Northern Bald Ibis being taught their migration path with a microlite aircraft

[clive Grazalema]

A story to follow that’s pretty amazing!

The northern bald ibis was extinct in central Europe for 300 years. Now, it has returned – and scientist “foster parents” aboard a tiny plane are teaching the birds to fly their long-forgotten migration routes.

Thirty-six of these endangered birds are now following an ultralight aircraft 1,740 miles (2,800km ) from Austria to Spain, on a trip that could take up to 50 days to complete.

Article in the Guardian newspaper here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/28/northern-bald-ibis-bird-back-from-extinction-now-scientists-in-a-glider-are-teaching-it-to-migrate-aoe

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[SusanneVogel Antequera]

Here is the diary of the “Waldrappteam”: https://www.waldrappteam.at/en/hlm2024/

[clive Grazalema]

Thanks Susanne! The diary is great! I didn’t realise that some of the birds get transported by vehicle when they don’t want to fly!

The name Waldrappteam Conservation and Research is based on the history of the company. In 2001, a team of researchers led by Johannes Fritz began flying with Northern Bald Ibises (German: Waldrapp) – hence the name Waldrappteam. Inspired by the story of Bill Lishman and the Hollywood film ‘Fly away home’, the team tested whether hand-raised juvenile Northern Bald Ibises could be trained to follow their foster parents, who co-pilot in ultralight aircraft, so that the birds could later be guided to their wintering areas.

 

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Take a trip on the Wildside!

https://wildsideholidays.co.uk (Wildlife and nature holidays in Spain)

https://grazalemaguide.com/ (All my web projects in one portal and everything you need to know about Grazalema)

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