308 people counted bearded vultures

This year's Bearded Vulture Observation Day on October 11 was a complete success. In Switzerland alone, 308 bearded vulture enthusiasts took part in the event. Over the course of the day, 192 bearded vulture observations were made from 213 fixed observation posts.

Complex data analysis

All this data and the observations of our partners from neighboring Alpine countries are now being collated and evaluated. Analyzing all the data and images takes a lot of time. Age information is checked, possible duplicate observations are identified and indications of known individuals are investigated.

Fewer observations despite good visibility

It is interesting to note that, compared to last year, more people occupied more posts, but fewer bearded vultures were observed on the day of observation despite the good visibility conditions. We do not assume that there are fewer bearded vultures living in Switzerland. Depending on the current food situation and wind conditions, bearded vultures fly more or less frequently and are therefore easier or harder to spot..

Valuable data thanks to many volunteers

Once the evaluations have been completed, we will also be able to provide a minimum and maximum estimate of the current bearded vulture population in the Alps. However, the initial figures already show that this campaign has once again provided valuable data for assessing our work for the return of the bearded vulture.

A big thank you to everyone who supported us again this year!