Animals collected

Northern bald ibis colony needs “flight assistance” to the south

It is too cold for migratory birds in Salzburg in winter.(Bild: Waldrappteam/Wehner)

Parts of the Northern Bald Ibis colony cannot leave Salzburg: As soon as the first snow falls, it is far too cold for the migratory birds in our latitudes. 20 birds now have to be collected in the Salzburg airport area.

They should have been in Italy long before the first snowfall: But the Northern Bald Ibises delayed their departure to the south for a long time. "Around 20 are still in Salzburg. We are currently collecting them," said Corinna Esterer on Monday. Some of the native birds are equipped with transmitters. But there are also young birds among them.

Onset of winter makes flight impossible
They were last seen between the airport and Moosstrasse. As long as there is no thick blanket of snow, they can still peck at the fields with their long beaks. But time is pressing. "We're taking them to northern Italy. From there they can fly to Tuscany," says Esterer. The loss of a young bird that was found in a garden last week was painful.

Impressive flight altitudes are reached
Some conspecifics covered a considerable distance in November: 15 birds managed to fly overhead. Most of them chose the route over Krimml. Nene the Northern Bald Ibis turned out to be the power lady. She was the only one to fly east past the Grossglockner and reached an altitude of 3120 meters.