Number of chicks
Days until migration
KM to Spain
Human-Led Migration 2026
In 2026, a group of Northern Bald Ibises will again be raised by two human foster parents and accompanied on a human-led migration to a wintering area in Spain. The chicks come from the colony at Rosegg Zoo and are initially raised by their foster parents in Rosegg, without contact with other humans, and later in a specially prepared training camp. In the training camp, they learn to follow an ultralight aircraft, with one of the foster parents on board. Afterwards, they set out together with a ground team that provides logistical support for the migration, heading south. Upon arrival in the wintering area in Spain, the birds are gradually released into the wild after an acclimatization period and become part of the migrating population.
Why spain?
Global warming is also becoming a challenge for the Northern Bald Ibis. The birds of the colonies in the northern foothills of the Alps are having increasing problems flying over the Alpine barrier in autumn. A new migration corridor to Andalusia should enable them to reach a suitable wintering area without being hindered by the barrier of the Alps.
Click here for the latest pictures and information:
Latest Updates:
Please note: When visiting the camp, please leave your dogs at home and avoid wearing yellow clothing.
Contact: info@waldrappteam.at
Visiting hours at the Waldrapp training camp:
The training camp can still be visited until August 2, 2026.
Friday to Sunday, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Address: Binningen Airfield, Beurener Str. 9, 78247 Hilzingen, Germany
Start of the Human-Led Migration 2026:
The start of the human-led migration 2026 is scheduled for the morning of August 17, 2026. Interested visitors can watch the takeoff from a safe distance at the airfield.
ATTENTION: The actual departure date is highly dependent on weather conditions and may be postponed at short notice. The latest updates will be published here as promptly as possible.
Timetable for human-led migration 2026
CW 15 - 16
Collection of approximately 32 Northern Bald Ibis chicks at Rosegg Zoo (Carinthia).
CW 15 - 20
The chicks are hand-raised for the first few weeks in Rosegg (Carinthia).
CW 20 - 33
Relocation to the training camp in Binningen (Hilzingen): habituation to themicrolight and step-by-step training of the young birds until they are eventually able to perform proper training flights.
In June and July, there will be the opportunity to visit the camp at scheduled times, observe the young northern bald ibises from a distance, and learn more about the project.
Visiting hours: from June 5, 2026
Friday to Sunday, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Note: Please leave your dogs at home when visiting the camp and avoid wearing yellow clothing.
Contact: info@waldrappteam.at
CW 33 - 40
Migration through Germany, France, and Spain:
final destination: Andalusia (ES)
CW 50
Release of the HLM 2026 birds in spain.
Migration Diary 2026
July 23, 2026
Public outreach is also an important part of our project and the hand-rearing program. Wherever we set up our hand-rearing camp, it is important to us to involve local communities and provide information about the reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis.
We are delighted that public interest in the region has been so strong. Therefore, our camp manager, Amelie Muntschick, kindly agreed to give a presentation at the Impulshaus Engen about the 2026 hand-rearing season. Around 50 interested visitors attended the event. Following Amelie’s engaging presentation, the audience’s numerous questions were answered in detail with the support of Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg and Rudi Beck.
We are very pleased about the great interest in our project, which is also reflected in the high number of visitors to the camp. The hand-rearing camp can still be visited during opening hours until and including the coming weekend (July 31–August 2). Further information on visiting hours can be found at the top of this page.
A. Schmalstieg
2 July 2026
A lot has happened at the training camp at Binningen/Hilzingen airfield since the first free flight. Several times a week, the young Northern Bald Ibises are trained to gradually become familiar with the microlight aircraft and learn to follow it confidently in flight.
After foster mothers Eszter and Fabienne first introduced their birds to the aircraft and its large parachute on the ground, training has now progressed to the next stage. Today, the team successfully completed its first landing outside the airfield grounds. Both the foster mothers and the young ibises are mastering these new challenges with great enthusiasm and motivation.
All training sessions follow a training concept that was revised for this year’s season. The goal is clear: by the start of the human-led migration in mid-August, the birds should be sufficiently trained to reliably follow their foster mother in the microlight aircraft through the air.
📷 J. Fritz
15 June 2026
Today marked the first free flight of the young Northern Bald Ibises in Binningen. This is always one of the most exciting and memorable days of the season: for the very first time, the foster parents open the aviary doors, and the young birds take their first wingbeats under the open sky. As they explore the surroundings of the camp, they also gain their very first experiences of flying freely.
