The Northern bald ibis is probably not a species that you are likely to come across very often given it's rarity and distant range however, anyone with a passion for nature should be happy to hear that these incredibly rare birds have had the best breeding season for three years. You can read more about this story here.
For more information about these birds and to follow the migration of the recently tagged juveniles have a look here. Its sure to be a tough journey but one of them, Salama, is already in Yemen and may shortly make the hop over to Ethiopia. Well worth keeping an eye on their progress.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
That is good news, Ian. It will be interesting to track their progress.
I had the privilege of seeing these unusual birds in southern Morocco back in 2006. There was a small colony nesting on the cliffs at a site north of Agadir. For anyone who doesn't know what they look like, here's one collecting nesting material.
I haven't heard how that particular colony is doing so any info you have would be most interesting.
I also recall that someone near Tarifa in southern Spain was attempting to rear them in captivity for eventual release into the wild. I remember seeing the cages from a distance. Do you have any knowledge about whether that is still going on and whether it has been successful?
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Tony
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