The daredevil flight to save rare birds

The daredevil flight to save rare birds Waldrappteam Scientists in a light aircraft lead a flight of bald ibises on a migration to a safe destination for the winter months Storms, an eagle attack, emergency landings, and a unique bond: how scientists led a flight of endangered ibises on a 2,300km journey to their new winter sanctuary. Waldrappteam The "foster mothers" with their hand-reared bald ibises Early April: Becoming a family Helena Wehner, Barbara Steininger and Laura Pahnke, the project's camp leader and a trained vet, are brainstorming baby names for 35 newly hatched bald ibises. We really start behaving a bit like birds over time – Barbara Steininger "As a foster mother, it's really important to enjoy caring for these young birds, and to let yourself become a part of the birds' world," says Wehner, who raised and led three previous cohorts. Waldrappteam To persuade the bald ibises to follow them, their "foster mothers" in aircraft called to them through megaphones May: Learning to fly It's May, and the birds are in a mobile flight training camp in southern Germany, ready to fledge. Inspired by a popular Hollywood movie, "Fly Away Home", about a girl leading geese on a migration, Fritz and his team began leading young bald ibises to Italy, using aircraft.