Tilburg Spring 2007: Eurasian Griffion Vulture visits the Netherlands

This Eurasian Griffion Vulture (Gyps fulvus) is photographed at the Falcony and Nature exhibition during the Birds of Prey show. Dutch newspapers report that 110-160 wild Griffion Vultures are signaled to search for food in Oss and Maasbracht in the Netherlands, June 19-20 2007 . The birds flew across the continent from the Spanisch Pyrenees to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The last report I checked, reported that the birds are heading towards s' Hertogenbosch. They are migrating, because the Eurpean Law states that carrions need to be cleared away in the Pyrenees. This is a relatively new law and the consequence is that the Griffion Vultures cannot find enough food for survival. Clearly, the migration is a desperate act. Some lost Griffion Vultures are regularly seen in the Netherlands, but not 110-160 birds in packs of 40-60 birds at the same time. Dutch farmers tried to help the animals. They spread out some remnants of meat on their fields. But other farmers complained, because it is illegal to do this and there are risks involved. Remnants of meat could cause diseases. We don't know the outcome. Although it is spectaculair to spot these birds in the Netherlands, Birdlife International and the Vogelbescherming Nederland warned that this is a bad sign. These birds cannot survive in the Netherlands and they expect that the birds will return to their original habitat. Unfortunately, I hadn't time to travel to Oss or Maasbracht to spot these beautiful creatures.

Canon Eos 350D 75-300mm, 1/100 sec