The Northern Bald Ibis, or Waldrapp in German, is the star of a species reintroduction project in Europe.
View from the cockpit.
The pilot, from project Waldrapp. The passanger, from team WilyBird.
The Ibises follow the ultralight from Salzburg to Tuscany. One guided migration is enough to teach them the route!
The migration took place on a fabulous, cold morning with stunning visibility.
A German camera team filmed the action for a documentary to be aired on German TV
Ibis and ultralight, flying in formation
The Northern Bald Ibis has been extinct in the wild in Europe for over 300 years.
Taking pictures with a 400mm lens at 2000m proved to be a challenge. Not least for the stomach!
Northern Bald Ibis eat insects, worms and grubs. They normally nest high in the mountains.
The wings take on an iridescent green hue. Note the GPS tracker on the back of each bird.
The birds follow their foster mothers, two students who have hand raised the birds and taught them to respond to their yellow shirts.
When the birds become older, they lost the feathers on their head, hence their name.
The foster mothers are quite attached to their birds.
The second leg of the journey begins- from Mautendorf to Northern Italy.
