A few weeks ago, the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) completed another successful tagging and ringing mission in the National Park of the Messolonghi – Aitoliko Lagoon. The bird, named ‘Lilo’, has become the latest member of the team of Dalmatian pelicans tagged with a satellite transmitter within the Pelican Way of LIFE initiative in Western Greece.
In late February, the HOS team travelled to the protected area of the Kleisova lagoon, near the city of Messolonghi, in order to implement a tagging and ringing mission of Dalmatian pelicans in the framework of the international Pelican Way of LIFE initiative. With the valuable help of local collaborators, the team succeeded in safely trapping a 3-year old male Dalmatian Pelican that was apparently ringed at a younger age.
“The unique number on the bird’s ring not only enabled the scientists to identify that it was born and raised in that same area, but also revealed that back in March 2022, as a fledgling, it was ringed by HOS during a previous ringing mission in Western Greece. Locating and tagging a Dalmatian pelican is a notoriously challenging and laborious task and so, meeting a bird both when young and as an adult was indeed a very joyous occasion for everyone on the team”, says Victoria Saravia from HOS.
The bird was named ‘Lilo’ and its satellite transmitter will provide valuable information about its movements while the black-lettered information on the specially designed tags adjusted on its wings (reading M13), allow for its identification even from a long distance.
From now on, ‘Lilo’ will be closely monitored, via telemetry, as are the rest of the Dalmatian pelicans with a satellite transmitter from the western Greek population, with the first being ‘Maistros’, a male bird tagged back in 2021. For the past 3 years, ‘Maistros’ has consistently provided scientists with extremely useful information that further advances their understanding of the way these magnificent birds feed, breed and move between habitats, with their tracking data showing that mainly smaller distances are covered e.g. from the Amvrakikos Gulf in northwestern Greece to the National Park of the Kotychi – Strofilia wetlands in the northwestern Peloponnese. You can also track the Dalmatian pelicans with satellite transmitters almost in real time on this page, which will be updated soon with the data about newly tagged birds.
The HOS team kindly asks everyone, in case you observe or record a Dalmatian Pelican with a ring, to notify them as soon as possible by sending information about the location of the bird together with relevant photographs or any available visual testimony:
- via email
- with a message to HOS’ accounts on Facebook / Instagram
- via the phone: 210 8228704 & 210 8227937