This day is an important milestone, as it shows whether the foster parents’ intensive efforts have paid off and whether the young birds have developed a strong bond with them. Only if this relationship of trust has been successfully established will the ibises reliably return to their human foster parents after their first flights.For the young birds, however, there is still a great deal to learn. They must learn how to orient themselves in the open air, master safe landings, and find their way back to the familiar surroundings of the camp. It is therefore not unusual for individual birds to set off on longer exploratory flights or to take some time before finding their way home.
On the morning of 15 June, this year’s group enthusiastically took to the bright blue sky for their first flights. As expected, the flock’s flight formation was still rather disorganized and chaotic at first. With increasing flight experience, however, their movements will soon become much more coordinated, graceful, and elegant.
Most importantly, the majority of the young ibises returned exactly as hoped to their foster mothers, Eszter and Fabienne. Three of their protégés initially decided to embark on a small adventure. Two of them returned to the camp later that same evening, while the third missing bird safely found its way back the following day, where it was eagerly awaited.
Following this successful first free flight, the next stage of training can now begin. Step by step, the young Northern Bald Ibises will be introduced to the microlight aircraft and all the procedures involved in flying together, preparing them for the remarkable migration journey that lies ahead.
May 19, 2026
After a wet and frosty first week at the camp, the sun is finally beginning to appear more frequently over our camp at Binningen airfield. Both people and birds seem to have settled in well: while the camp is being fully set up and the field kitchen officially inaugurated, the first five birds have already fledged.
One after another, they made their first wingbeats from the entrance of the rearing trailer out into the aviary — closely watched by their younger siblings with curious and perhaps slightly jealous looks. Over the course of the coming week, all of the young Northern Bald Ibises will gradually take the leap into the aviary.
With that, life for both the birds and their foster mothers is increasingly moving outdoors: out of the rearing trailer and into the lush green meadow beneath what we hope will soon be permanently blue skies.
📷 The photo shows Kobold during his first excursion into the aviary. Not only the two foster mothers, but Kobold himself also seems visibly proud of this achievement.
May 14, 2026
Eagerly testing their wings, the young Northern Bald Ibises are ready to leave the nest, and with it, the hand raising container in Rosegg. 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 birds of HLM 2026 to later integrate into the Überlingen colony.
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 the hand raising team already stayed in 2023, offered to host us again this year.
After part of the team, together with several helpers, 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 very 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.
📷 B. Steininger
May 6, 2026
Hard to believe, but our time at Tierpark Rosegg is already coming to an end.
Most of our chicks now weigh over one kilogram. There’s a lot going on in the had-raising-container: the chicks are busily moving back and forth between the nests, and the larger ones are eagerly testing their now well-feathered wings. A clear sign that the container will soon be too small for this lively bunch.
At the beginning of next week, we will therefore move to our training camp in southern Germany. There, the Northern Bald Ibises will be housed in a brand-new rearing trailer connected to a spacious aviary. Once they are around 40 days old, they will be able to attempt their first real wingbeats.
The foster mothers and the rest of the team will live and work in the field camp until August. We are very much looking forward to this new phase of the rearing season, even though we will certainly miss our supporters here in Rosegg and the mountains.
📷 E. Bajka
April 20, 2026
Our family is complete!
After the fourth and final chick collection, 32 Northern Bald Ibis chicks are now sitting in eight nests in the rearing container in Rosegg. The two foster mothers are now busy around the clock feeding, caring for, and keeping the lively flock in good spirits.
The age difference between the youngest and oldest chicks is no more than 14 days. At the moment, the developmental differences are still very noticeable: our oldest chick is now 20 days old. The larger chicks in the group have already started climbing from one nest to another.
A bustling group of Northern Bald Ibises, fully devoted to their current main task: eating, growing, and thriving.
April 8, 2026
After extensive planning and dedicated preparations, the time has finally come: the 2026 hand-rearing season can begin!
For Fabienne and Eszter, this is their first season in the role of foster mothers, and the excitement is accordingly high as six chicks from the colony at Tierpark Rosegg are placed in their care. Initially supported by Barbara, a former foster mother, they quickly learn how to properly care for their chicks.
The 2026 hand-rearing team also includes Amelie, who is responsible for camp management and, in a way, for supporting the foster mothers, as well as Yun, a Chinese PhD student who will collect data this season and support the core team.
A strong, motivated team that is starting this adventure full of enthusiasm and anticipation.
April 14, 2026
Our bird group is growing and thriving! By now, the two foster mothers have 22 beaks to feed – and a few more are yet to come.
We take over the chicks for hand-raising at an age of three to eight days. Especially during the first weeks after hatching, the Northern Bald Ibises grow rapidly and steadily gain weight. In the container, the chicks spend their days in a rhythm of feeding, sleeping, and cuddling with their foster parents.