Muladar Mesa-Piedra refuse heap is an enclosed outdoor reserve in a strategic location, which has been conditioned to encourage access by carrion-eating birds as a safe supplementary feeding point. Quality carrion is regularly deposited there and the individuals who use it are monitored.

The main objective of this supplementary feeding point (SFP) is to improve the conservation status of the red kite (Milvus milvus) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) populations through specific management, taking into account the feeding and ethological strategy of the target species.

Other objectives of the project are to:

• Encourage the wintering of red kites in the territory.
• Improve breeding success and juvenile survival of Egyptian vultures.
• Strengthen and maintain the connectivity of the biological corridor.
• Encourage the settlement and passage of scavenger birds, supporting the dispersal of juveniles.
• Reduce mortality rates due to poisoning risk.

We have been working on this project since 2022 and have achieved the following objectives:

• Several Egyptian vulture pairs are benefiting from the management of the SFP on a regular basis, ensuring a quality food source to improve their breeding success.
• It is serving as a foothold for sub-adult Egyptian vultures in their search for new territories.
• It is also used by adult Egyptian vultures on their migratory routes to their established territories.
• Reinforcement of the migratory flyways of red kites from central and northern Europe.
• It is a support point for the connectivity of the biological corridor of the Iberian System, which is now being used by various species, including the black vulture (Aegypius monachus), in their dispersions in search of new territories.