The third “Champions of the Flyway”, the bird race with a difference, is about to kick off

The Champions of the Flyway, taking place in Eilat, Israel later this month (29th of March) is this year raising funds to tackle the illegal hunting of migratory birds in Greece, together with the Hellenic Ornithological Society from Greece, a BirdLife International partner.
For once helping the birds has been made easy. Go to the Champions of the Flyway website http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/, pick a team you’d like to support and make a donation. Naturally I’m supporting the Finnish team the Arctic Redpolls. They are Finnish, they are extremely knowledgeable, all birding professionals (between them they have several years of birding experience in Israel), and I know them all in person –good guys! Last year they came second, let’s see how fast they can run in this year’s race.

Every year millions and millions of migratory birds are shot, trapped and killed on passage when they reach the Mediterranean, most of the killings being illegal. The Turtle Dove, which used to be a common species throughout southern and central Europe, is one of the hardest hit. Help the Champions of the Flyway to stop this illegal massacre.

Turtle Doves roosting after having crossed the Mediterranean