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Thousands of cranes arrived in Spain
Tens of thousands of cranes have made their way south from Germany in the past few weeks. Part of it has now arrived in Spain. There are still some opportunities to watch cranes in this country.
October 29, 2021 - In the past few days, numerous cranes have made a long stretch. As reported, tens of thousands of them moved south from the rest areas in Germany last weekend, which people in many places in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate were able to observe and hear. At the beginning of the week there were apparently a number of cranes traveling at night over parts of southern Germany. At night, however, the birds do not have the landmarks to orientate themselves by, so they fly a little more scattered.
On Tuesday, around 65,730 cranes were reported from
Lac du Der-Chantecoq in Champagne, in north-eastern France. More than 40,000 of them moved there last Sunday and Monday. Some of them had already flown over the Pyrenees by the end of the week. At the
Laguna de Gallocanta alone, one of the largest lakes in Spain, south of Saragossa, 10,000 cranes are currently resting. From there it is only a short flight stage to the winter quarters in the stone and cork oak forests. Many cranes stay on the shallow lake until December, because there are many corn and sunflower fields all around, where there are crop residues to eat.
Lac du Der-Chantecoq
Laguna de Gallocanta
Cranes still migrate over Germany
However, numerous migratory birds can still be observed in Germany. In some parts of the country, mild and sunny weather is expected over the weekend, before it should be cooler and rainier on Monday. This shouldn't deter many cranes from setting off, but it should make observations more difficult for humans. Some observers in the lowlands are already reporting that because of the fog in the morning they can only hear cranes but can no longer see them.
The last weekend of October could therefore be another good opportunity for many to spot migrating cranes in the sky.
https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/ ... tuell.html