[Nesting of Montagu’s Harrier <i>Circus pygargus</i> in the Municipality of Predosa, a first case study and protection for the province of Alessandria]

Abstract

The present communication describes the first case of nest protection of a breeding pair of Montagu’s harrier Circus pygargus in the Municipality of Predosa, Province of Alessandria. To protect the nest, an electrified fence has been installed (around the area), 50 m long and 90 cm high. From a clutch of four eggs, three chicks hatched and fledged successfully thanks to these protection measures. Despite this, a chick was found preyed just beyond the fence during its first flight tests, suggesting the use of large fences for future interventions. From 2017, the frequent observations referred to migrating and summer visitors of Montagu’s harrier in the municipality of Predosa (which is characterized by extensive stable meadows and melliferous and uncultivated patches) could be related to an increase in the breeding pairs in neighbouring territories with traditional agricultural vocation. This suggests carrying out new surveys at provincial and regional scales to update the distribution and the consistency of breeding pairs of Montagu’s harrier, for which there have been no updates for about twenty-five years. [Article in Italian]

Keywords

• Montagu’s harrier
• Alessandria
• breeding
• nesting
• conservation
• nest