gianluca Serra - Florence
 
Last edited:
Hi abunug I see this is your first post, so may I welcome you on behalf of the Staff and Moderators at Bird Forum

Thank you for your contribution to this thread, please try to keep us updated

D
 
According to Remco Hofland of whom I saw a presentation today at the "Dutch Birding Day", the hunting party and the monitors are still present at the site. He says there isn't much else but Skylarks and Sociable Lapwings there to shoot (the prince claims he's just having a picknick)... but there's a lake nearby where they can hunt Ruddy Shelducks.
Curiously, just 10 miles from the meeting hall, there was a Sociable Lapwing present (see if you can find it in the attached pic!).
Remco claims he didn't import it! They found a dead bird in Syria, of which they hope to find the breeding grounds through isotope analysis.
 

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