Yesterday, Thursday 2 February 2017, the community association FACE (Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the European Union) wanted to recognize the commitment of hunters as regards the censuses on aquatic avifauna which take place in Italy. The day chosen was not accidental, since it was the world wetlands day and this commitment has been defined as silent and often little known.
As can be read in the official press release, an important and fruitful collaboration has been created in our country between ornithologists, bird watchers and hunters themselves. The combination of forces makes it possible to ideally cover wetlands, especially those of larger dimensions, primarily the Venice Lagoon and the Po Delta.
Furthermore, following the indications given by ISPRA, the mixed teams go to count the waterfowl and visit the areas of concentration indicated by hunters and landowners. In Italy, 18 years of data are available, with accurate estimates of bird populations and indications of trends. Finally, in the first month of 2017, the cold led to a high count of several species of ducks and the collaboration of the hunters has been fundamental as never before.