Thousands of cranes are delaying their migration to Spain this year. These birds have spent the past weeks in various parts of Central Europe and would normally have reachedwintering sites in several countries, including Aragon, by now to spend the winter.
José Antonio Román, the national crane census coordinator and a leading Spanish expert who authored Common Crane, told Efe that about 191,000 cranes are currently stationed in Hortobágy National Park in Hungary. This reserve is where the bulk of the cranes stay before they spread out across Europe and Africa along different migration routes.
In addition to those in Hortobágy, about 81,900 cranes remain in Germany, roughly 8,000 in Poland, and at least 32,000 in northwestern France.
Cranes in migratory formation
Román noted that a series of storms affecting Spain and much of Europe may have slowed migration, a pattern he described as something that had never happened before this year.
Food and nice weather
The expert said cranes can be found at these staging points where food is plentiful and weather favorable. This abundance may contribute to the delay in their final journey toward the Iberian Peninsula.
He added that in recent days some cranes have begun arriving through Hungary, with a smaller number entering from Central Europe.
Crane in flight
He observed that some birds arrived in Spain in mid-September, and the first substantial numbers did not appear until nearly mid-October. Even so, there are far fewer cranes than in other years.
The current estimate is just over 5,000 cranes in Spain, compared with more than 20,000 in typical years.
We may now have just over 5,000 in Spain, whereas under normal circumstances we were already talking about more than 20,000.
Román described this delay as an extraordinary situation never before observed. Usually, at this time of year, large numbers of cranes move across wide areas of the country.
At present, cranes are recorded in only 17 Spanish provinces, whereas last year their presence extended to more than 30 provinces.
Román reminded readers that the latest census in Spain recorded a wintering population of 190,743 individuals.
Extremadura, the community with the most cranes
Extremadura concentrated the largest share of wintering cranes in Spain, tallying 82,969 individuals. Castilla-La Mancha ranked second with 38,472 cranes, while Aragon hosted 32,409.
Andalusia followed with 21,898 birds, while Navarra and Castilla y León counted 7,645 and 7,231 respectively.
Madrid recorded 42 cranes, Catalonia 38, La Rioja 31, the Valencian Community 16, and the Balearic Islands 2 to complete the wintering crane counts.
The common crane makes a remarkable annual journey from northern Europe to the south, traversing Germany and France in October and November before returning to breeding grounds from mid-February to March.
These birds can fly more than 4,000 kilometers and sometimes reach altitudes above 9,000 meters above sea level.