Sonja

Reines Glueck. Karl sah sie mit blossem Auge von weitem und ich war drinnen, recht nahe an meinem Kamerarucksack. Er wusste da noch nicht was es ist, aber er rief da sei eine ordentliche Gruppe seltsame grosse Voegel, zu schlank fuer Gaense, zu gross fuer Brachvoegel, zu organisiert fuer Stoerche oder Milane... Ich sammelte also mein Zeug auf und rannte zu ihm. Die Voegel liessen sich Zeit, suchten was, vermutlich einen Schlafplatz. Merkwuerdig war es schon, Schwabniederhofen hat ja keinen Lac due Der oder Platte River zu bieten, nur die Schoenach mit Staustufe am Feuerwehrhaeuschen, ein winziger Bach der 5 km nordoestlich im Lech endet. Der Kranich allerdings will im Herbst eher nach suedwesten. Jedenfalls etabliert sich da langsam eine neue Route:
https://www.radio-oberland.de/nachrichten/kraniche-im-oberland-zu-sehen

I have seen such from time to time at vacations, seeking out cranes in their migration hotspots intentionally, but never directly from the own doorstep before. :o) In recent years a new route develops inbetween the eastern black sea and the western to spain. It is still a puzzle game of sightings, but each year it grows.

This was my second incidental sighting on this migration route. The other was a glimpse from a major road a few years ago, only 6 birds I am very sure to have been cranes west of Lindau. At the time not even my husband who had seen it as well but as driver had to concentrate on the road more believed it could have been really cranes. "You will have miss-ID'd some cranes or geese" was what I got. Shortly After Pia Wilhelm wrote an article on cranes staying over night in a renaturated bog several conservationists of reknwn had observed which quite validated my first sighting, but I never managed to see any at Pfrungen, Isny, Prem or anywhere in my frequent hounts such sightings occured. After all, they do not stay long, just fly by going west skirting the alps with a little stop here and there. Then suddely those here flew across the family farmhouse at Schwabniederhofen, just so.... by the time radio had started to tell interested people just to look up and report if they are lucky during the brief timeframe there might be sightings, and there where even some sightings of flocks in the tripple digits... but I am very okay with 27 I got good enough pics to prove it of. :o)