Cranes fly south in huge flocks
Huge flocks of cranes also flew over Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland on Friday. "It was a natural spectacle," enthused ornithologist Bernd Petri from the nature conservation organization Nabu in Wetzlar. Tens of thousands of animals flew along on the trains. For example, birds up to 1.30 meters tall could be seen in the skies over Frankfurt, the Hessian Ried and the Bergstrasse.
They can always be recognized by their trumpet-like calls and the wedge-shaped formation of their trains. According to Nabu, the strong and experienced birds fly at a speed of 50 to 70 kilometers per hour at the top, followed by families with an average of two young birds.
The mass migration of cranes had already been repeatedly observed in the sky in the previous days. Petri expects that large formations will no longer fly, but only a few stragglers will be on the move. The first cranes set off for their wintering grounds around mid-October, which was later than usual. The reason for the late departure was the warm weather. The destination of most cranes is the Spanish Extremadura in the southwest of the country.
For around 20 years, there has been a tendency for them to fly south later and later and return earlier. "The first ones are already expected to return in January," reported Nabu expert Petri. Some cranes even spend the winter in Hesse.
The awe-inspiring sounds of trumpet-like calls echoed throughout the landscape, coming from these magnificent animals known as cranes. Various species of animals, including birds like cranes, contribute significantly to the rich diversity found within natural habitats.
Source: www.dpa.com
