COVID again

Newsletter 22.04.2022

Once again, our project team has been affected by COVID infections. Despite vaccination and protective measures that go beyond the legal requirements, two people have been infected. These circumstances have made it necessary to move the bald ibis from the Zoo Vienna to the camp in Seekirchen am Wallersee prematurely on 21st April. There we can continue to take care of the bald ibises. At the moment, however, only one of the two foster mothers can be on site. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ackerl family, who always welcome us very spontaneously and warmly to their farm in such emergencies!

Due to the circumstances, we have to postpone the planned move to a camp at the Binningen airfield in the municipality of Hilzingen in Baden-Württemberg for another year. As in the previous year, we will train the birds in Seekirchen am Wallersee in 2022 in order to take them from here to Tuscany. They should then be integrated into the two breeding colonies of Kuchl in the province of Salzburg and Burghausen in Bavaria.

Fortunately, the breeding colony in Überlingen is developing well, despite further reintroductions having been prevented since 2020. 11 bald ibises have already arrived in Überlingen. Another 11 birds are currently on their way and so we can expect 7-8 breeding pairs. Breeding has also started at the Kuchl and Burghausen colonies, where we also expect 6-7 breeding pairs each. And also in the breeding colony Rosegg in Carinthia we hope for a successful breeding for the first time.  

In June 2021, the transfer of two to three breeding pairs including chicks from the artificial breeding structure near Überlingen to a large rock niche at Katharinenfels along the shore of Lake Constance is planned. Such a transfer has already worked very well in Kuchl and quickly led to the entire colony breeding only in the rock face. We are confident that this important step in colony re-establishment will also be successful in Überlingen.

Photo: Waldrappküken im Aufzuchtswagen am Camp in Seekirchen am Wallersee. Foto H Wehner