The bird migration in Bavaria is in full swing. Millions of animals are making their way to their winter quarters in the southern Mediterranean these days, said Angelika Nelson, bird migration expert at the State Association for Bird Protection in Hilpoltstein, the German press agency. Other birds, on the other hand, come to Bavaria to overwinter here – including chaffinches and mountain finches from Scandinavian countries. Birds that migrate further, for example to Africa south of the Sahara, have partly not been in Bavaria since July.
It can be observed that bird migration is changing and adapting more and more to climate change. One of the most obvious examples is the white stork. In the past, the animals had mainly fed on amphibians such as frogs – which are not available as food in winter because they are frozen in time. “White storks now feed on mice more often,” said Nelson. In connection with the increasingly rare snow cover, this represents a food source that no longer makes the flight to Africa absolutely necessary.
Birds, which mainly feed on grains and seeds, can now find enough food in Bavaria in winter and stay here. These included chaffinch, sparrow, and great tit and blue tit. Others looked for new routes. Overall, the number of migratory birds will tend to be lower. “In Bavaria, too, the populations of more and more birds are drastically declining,” emphasized Nelson on the occasion of the “Birdwatch” campaign at the beginning of October. These included former commonplace birds such as the lapwing and skylark, which are now classified as endangered. “Some species of birds are disappearing before our eyes, such as whinchat or corn corn,” said the expert.