After a wild-fledged young was spotted in Holland and northern Germany last month (see here for details), two other young bearded vultures have flow north.
Adonis, a male released last year in Grands Causses (France), as part of the reintroduction project there, has left the area in early June and made a quick trip through France and Belgium to north Germany (as far north as Hamburg – see map), and is now returning south – last location today was in the Swiss Alps!
On the other hand Schils, a born in La Garenne (Switzerland) zoo last year and released in the Calfeisental (Swiss Alps) last year was found grounded in Holland on the 16th June, after a heavy thunderstorm. The bird is uninjured, and is recovering well in a local wildlife rehabilitation centre, and will be soon sent back to Switzerland for re-release.
Bearded vultures can easily survive without food for a week or even longer and young birds do often disperse temporarily away from the mountains, particularly in their first Spring, like in the case of Adonis and Schils, but normally return to the mountains – precisely like Adonis is doing.
The VCF would like to thank Hans Pohlmann for all the effort to rehabilitate and send Schils back to the Alps.
