Swiss observatory celebrates centenary of bird protection

The Swiss Ornithological Institute has been caring for the Swiss bird population for 100 years. KEYSTONE

The Swiss Ornithological Institute was founded 100 years ago with the inauguration of the Swiss Bird Observatory tower near Sempach in central Switzerland.

At the centenary celebration on Saturday, Swiss President Viola Amherd described birds as “ambassadors of biological diversity”.

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“If the living conditions for birds are no longer right, the same is often the case for other animal and plant species,” said Amherd. Of the 200 bird species that breed in Switzerland, 40% are endangered.

There is therefore a need for “active involvement, on the one hand at all political levels and on the other hand at the social level”. The bird observatory is setting a good example here.

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the bird observatory invited guests to a ceremony with speakers, shows and a bird song workshop.

Mved to bigger home

Emerging science and advancing industrialisation motivated many people to protect the birds at that time, said Bird Observatory spokeswoman Livio Rey. These topics are still relevant today. “The work of the bird observatory itself hasn’t changed that much, apart from the methods.”

Alfred Schifferli, a passionate ornithologist and visionary, provided a room in his home for the newly founded bird observatory in 1924 and became its first director. The observatory’s vision remains to understand the local bird world and preserve its diversity for future generations.

The coordination of bird ringing was one of the bird observatory’s initial main tasks. In addition, it built a reference library with ornithological writings for study purposes to collect knowledge about birds and make it accessible to everyone.

With the growing financial support from bird fans from all over the country, the bird observatory was able to turn to other tasks.

With growing financial support from the public, the observatory was given a newly built building on the lakeshore around 1955. At this time the observatory was transferred to a foundation.

It has around 40,000 visitors per year, and the free information service receives several thousand emails and telephone calls every year.

International cooperation

The use of geolocators has revolutionised knowledge about bird migration in recent years. Because they only require a small, lightweight battery, they make it possible to track the migratory behavior of small birds. Previously, only GPS transmitters were in use that could record the movements of large birds such as eagles or storks.

“The bird world reflects how we treat the environment,” says Rey. “Unfortunately, many habitats have been destroyed in the past hundred years.”

The observatory has recently also been operating on an international level. It coordinates the African-Eurasian Action Plan for Migratory Land Birds (AEMLAP) to ensure the long-term survival of these migratory birds in their breeding and winter quarters and during migration.

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Adapted from German by DeepL/mga