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Out of the dense morning
fog, which predicts the ap-
proaching autumn, many different
shades and colors - warm, earthen
brown shades, a strikingly bright
turquoise and a shining yellow - be-
come visible. It can cover up every-
thing apart from the distinctive calls
of our most colorful birds: there are
bee-eaters. I have already heard
them and also know that they are
here, because I have accompa-
nied, observed and photographed
them all spring long. Now they are
sitting on packed suitcases, so to
speak, ready to fly to their 8000 -
10,000 km remote winter quarters,
in central or even southern Africa,
without navigation, GPS or even
a simple map. What wonders of
nature! Just imagine you manag-
ing this! For the young birds of this
year it is the maiden flight, and it is
already laid down in their genes:
EN MALETAS EMPACADAS
time of departure, duration of the
flight and the direction. Since we
ring birds, we fortunately know
much more about their migration.
The breeding season is now over.
With their long and slightly curved
beaks they dug about a meter long
breeding places into sandy banks,
laid eggs and hatched and finally
fed their young with insects, espe-
cially bees or wasps. And after
all those strains they take the risk
of such a long flight - crossing the
Sahara, evading bird-catchers or
getting through violent storms - in
order to arrive at the same point
as last winter. This whole effort is
necessary because they can find
little or no food in our part of the
world in winter. Bee-eaters cannot
switch to berries and fruits - like
local tits - because they are meat-
eaters. Their departure is therefore
purely a survival strategy.
Kuhreiher