Return of the Northern Bald Ibis

17/06/2026

Once again, there a good news from Switzerland! Oskar and Grazia have chosen their usual window niche in Vaulruz (Canton of Fribourg) again this year. This time, they are raising four chicks—a wonderful success for this well-established pair.

We are particularly pleased by the tremendous local support. The activity around the window niche is being followed and supported with great interest. We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone involved for their commitment and excellent cooperation.

Thanks to this support, we were able to ring the offspring again this year. There was a slight change to the process: as numbers up to 999 have already been assigned over the course of our project, the numbering sequence is starting over. To ensure each Northern Bald Ibis can be uniquely identified, the blue project rings are now also marked with letters. As it happens, the Swiss offspring are the first to wear this new series of rings, bearing the codes A01 through A04.

📸 C.Uhl
📸 A.Weber

12/06/2026

Congratulations to Gunnar Hartmann! 🍾🥳

His remarkable photograph of a group of Northern Bald Ibises flying alongside our aircraft has been named the overall winner of the prestigious international “Scientist at Work” photography competition organized by the renowned scientific journal Nature. 🏆🥇

Sometimes a single image can tell an entire story—and that is exactly what our former team member Gunnar Hartmann has achieved. The photograph was taken during the 2024 human-led migration over the fields of Jaén in southern Spain.

We are delighted by this recognition, as the winning image vividly conveys to a global audience what our project is all about: the connection between research and conservation, adventure and teamwork, and the unique relationship between humans and Northern Bald Ibises.

From sky to sea, and then back to the lab, here are the top images from Nature’s 2026 photo competition.

27/05/2026

On May 25th, we took part in a historic moment for the conservation of the northern bald ibis in Italy after intensive construction work: we were able to ceremonially open our 5th breeding colony and Italy’s first open aviary dedicated to this extraordinary species in Caprino Veronese (IT).

This major milestone was made possible through the collaboration between the Foundation ETS and Natura Viva

The new facility will offer the ibises a safe place to stop over, nest, and raise their young along the migratory route connecting the breeding sites north of the Alps with the wintering grounds in Tuscany.

The aviary is currently home to six adult northern bald ibises from Tierpark Nordhorn; they have already settled in well, and the first signs of pair-bonding are becoming apparent. Although there may not be any offspring this year, we remain very confident that—as early as the coming season—we will be able to release young birds into the wild to join our migrating population.

The Caprino aviary is not merely a new structure, but a tangible symbol of cooperation, scientific research, and a shared commitment to the protection of biodiversity. 🌱

A sincere thank you to all the organizations, institutions, authorities, journalists, volunteers, and—above all—the project partners who continue to passionately support this journey. 🙏

📸 E. Pennacchioni
📸 C. Esterer

22/05/2026

Update Hand-Raising 2026:
After a cold settling-in period in Binningen, the sun is now shining more and more often over our training camp at the airfield. ☀️ Some of our young Northern Bald Ibises could hardly wait after arriving at their new home to explore their aviary and take their first wingbeats in the fresh air.

The oldest bird of the group, Kobold, fluttered out of the bird-trailer for the first time on May 15th – followed by several of his siblings shortly after. By now, almost half of our Northern Bald Ibis group has fledged! 🦅

As a result, the birds’ daily life, and of course that of the foster parents as well, is now increasingly shifting to the aviary, where they can eagerly search for worms in the lush green grass. 🪱

As soon as all birds have fledged, visitors will once again have the opportunity to visit the training camp at Binningen airfield during visiting hours, observe the Northern Bald Ibises from a distance in the aviary, and learn more about our project. 🔭⛺️

ℹ️ Visiting hours from June 5th, 2026:
Friday to Sunday, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Information for visitors, updates, and further details can be found on our website: www.waldrappteam.at

14/05/2026

For our team, and of course for the birds of this year’s hand raising project for the Human Led Migration, the next exciting stage of the season has begun: the move to the training camp. 🏕️🚕

Now weighing over one kilogram and eagerly testing their wings, the young Northern Bald Ibises are ready to leave the nest, and with it, the hand raising container in Rosegg. As always, we truly enjoyed our time in Rosegg and would like to sincerely thank Tierpark Rosegg for all the help and support throughout the past weeks. 🙏🏼

The training camp is always located close to a breeding colony, as this is where the birds will later return from their wintering grounds once they reach sexual maturity. This year, the camp is located near Lake Constance, allowing the 2026 HLM ibises to later integrate into the colony of Überlingen.

Although we originally planned to establish the camp at the Riedlingen airfield, we unfortunately had to cancel those plans at the very last minute due to spatial limitations. We are therefore even more grateful that the Binningen airfield, where we already stayed in 2023, offered to host us again this year. ✈️

After part of the team, together with many wonderful helpers, moved and set up the camp in Binningen within a very short time, the birds could be transferred there on Thursday afternoon. Following a long journey, they arrived safely in Binningen during the night and moved into their brand new hand raising trailer.

