New breeding area
Newsletter, 11.08.2014
Dear Friends of the LIFE+ Northern Bald Ibis project,
on August 6th, the city government of Überlingen at Lake Constance and Waldrappteam agreed to collaborate in the context of the project LIFE+ ‚Reason for Hope‘. The primary aim is to reintroduce a migratory breeding colony of Northern Bald Ibises at Überlingen.
This means that all three breeding places for the reintroduction in the period 2014 - 2019 are defined: Burghausen in Bavaria (GER), Kuchl in Salzburg (AUT) and Überlingen at Lake Bodensee (GER).
The sandstone cliffs along Lake Constance between Überlingen und Sipplingen are known as a historical breeding location. The niches and cliffs necessary as a breeding facility are still there. A habitat analysis in 2013 indicated a high amount of feeding habitats in the surrounding. Überlingen is located along the western migration corridor, which leads along the western outskirts of the Alps through Switzerland and France down to Italy. Since two years, some NBIs migrate along this corridor during the autumn migration. Überlingen is also located near the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell and the Vogelwarte Radolfzell, who are relevant scientific collaborators.
Already in 2015, a first group of hand-raised NBIs will be led from an airfield near Überlingen down to the Tuscany.
Another relevant news relates to the breeding place in Salzburg. The government of the country Salzburg agreed to become an associated LIFE+ partner, which cares for and supports the reintroduction in Kuchl. On this occasion, the Deputy Governor of Salzburg Dr. Astrid Rössler adopted a juvenile bird, which was raised in Kuchl by its parents. She gave him the name OMBRA. Ombra belogs to the first two NBIs that grew up in Salzburg in the wild, 400 years after extinction. In September, Ombra will follow the adult conspecifics down to the Tuscany.
Deputy Governor Dr. Astrid Rössler adopted the juvenile NBI Ombra; from left Johannes Fritz, Astrid Rössler, Corinna Esterer, Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg.
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