Sightings
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Fieldmanagement [D. Trobe]
Fieldmanagement [C. Esterer]
Premature end at halftime? Our application for further LIFE funding was again rejected
Newsletter 02/06/2020
We recently got the information that the second application for a further LIFE project to continue the reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis was rejected. Ironically, this happens at a time when we cannot wish for a better course of the project.
Highlights of the Northern Bald Ibis reintroduction project: start-up for two new breeding colonies
Newsletter 11/05/2020
On May 7, the male Zoppo landed in the breeding area of Überlingen at Lake Constance. He is the first adult Northern Bald Ibis to return to this former breeding area independently, 400 years after extinction.
Case of Electrocution in Switzerland: Sonic dies on a power pole in Canton of Grisons
Newsletter 24/04/2020
The female Sonic made headlines already in 2019, by being the first Northern Bald Ibis to return to the historic breeding site in Überlingen at Lake Constance. In April she started her migration from Tuscany, only this time sexually mature. Sonic spend the night from April 18th to April 19th in the municipality of Lohn in the nature park Beverin, Canton of Grisons. The following morning, the dead body of Sonic was found below an unsecured power pole. The body was secured by a park ranger who took it to the animal hospital in Bern for necropsy.
Northern Bald Ibises colonize the rock face of Georgenberg
Newsletter 10/04/2020
More and more Northern Bald Ibises depart from their wintering area in Tuscany and arrive at their breeding sites. The groups in Burghausen and Kuchl currently consist of eight birds each. Nest building is ongoing at both sites. This year’s development is particularly exciting in the colony in Kuchl, State of Salzburg, where the Northern bald Ibises seemingly start to breed in the rock face of Georgenberg for the first time.
Northern Bald Ibises on spring migration: Messengers of hope arrive from Italy
Newsletter 26/03/2020
The first two Northern Bald Ibises arrived at their breeding site in Burghausen, Bavaria. They left from their wintering site Laguna die Orbetello in southern Tuscany a few days ago and covered the distance of around 1,000 km in a few days. Further birds are on the way. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impairs the European reintroduction project.
COVID-19 pandemic - hand-raising and human-led migration 2020 cancelled
Newsletter 18/03/2020
Unfortunately, in these very difficult, sometimes almost apocalyptic times, we cannot avoid informing about negative news.
Conservation extreme – conservation with all means?
Newsletter 25/02/2020
Worldwide, one million animal and plant species are threatened by extinction. In the struggle for biodiversity, conservationists are developing increasingly unusual methods. Successfully?
To teach a bird to fly
Newsletter 30/01/2020
During the last season, a Finnish media team produced a film which was shown on January 28, 2020, at DOCPOINT, the biggest Scandinavian documentary film festival. It was a great success. Maria Gullsten, the producer from Flatlight Creative House, aims to present the documentary also at other international film festivals.
The track record of our LIFE+ project
Newsletter 24/01/2020
Our LIFE+ project was completed on schedule at the end of 2019. We were able to achieve and even exceed the main objectives of the project. As of the end of 2019, the wild Northern Bald Ibis population comprised 140 birds, which is 18% more than defined in the original project objective (119 wild birds).
Northern Bald Ibises in Croatia
Newsletter 20/12/2019
As already reported, the start of the autumn migration of our NBIs was delayed this year. On November 22nd, our birds north of the Alps and in Carinthia began to migrate towards south independently. In Carinthia, migration stopped again, probably due to persistent bad weather with fog and poor visibility. But on December 11th, the first day with good flight weather, nine young birds and three adults started from Ferlach in Carinthia and crossed the Loiblpass to Slovenia. Then they headed towards southwest to the coast at Rovinj in Istria. From there they followed the Croatian coastline further south to Zadar.
On the move
Newsletter 26/11/2019
Start-up of a new breeding colony
This year, for the first time, 18 young Northern Bald Ibises which grew up in Tierpark Rosegg in Carinthia were equipped with GPS devices and left outside the aviary; the remaining individuals of this sedentary zoo colony were, as usual, transferred to the aviary at the end of September. Five of our adult experienced migratory birds were transferred to the free-flying juveniles, hoping that they’ll guide the young ones to the common wintering area in southern Tuscany.
