Girun and Volcaire – the two young captive-bred bearded vultures released in Baronnies last month as part of the reintroduction project in the Alps-Grands Causses – LIFE GYPCONNECT project, are flying higher and higher each week
Both birds fly more and farther each day, and they have already faced some good challenges – some days with lots of wind, or on the contrary others with absence of wind or any thermals to go up.
And recently the two birds were visited by a third bearded vulture – Trudi, a young female released in Switzerland in 2015, flew over the site on the 9th July – in fact Girun – always aggressive in the hacking cave – attacked Trudi. Later Trudi returned east to the French Alps.
This observation is double interesting, not only because it is the first observation of the species in July – apart the reintroduced birds this year, but also is the first bird from the central Alps ever observed there – indeed, another evidence for flows between different nuclei of bearded vulture populations, precisely what the LIFE GYPCONNECT aims for.
Girun and Volcaire are equipped with tags, so we will know where they will go. Unfortunately the batteries of the tag on the back of Girun is flat, but we hope that now that he is flying more, it can be recharged. You can follow the movements of these birds here: http://www.vautoursenbaronnies.com/index.php/suivez-les-gypaetes-en-vol
