Migration news 2016
Newsletter 04/09/2016
On August 19, the human-led migration started. We have chosen a new passage across the main Alpine range, following the preferred route of our own migratory wild birds.
The first flight ended in Bramberg on the northern edge of the National Park Hohe Tauern. From there, the next stage led to the valley Zillertal, across the Pfitscherjoch to Italy and across the National Park Dolomites to an airfield at Belluno. From there we crossed the Po Valley. Currently we have our camp near Faenza on the northern edge of the Apennines. We hope to reach the wintering area in a further stage.
Two birds were injured during flights, one got a cut on the abdomen, the other got a broken leg. But both birds are with us and in good health, particularly thanks to the veterinarian Alexandra Scope, which is with us. Another bird was lost in the Dolomites after a golden eagle attack, presumably he was killed by eagles. Finally, on further bird was missed after a flight and could it not been found yet.
Yesterday we started for the flight over the Apennines. At the foot of the Apennines, suddenly a subadult bird joined the formation, a little later two further subadult birds appeared, all of them hand-reared birds from last year, staying since some time in this area. Unfortunately, after about 10 km, these birds were gone and with them nine of our juveniles. So, we had to turn around, land in Faenza and look for our missing birds. We will now capture these three subadults and will keep them till we crossed the Apennine with our juveniles.
We could finalize two very exciting data collections. The veterinary Alexandra Scope took blood samples from some of the birds during short stopovers and after two flights. In cooperation with several Viennese university institutes, various physiological parameters will be investigated to get deeper insight in the regulation of bird migration flights. In addition, some birds carried data logger, which record positioning data with unprecedented density and precision, enabling a detailed understanding of the function and dynamics of formation flight. This research project is performed in collaboration with the Konrad Lorenz Research Institute in Vienna and it is sponsored by the Austrian Research Promoting Agency.
Picture (M Henrich): Formation flight including the microlight at the central position.
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