Gießen/Wetzlar (dpa/lhe) - With the autumn temperatures, the migratory birds start heading south again. For example, larger swarms of starlings can currently be observed, which gathered before they left for the Mediterranean, said the head of the Hessian ornithological station, Simon Thorn. A few cranes can also be seen migrating towards their winter quarters.
Red kites are also gathering for the southbound flight, Thorn said. Most winter in Spain. The Ornithological Authority is watching this species with particular concern, as data showed the birds had hardly bred successfully this year. According to Thorn, it is still unclear whether the weather, lack of food or other factors are to blame.
According to the bird expert, the number of turtledoves has declined massively in recent years. They, too, are migratory birds that fly to Africa for the winter - and are hunted on the way there. A sharp decline is also observed in the wryneck, a woodpecker and inhabitant of orchards, which also has Africa as its winter destination.
The Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) called for crane observations to be reported online in order to get an overview of migration events and information on changes in flight routes. Hessen lies in a main migration route of the animals. Up to 250,000 birds can be expected in Hesse's skies this autumn. The focus is on the river valleys in Upper, East and Central Hesse, where the animals rest when flight conditions are poor. It then continues across the floodplains of the Main and Rhine in a southwesterly direction, with Spain usually being the destination.
The animals, which are up to 1.30 meters tall, can be recognized by their trumpet-like calls and their typical wedge-shaped flight formation - strong and experienced animals at the top, followed by families with an average of two young animals. Since the cranes needed rest at the resting places, onlookers should keep a distance of at least 300 meters.
