A great success
Newsletter 14/09/2018
On August 28, exactly two weeks after our departure from Überlingen at Lake Constance, we and 29 hand-raised Northern Bald Ibises arrived at the WWF Oasi Laguna di Orbetello. In the course of this extraordinary migration we covered a distance of 885 km within five flight stages.
During the second stage, we reached altitudes higher than ever before. We crossed the Arlberg and the Oberinntal at an altitude of 2,600 m. Finally, we landed at Reschen Pass on the Austrian-Italian border.
During the next flight, our formation was attacked by a golden eagle in the surroundings of Merano. This happened once before, during last year’s human-led migration. Again, the eagle was unsuccessful. The Northern Bald Ibises responded quickly to the danger, seeking to get closer to the microlights. Thus, we were able to immediately continue our flight.
After a well-earned day of rest, we departed again. In an extraordinary flight along 228 km, covered in 04:30 hours, we crossed the Padan Plain and, after a short stop-over to refuel the microlights, we continued our flight across the Apennine, landing in Borgo San Lorenzo.
The final flight in the course of this year’s human-led migration was also the longest one. After 250 km, just before landing, the birds soared up to an altitude of 1,000 m, a height were the microlights were not allowed to fly due to legal provisions. Nevertheless, it was a fascinating experience to watch the effortless flight of the Northern Bald Ibises in the thermals. The final landing then required our full concentration.
Of course there is the question of why the birds were so extraordinarily motivated and were following the microlights so reliably during this year’s human-led migration. There might be a bunch of reasons, but clearly the very close relationship between the birds and their foster mothers Corinna and Anne was key. Both were doing a fantastic job, being professional, passionate and committed, thus managing to tie close bonds to the birds.
Apart from the overall exceptionality of this year’s human-led migration, there are other highlights we want to share: During the flights, we equipped our birds with four different devices for data collection. Three staff members have been busy with the task of collecting data for basic research purposes. Additionally, they were testing the functionality of ICARUS tags, a recent tracking technology, to help the developers optimising the devices.
Furthermore, the season was also characterised by an unprecedented amount of international media productions; some of the highlights were the shootings for “National Geographic” and “SternTV” as well as a comprehensive article in “The Guardian”.
Picture (Corinna Esterer): Flight during this year's human-led migration.
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