The "Professor" of Überlingen on Lake Constance
Newsletter 30/06/2021
On June 5th, the first ibis hatched in Überlingen on Lake Constance. Almost half a millennium after the extinction of the local breeding colony. In the meantime, the chick is big enough for individual ringing, as it will already fledge in almost two weeks.
As usual, alongside the marking, the young birds receive a name, and this first chick was given a special name in honour of a special patron. It was named "Professor" and Professor Peter Berthold took over the honorary adoption.
Peter Berthold was director of the Radolfzell ornithological station, a division of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, from 1991 to January 2005. He became widely known, among other things, through numerous popular scientific publications. He lives near Überlingen. Since a long time, Professor Berthold had the vision of reintroducing this ibis species to Lake Constance. In 2017, the opportunity arose within the framework of the European LIFE project "Reason for Hope". The Überlingen project was initiated by Peter Berthold and Thomas Hepperle, the former head of the Office of Agriculture in the district of Constance, together with the Waldrappteam. Support was quickly forthcoming from the town of Überlingen and the municipality of Hödingen, which were represented at the ringing by mayor Matthias Längin and local chief Martin Keßler, among others, as well as the Association for the Preservation of the Cultural Landscape of Hödingen. The Foundation HIT Umwelt- und Naturschutz and the Foundation Heinz-Sielmann also supported the Überlingen project from the beginning.
On June 28th, the ringing of "Professor" and his sibling took place. There are another five chicks in the other two nests, but they are still too young to be ringed. In the breeding area of Kuchl in Salzburg the chicks are also growing up well and in Burghausen in Bavaria the first young birds have already fledged.
In Seekirchen am Wallersee, meanwhile, training is already underway with the hand-raised group. One young bird is currently being treated for a beak injury. The other 31 young birds are already making their first training flights in the vicinity of Seekirchen with their two foster mothers Helena Wehner and Katharina Huchler and the pilot Walter Holzmüller.
Photo: Professor Peter Berthold was happy to help with the ringing of 'his godbird' and its sibling. The colony supervisor Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg put on the rings. Photo R Beck.