“Bavaria” was the first of the two bearded vultures released in the Berchtesgaden National Park on June 10th to leave their release niche. On July 8, she started her maiden flight at 5:19 a.m. and landed safely on a steep mountain flank in the neck pit.
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Bearded vulture lady “Bavaria” has flown out: The first of the bearded vultures released into the wild left the rock niche in Klausbachtal on July 8th. In the coming weeks you will be able to observe “Bavaria” and “Wally” in the national park.
The message in the wording:
Berchtesgaden – Exactly four weeks after the Berchtesgaden National Park together with the Bavarian Nature Conservation Association LBV in the Klausbachtal over 100 years after their extinction the first in Germany Bearded Vulture released into the wild has got that today first of the two young female bearded vultures leave the rock niche.
„This morning Bavaria has us 5.19 Am surprised everyone. National park intern Sebastian had just observed and recorded the usual morning flight exercises when Bavaria suddenly took off with a few powerful flaps like a whiz kid and sailed out of the niche.
Now is that Bearded vultures are part of our fascinating nature again in the Bavarian Alps and we are overjoyed that everything went so well, ”says the Bearded Vulture team from the National Park and the LBV in unison. The Maiden flight of the young lady bearded vulture unexpectedly elegant and after she even flew a bend after 100 meters, landed them out of sight in a meadow.
First outing rather a big hop
“With the Bearded Vulture, the first excursion is not a sublime moment, but rather comparable to a successful big hop. Due to its size, it can the largest bird in the Alps at all Not from one day to another start suddenly, beautiful to sail like the king of the skies“, Explains LBV project manager and bearded vulture expert Toni Wegscheider.
It is only a matter of time before the second young bird starts its first flight: “When the first bearded vulture once flown out is has the one Pull effect on the second and so Wally will soon follow suit in the next few days and follow Bavaria, ”says National Park project manager Jochen Grab. Follow Wally live via webcam can be seen under www.lbv.-de/bartgeier-webcam as well as on the website of the national park
Flight training in a secure release niche
In the past four weeks, the two female bearded vultures have intensified their flight training in the secure release niche from day to day. Both were on the day of their release on June 10th not airworthy, but had developed very well and gained both weight and wingspan.
“The most released young bearded vultures do between the 120th and 125th day of life their Maiden flight. Bavaria but couldn’t wait any longer and started with 119 days to freedom “, says Jochen Grab happily. After its first flight, Bavaria moved surprisingly lightly through the terrain.
Young bearded vulture have to before the first excursion not just hers wingbut also hers Exercise your legs vigorously. With sliding distances of initially only 50 to 100 meters can she just got in the first week after landing don’t always start again right away. Instead need them regularly laborious first the mountain ascend again to the next suitable, higher point of departureto take off into the air again.
“They are not yet precision pilots. Every day more development in the niche brings advantages, because it becomes all the more stress-free for everyone involved. The later they fly out, the more elegant it is and all the safer they are faced with possible threats because they no longer sit around in meadows for so long and only fly a little, ”says LBV biologist Wegscheider.
The food is also accessible for vultures on foot
In preparation for the first excursion The bearded vulture team from National Park and LBV already has in the immediate vicinity the niche Forage applied, which is also within walking distance for the two vultures. “The bones will so designed, how the bearded vultures would find them in nature, not just in the meadow, but, for example, in gullies where the fallen game usually comes to rest, ”explains Jochen Grab.
In the niche become the project staff to the soon one Excursion from Wally no more bones tossing, because also the Parent birds in the nature then do not bring any more food into the nest would. In the immediate vicinity of the rock face, the project staff from LBV and the National Park will always be on site in the coming weeks and will continue to monitor the behavior of the two bearded vultures as intensively as before. In the event of an emergency that one of the birds injured himself during his flight exercises, action could then also be taken.
The two female bearded vultures will each other initially only in the updraft area the well-known rock face and only venture out into the air after a week or two. Then will you some weeks in one Radius of about two kilometers to spend the niche.
Flight attempts will gradually become more elegant
With the other Building your flight muscles will be yours Flight attempts with it successively more elegant become. “The first week will be very difficult, but after that you will quickly notice improvements and maneuverability will increase. Bavaria and Wally will continue to improve their mobility in the air, ”explains Wegscheider.
The training flights will get better and better and the young vultures will increasingly cope with thermals and turbulence. To One to two months they will Leave Klausbachtal for good and can no longer be seen outside the sphere of influence of the observer.
“It won’t be an easy moment, but that’s exactly what we want to achieve,” admits Wegscheider. Still, the Project staff probably still continue to lay out feed until October, because even if vultures move further away from their release site, can they always for feed back to the region to returnif you should not find anything. This gives the young vultures the time they need to develop.
“That is also one of the Success factors of this release method: the The fridge at home is always full. So there will be something edible to be found when you come home, ”promises Wegscheider. Only when Bavaria and Wally no longer show themselves will the project team stop laying bones for them. On your future excursions and forays through the Berchtesgaden National Park and later through the Alps, the two female bearded vultures in the next two years too recognizable with binoculars thanks to their clear wing markings be.
In order to be able to clearly differentiate the two young bearded vultures in flight, individual feathers were bleached before they were released into the wild. These now appear light in the otherwise dark-colored plumage. Bavaria has three light-colored feathers in the joint and on the left wing, Wally has bleached feathers only on the right wing.
© Berchtesgaden National Park
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“They can be easily distinguished: Wally with the double L in the name has her two different bleaching points in the same wing. Bavaria with the V in the name has among other things two bleached feathers in the pilewhose tail is shaped like the letter V, ”explains Jochen Grab.
National park hopes for photos from the population
Who Wally and Bavaria in future outside the release area discoveredwho is asked to report any sightings of the two vultures by E-Mail to report under [email protected]. If possible, the vulture’s name, the flight directions – where from and where – and possible activities should be described.
„Most importantly however, we always have one Photo or video sent even if it was only recorded blurred with the smartphone, ”asks LBV biologist Toni Wegscheider. Thanks to the GPS transmitters that have been created, the Flight routes of the two bearded vultures on a map on the LBV website www.lbv.de/bartgeier-auf-reisen to follow be.
In doing so, however, the station data are made available to the public With one Three days delay displayed. “This serves the Bird safety and yet everyone can find out where they have flown to. So we can, for example Keep sleeping places secret and the Protecting birds from too much human attention“, Says Wegscheider.
Bearded vulture information stand on the Halsalm
Am official Bearded Vulture information stand on the Halsalm, which is located directly on a hiking route, anyone interested can contact the project team every day in the coming weeks inquiren, Where exactly yourself Bavaria and Wally right now in the national park hold up and where they are least disturbed while observing. Especially Nature photographers are encouraged, great distance to the two bearded vultures to keep. National park rangers are increasingly on duty to protect the young bearded vultures from intrusive guests.
Both the LBV and the Berchtesgaden National Park offer regular Bearded vulture tours on, one Registrationg is required. Information is available at www.nationalpark-berchtesgaden.bayern.de in the area of events as well as on the LBV website www.lbv.de and at [email protected].
Press release Berchtesgaden National Park
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