Randecker Maar Observatory for Bird and Insect Migration 3

The Randecker Maar Research Station (German: ''Forschungsstation Randecker Maar e.V.'') is a

bird observatory A bird observatory is a centre for the study of bird migration and bird populations. They are usually focused on local birds, but may also include interest in far-flung areas. Most bird observatories are small operations with a limited staff, many ...

which was founded in 1969 by the ornithologist . It studies birds, insects and other migratory creatures which tend to concentrate in the pass through the crater of the

Randecker Maar The Randecker Maar is a maar – a volcanic crater about wide. It is in the Swabian Jura mountains, in the municipality Bissingen an der Teck near Stuttgart and was formed around 17 million years ago. A lake formed in the crater and its bed i ...

as they fly over the

Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...

. The research station is located at an elevation of 773 meters above sea level on the northern precipice of the

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

in southern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Insects and birds cross this mountain range on their southward autumn migration in great numbers. At the site of an extinct volcano, the

, migration of insects and birds is concentrated both horizontally and vertically. This funnel effect is due to the erosion that has cut open the volcanic crater on its northern edge. Both insects and birds prefer this gap to cross the elevated ground.

History

Randecker Maar Observatory for Bird and Insect Migration 4

The Randecker Maar has been a site for animal migrations since at least the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

. In the crater of the volcano and along the creek flowing out of it, remnants of camps of hunters and gatherers were found, who are believed to have hunted migrating animals here.

Research

Randecker Maar Observatory for Bird and Insect Migration 2

The observatory conducts research on bird migration routes and migration strategies of birds between Europe and West Africa at the Randecker Maar, related management of agricultural lands and forests in Europe, and as the changes in the habitat in the African wintering areas of European migrant birds."Wulf Gatter: Vogelzug und Vogelbestände in Mitteleuropa. 30 Jahre Beobachtung des Tagzugs am Randecker Maar (Bird migration and Bird Populations in Central Europe)."Aula Verlag Wiebelsheim, 2000, 656 pp."Wulf Gatter & Hermann Mattes: Vögel und Forstwirtschaft – Eine Dokumentation der Waldvogelwelt im Südwesten Deutschlands." Naturschutz-Spektrum-Themen 2018, vol.101. Verlag Regionalkultur, Heidelberg, 343 pp."Wulf Gatter: Zugverhalten und Überwinterung von paläarktischen Vögeln in Liberia (Westafrika) (Teil 1). Migration behaviour and wintering of Palaearctic birds in Liberia (West Africa) (Part 1)."Verh. Ornithol. Ges. Bayern 1987/24: 479-508."Wulf Gatter: Vogelzug in Westafrika; Beobachtungen und Hypothesen zu Zugstrategien und Wanderrouten. Vogelzug in Liberia, Teil II. Bird migration in Westafrica: Observations and hypotheses on migration strategies and migration routes Bird migration in Liberia, Part II."Vogelwarte 1987/34: 80-92. Randecker Maar Observatory for Bird and Insect Migration 1

Randecker Maar Observatory for Bird and Insect Migration 1

Besides birds, flying insects also cross the

mountain range on their southward autumn migrations. At the Randecker Maar Observatory data are collected on migrating moths and on moths in nearby protected zones."Dorothea Gatter: Beitrag zur Fauna nachtaktiver Schmetterlinge (Insecta: Lepidoptera) der Schopflocher Alb (Bombyces, Sphinges, Noctuidae). Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Wanderproblemen und der Naturschutzgebiete Schopflocher Moor und Randecker Maar."Jh. Ges. Naturkde. Württ. 1979/134: 196-241. In 2020, data on insect migration at the Randecker Maar showed a decrease in migration at the location for insect groups such as

hoverflies Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family (biology), family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen Hover (behaviour), hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed main ...

(Syrphidae), parasitic

Ichneumon wasps The superfamily Ichneumonoidea contains one extinct and three extant families, including the two largest families within Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae and Braconidae. The group is thought to contain as many as 100,000 species, many of which have not ...

(Ichneumonidae), and soldier-flies (Stratiomyidae) in 2015-2019 compared to data in 1985-1987 and 1978–1982.For hoverflies with aphidophagous larval development and migrating in July to August had steeper declines since the 1970s than hoverflies that migrate later in the year with a mainly aquatic saprophagic larval development.

References

External links

* {{coord, 48, 56, N, 9, 52, E, region:DE, display=title Bird migration Animal welfare organisations based in Germany Bird observatories Ornithological organizations Organizations established in 1969 Animal migration Baden-Württemberg

Biosphere reserves of Germany