Satellite tracking a Sooty falcon migration from west Abu Dhabi to Madagascar

08/12/2008 15:49:15 A single adult Sooty falcon has been successfully tracked to its wintering areas in Madagascar. This is the first satellite tracking of Sooty falcon, locally known as Saqr Al Ghurba, anywhere in the world, according to the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD).

EAD has been undertaking studies since the year 2002 to further understand how to better conserve key bird species in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The Sooty Falcon, which has since been dubbed ‘Ibn Battuta' by EAD officials, was captured in September 2008 and fitted with very light solar-powered satellite transmitter. 'Ibn Battuta' was captured while it was nesting on one of the western groups of islands in the Sila Peninsula area in Abu Dhabi.

Left UAE in October
‘Ibn Battuta' departed the UAE at the end of the breeding season in October 2008 and was later recorded flying over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in November 2008. It then flew through Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique before crossing into Madagascar, its final destination for wintering.

6700 kilometre migration
Altogether, this bird flew through seven countries and covered a remarkable 6700 km, during its winter migration from the west of Abu Dhabi to Madagascar.

Hailing the first-ever satellite tagging and successful tracking of a Sooty Falcon in the world, H.E Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD, expressed his pride and reiterated the importance of such scientific studies.

"We chose to track the Sooty Falcon this time because it is a key species for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi," said Mr. Abdulnasser Al Shamsi, Director, Biodiversity Management Sector - Terrestrial at EAD.

"Sooty falcon winter migration and documentation of migration route through this first ever tracking of the species is a fantastic addition to world Science," said Dr. Salim Javed, Deputy Manager, Bird Conservation at EAD.

"We plan to track more birds in the 2009 breeding season in the UAE and potentially collaborate with biologists working in Sultanate of Oman and Madagascar to initiate a comprehensive movement migration study. This study will be a priority for us because of the threatened status of the species. Initiating such a multi-national collaborative project on Sooty falcon would be one of the best ways to kick-start the implementation of the Action Plan of the newly established MoU on Migratory Birds of Prey, recently concluded in Abu Dhabi," added Javed.

Breeding status assessment
An assessment on the breeding status of Sooty falcons conducted by the Agency in 2007 has revealed alarming results. According to the study, the number of breeding Sooty falcons has dropped drastically over the last decade (a 64% decline compared to 1994 estimates).

The study revealed that Sooty falcons have disappeared from Sir Bani Yas, Delma and Das islands. EAD scientists believe that this loss may be as a result of disturbance from development and continuous human presence, particularly during the nesting season. Biologists from EAD had surveyed 21 sites in Abu Dhabi Emirate, three times during the breeding season to cover the entire breeding season. Of the 21 sites surveyed, Sooty falcons were recorded only from seven sites and only five breeding pairs were recorded in Faziya, Furaijidat, Qasr Khuyain, Ghagah and Jazeera Shoot.