Population trends of Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in Dadia Forest, north-eastern Greece following the establishment of a feeding station

Dadia Forest in north-eastern Greece is well known for its diversity of bre eding birds of prey. In 1980, the area was declared a wildlife reserve. One of the most endangered species at that time was the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus. To help the population of Black Vultures a feeding station was e stablished in 1987. A monitoring programme from 1984 until present indicate s that the operation of the feeding station has coincided with an increase in the numbers of Black Vultures wintering in Dadia by nearly threefold, an increase in the number of breeding pairs from 10 to 21, and an increase in breeding success from 40% to a peak of 95% A slight faltering in the conti nued rise in the numbers of Black Vultures in Dadia is attributed to a pois oning event in 1995.