Comeback after 400 years
Newsletter 05/07/2019
Comeback after 400 years: First wild Northern Bald ibis crosses the Alps on its way to Überlingen in Germany
The female Northern Bald Ibis Sonic belongs to the colony Überlingen; in 2017, she was guided to Tuscany and released into the wild. On June 5, 2019, Sonic left Tuscany again. Her flight is constantly monitored by GPS and can be followed by using the App Animal Tracker.
So far, Sonic has covered more than 1,500 km. Initially, she followed a direct route towards Überlingen, passing the Lake of Iseo and proceeding into the Alps. However, on approaching the Ortler massif at 2,229 m above sea level, she turned around in search of a route further west. She flew to Lake Como, and from there to Grisons in Switzerland. Since June 24, she’s staying in the area around Bad-Ragaz.
The establishment of a first migration route from Salzburg and Bavaria to Tuscany by applying the human-led migration method was a much-noticed success of Waldrappteam. Sonic's flight is another milestone in the development of this conservation method. Starting from a common wintering area, Sonic followed a direct route into her breeding area, while other conspecifics fly along a route much further east to Salzburg and Burghausen. Sonic confirms that our method allows us to establish more complex migration traditions, which are found in most migratory bird species. This is an essential advance for the reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis.
Sonic is not yet sexually mature, which is why there is no need for her to fly all the way to her breeding area. Apparently she found an attractive feeding area near Bad-Ragaz in Switzerland, where she will probably stay a bit longer. Whether she will fly on to Überlingen or return to Tuscany remains to be seen.
The Swiss naturalist Conrad Gesner referred to a breeding population of Northern Bald Ibises near Bad-Ragaz. This historic breeding area is discussed as a potential site for the establishment of a Northern Bald Ibis breeding colony in Switzerland. Sonic's stay clearly indicates the suitability of this region. In addition, this bird also identified a possible migration route from Bad-Ragaz to the wintering area.
Two conspecifics of Sonic, which also belong to the colony of Überlingen, are currently staying on the southern edge of the Alps. Maybe they’re going to cross the Alps in the course of this summer, too. In any case, the behaviour of Sonic and her conspecifics gives reason for hope that next year sexually mature Northern Bald Ibises will return to Überlingen to breed in the rocky cliffs on the shores of Lake Constance. Sonic's flight is a great success for our project and an important milestone in preserving this charismatic species.
Picture: D. Trobe.
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