Socotra celebrates World Bird of Prey Day

Guest blog by Ahmed Saeed Suleiman On Yemen’s island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean we have held events to celebrate our Egyptian Vultures and other birds of prey for several years. This...

Swift Conservation in Iran: educating the public

Guest blog by Abraham Shokouhi  In the first guest blog about our Common Swift Apus apus Conservation Project in Iran in 2020 I mentioned that our work is greatly assisted by citizen science. We aim to continue...

A trip to Syria to meet falcon trappers and traffickers

Guest blog by Lyse Mauvais In April 2023, I travelled to northeast Syria to meet falcon hunters and traders, a little over a year after publishing my first piece on falcon trafficking in Syria. I’m no ornithologist, but as a...

OSME at the Global Birdfair 14-16 July 2023

OSME will again have a stand at the Global Birdfair to be held at the Rutland Showground, Oakham, on the 14th to 16th July.  If you are an OSME member please make sure you come and visit us on...

OSME Youth Development Fund Travel Bursary launched

Our Youth Development Fund was launched in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength. To date, we have supported projects in Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Lebanon and Turkey. We’ve received feedback from a number of project...

Cyprus Bird Camp 2022

Guest blog by Robin Snape In October 2022, KUŞKOR was granted £1,500 by OSME’s Youth Development Fund, to organise and implement a second Autumn Bird Camp on Cyprus in partnership with BirdLife Cyprus.  Seventeen young people from...

OSME Chairman’s overview of 2022

It is pleasing to reflect on what has been another successful year for OSME despite ongoing and emerging challenges. This annual review is much longer than usual due to the staggering amount of work we’ve supported over...

A hobby! Another victim shot dead by Lake Soros

Illegal bird killing: the darker side of Cyprus

Guest blog by Guy Shorrock An opinion piece on illegal bird killing in Cyprus by Guy Shorrock, a former UK police officer and a wildlife crime investigator for the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK). Unsurprisingly, the hunting...