GG3417 is a female Short-eared Owl tagged in October in Malta. It wintered in Malta until eventually migrating towards Hungary in Spring. It seems that the bird has settled and is nesting. Its constant exposure to direct sunlight, meant that view fixes were collected, especially during migration, resulting in a less accurate track.

Project Information

Research on the Short-eared Owl population of Malta

The main objective of this project is to research the Short-eared Owl's population, an annex 1 species, that migrates through, winters and occasionally also breeds in Malta. Understanding how such sensitive, nocturnal predators make use of the archipelago for hunting, resting and breeding is important to better protect important areas from various pressures. Different aspects of the owls’ ecology will be studied, including: estimation and monitoring of the migratory and wintering population size through observation and scientific bird ringing, the use of different habitats and micro-habitats for hunting and roosting throughout seasons via the use of gps-tracking devices which will also reveal migration routes beyond Malta, wintering and breeding behaviour via the use of sound recording devices and trap cameras and diet studies via pellet collection and analysis. The first year of this project (Apr 2024 - Apr 2025) was funded by the Conservation of Wild Birds funding scheme 2023, administered by WBRU.

Milestones

20/10/2024 07:10 UTC

Tagging Location Obfuscated due to site/species sensitivity

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01/04/2025 02:04 UTC

First fix out of the Maltese Islands

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11/05/2025 03:05 UTC

Last Known Location - tag indicates that bird is deceased

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Telemetry Device Information

OrniTrack-E9 4G transmitter was fitted using a teflon backpack harness. The E (elevated solar panel) version of this tag weighs approx 10g, despite the name '9'. The panel's elevation helps in reducing the amount of feathers covering the panel and preventing charging.

Read more on Ornitela's page: https://www.ornitela.com/10g-transmitter