Census of non-territorial ravens in Natura 2000 Kočevsko

Winter feeding site for white-tailed eagle could also attract ravens and consequently affect their population within the area of Natura 2000 Kočevsko. To establish baseline state of the population of ravens we carried out a census of non-territorial ravens at the landfill site Mozelj in the summer 2016.

On seven occasions we recorded between 15 and 110 ravens at the landfill site, their numbers differed according to the time of the day and the day of the week. The highest abundance was recorded on Thursdays when Komunala Kočevje deposits organic waste and at the end of the day when there are fewer people and machines present at the site.

We conclude that the landfill site Mozelj plays an important role in maintaining large population of ravens within the area and is especially important in winter. Our census does not enable us to estimate the size of the raven population but will serve as baseline for comparison with future census.

News written by: Zavod za gozdove Slovenije, OE Kočevje