Litvínov, 9 May 2014 – Ornitologists have noted the hatching of new chicks of the protected peregrine falcon at the end of April in the special bird box located on the chimney of the T700 heating plant in Chempark Záluží. All the chicks have been successfully ringed.
„A falcon couple in Záluží has had a total of four chicks this year, which is the maximum possible amount in nature. Two of the chicks are males and two are females. The chicks were tagged with a ring; the ring carries a code consisting of two characters,” explains Michal Porteš, an ornithologist from the ALKA Wildlife organization which has had long-term cooperation with Unipetrol for various environmental projects. Usually, the falcons may only be watched from a long distance, and capturing them is very difficult. The rings with two characters allow ornithologists to read the code at a distance. This is how they identify the specimen, including its age, how far it is from its place of birth, whether it remains with the same partner and other valuable information.
„The first occurrence of the peregrine falcon in Chempark Záluží was noted in 2011. Thanks to the special bird boxes we installed, we witnessed the birth of 11 chicks to date,” said Pavel Sláma, HSE Director in Unipetrol. „Our employees, as well as the general public can once again this year vote on our facebook page to select the names of the chicks,“ added Pavel Sláma.
The chicks can be seen training, stretching their wings and learning to feed near the T700 heating plant chimney in the upcoming days. The family should stay together at least until summer, when the chicks will become independent. Next year they will have to search for their own territories.
The peregrine falcon is very rare in the Czech Republic and is considered critically endangered. Based on ornithologists from ALK Wildlife, the falcon population in the Czech Republic only consists of about 70 pairs. Falcons naturally nest predominantly on cliffs; however, human activities often drive them out of their nesting grounds. Industrial complexes with high buildings and chimneys represent a suitable replacement, providing the falcons not only with sufficient distance from people but also with a good view of their surroundings and ample access to prey such as pigeons.
UNIPETROL, a.s. is a group of companies operating in the petrochemical industry in the Czech Republic. In 2005 UNIPETROL became a part of the PKN ORLEN Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe. The UNIPETROL Group is oriented mostly towards oil processing, fuel distribution and petrochemical production. In all of these business areas the UNIPETROL Group is among the key players both in the Czech Republic and on the Central European market. The Group ranks among the leading firms in the Czech Republic in terms of its revenues, and employs 3700 people.
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Contact:
Jitka Němečková
Communication Manager
Telephone: +420 225 001 467, +420 731 193 191
E-mail: jitka.nemeckova@unipetrol.cz