In november we started with regular monitoring of Mediterranean shags at communal roost sites along the Slovenian coast. The counting is being performed once a month in late afternoon and evening at three locations: near Debeli rtič, near Strunjan and near Sečovlje. The Shags roost on the buoys of the maricultures just near the coast. Only a few stay in winter since most of them departs for breeding on rocky islets and coast more to the south in Adriatic. Their returning to North Adriatic, together with juveniles, will begin in spring and the highest numbers of them are expected in late summer. Then we can register more than 2.000 individuals at the Slovenian roost sites.
We will continue the regular monthly monitoring until november 2014. The census of Mediterranean Shags at the Slovenian coast has been done occasionally already in previous years. The novelty of the monitoring implemented within the project SIMARINE-NATURA is simultaneous counting at the three roost sites and separate counting of adult and juvenile individuals. The data gathered this way will enable better assessment of summering population in Slovenia, and to determine the portion of breeding population.