Acacia clearance on Cape Pyla combats illegal bird trapping

Like a number of areas in Cyprus, particularly in the south and southeast, Dhekelia or the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (ESBA) has a very serious problem with illegal bird trapping. In their autumn 2014 report on trapping activity, BirdLife...

Globally Threatened Birds of the OSME region need your help

BirdLife International has just released the European Red List for birds having collated the latest data from right across Europe and reassessed the regional status of all regularly occurring native species. This publication has implications for the GLOBAL Red List status...

OSME and OBC jointly fund White-headed Duck surveys in Kazakhstan

OSME and OBC are delighted to announce we are joining forces to provide £2000 of funding for the further monitoring of White-headed Duck in Kazakhstan. ACBK, the BirdLife International partner in Kazakhstan is also collaborating with the Universities of Munster and Bielefeld,...

The OSME Summer Meeting and 37th AGM

The OSME Summer Meeting and 37th AGM

The OSME Summer Meeting and 37th AGM will be held at BTO Headquarters, Thetford, Norfolk on Saturday 4 July. Doors open 10.00 and talks start at 11.00. Come for coffee and meet old and new friends! Non-members...

Basra Reed Warbler – some concluding remarks

The Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, and its breeding range is largely restricted to the Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq. In many ways it is a typical Acrocephalus warbler inhabiting reedbeds and marshy habitats,...

Help count 10,000 raptors in the Batumi sky

Dear Birders, have ever wondered how 10.000 raptors would look in the sky? Visit Eurasia’s largest bottleneck for autumn raptor migration with up to 1.000.000 raptors in a single season. The Batumi Raptor Count survey the tremendous migration each...

Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia: 2015 records

Observers in the Arabian Peninsula are asked to send in their personal observations of breeding species for 2015 when it is convenient, e.g. after a visit or at the end of the local breeding season. It is...

Help wanted for raptor surveys in Turkey

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS JOIN RAPTOR MIGRATION CENSUS IN TURKEY THIS SUMMER Location:                       Adana Province, Turkey Duration:                       15 August  – 15 October 2015 Job Type:                       Volunteer Application Deadline:      Open until filled Background:                  Doğa Derneği is a leading nature...

Appeal for waterbird images from African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)

Sergey Dereliev the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is planning to produce a coffee table book featuring some of the waterbird species for which the Agreement has undertaken initiatives. OSME is helping publicise his request for the images. The African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is celebrating its 20th anniversary...

OSME library finds a new home at the BTO

For a long time, the OSME library has been something of a mobile affair, housed by willing volunteers from OSME Council. In recent years, former Council member Guy Kirwan had the rather thankless task of looking after...

Appeal for images of barn owl Tyto sp from all populations worldwide

Alexandre Roulin of Lausanne University is preparing a book about barn owls worldwide. OSME is helping publicise his request for images from the    extensive distribution of the genus Tyto.  My name is Alexandre Roulin, a professor in Biology...