All young ibises handled the trip extremely well and are already curiously exploring their new surroundings, especially the opening leading into their aviary. In just a few days, the first birds will dare the leap into the unknown and fly out into the aviary.

With the birds fledging, training and habituation to the microlight aircraft will also begin.

We are incredibly grateful to our hosts and longtime friends here in Binningen for making this possible once again.

Later in the season, in June and July, there will also be opportunities to visit the camp, observe the birds from a respectful distance, and learn more about the project. 🔭ℹ️

Updates about visiting times will be shared on our social media channels and on our webiste www.waldrappteam.at

28/04/2026

Since the weekend, there has been more good news in the Überlingen colony besides the two existing nests: This year, we were able to successfully integrate the female Samo from Salzburg as an additional reinforcement, after unfortunately losing females in previous years. Since last weekend, Samo has been taking care of her eggs together with Ciop and will raise her first offspring with him this year.

📸 A.Schmalstieg

17/04/2026

🚨 Nature conservation needs LIFE – now more than ever! 🚨

At the European level, crucial decisions are currently being made that will shape the future of environmental and nature conservation funding. As part of negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) of the European Union, there is a real risk that the LIFE Programme could lose its status as an independent funding instrument. This would significantly weaken one of the most effective tools for implementing concrete environmental measures in Europe. ❎

Our Northern Bald Ibis project clearly shows what LIFE makes possible: the successful reintroduction of a migratory bird species that had become extinct. Without LIFE, the scale, quality, and cross-border cooperation achieved would not have been possible.

Since 1992, LIFE has co-financed more than 6,500 projects across Europe, triggering billions in investment – with measurable success for biodiversity, habitats, and climate protection.

To send a clear signal to political decision-makers to preserve an independent LIFE Programme, a Europe-wide initiative has been launched. 📣📣📣

👉 Let’s take a stand together:
https://www.change.org/p/stand-with-life

With your support, you help preserve a key instrument of European nature conservation. Thank you!

STAND WITH LIFE

16/04/2026

We are currently observing exciting movements among the Northern Bald Ibises from Spain.

As expected, the first birds have begun their journey north toward their breeding grounds.

Particularly promising is the journey of the female Franki. She was raised in Binningen in 2023 and guided to Andalusia. Now she has reached maturity and is already eagerly awaited in her breeding area in Überlingen 🪺

Yesterday, Franki flew as far as Osona, not far from the new wintering site at Torre de Mornau in Empordà.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for Franki and wish her a safe and successful onward journey 🍀🍀🍀

Our colleague Bernat Garrigós from the ALIVE Foundation had the opportunity to visit Franki along the way 🤩

📸 B. Garrigós

12/04/2026

+++ Sponsorship for a hand-reared Northern Bald Ibis 2026+++

Give a young Northern Bald Ibis your personal name and become part of our reintroduction project! With a one-time donation of €900, you can become a unique sponsor of a hand-reared Northern Bald Ibis. Each name is assigned only once – your sponsorship is truly one of a kind and actively supports the conservation of this rare bird species.

You will receive:
• Personalized certificate, donation receipt, and a printed photo of your sponsored chick
• Regular updates throughout its development
• Opportunity to visit the training camp (May–July)
• Live tracking of your bird via app, all the way to Spain
• A small gift

A sponsorship also makes an exceptional gift!

This year, a maximum of 8 sponsorships are available.

“Being a naming sponsor made me very happy. My father was a huge fan of Waldrapp dachshunds; he traveled all over Europe to see them. Since he passed away a few years ago, it was so wonderful to name a Waldrapp after him. Now I think they meet up there in heaven from time to time.”
— Ulli, 2025 sponsor

More information: https://www.foerderverein-waldrapp.at/patenschaften/

09/04/2026

Hand-Raising 2026:

The hand-raising season for 2026 has officially begun in Rosegg. After an intensive week of preparations, the first six chicks were handed over to their new foster parents yesterday.

The two new foster mothers, Fabienne Tilg and Eszter Bajka, are starting their new roles with great enthusiasm. They are supported behind the scenes among others by Amelie Muntschick, who is also new to the team and will take on camp management duties this year.

In the coming days, the group of birds will continue to grow. As usual, the Ibises will first be raised in the backstage area of Tierpark Rosegg and then moved to a training camp at Riedlingen Airport on Lake Constance, where we are staying for the first time this year.

There, the Ibises will spend the summer learning to follow the ultralight aircraft. From Riedlingen, the human-guided migration to Spain will begin in August.

An exciting summer lies ahead for our feathered protégés! 🪶