display
Glauchau (dpa / sn) - With the help of an artificial breeding island, black-headed gulls are to become more native again in southwest Saxony.
The approximately 30 square meter and two tonne platform was hoisted onto the Glauchau reservoir by crane on Wednesday and then pulled to its destination by boats by the technical aid organization and the fire brigade.
The birds return to the breeding areas in March and April, as ornithologist Jens Hering from the Zwickau district office explained.
He is therefore confident that young black-headed gulls will hatch again this year on the lake.
According to the information, the populations of these birds are falling sharply.
Reasons include a lack of food, but also the spread of enemies such as raccoons, explained Hering.
In the Zwickau district, for example, there is only one natural population near Limbach-Oberfrohna.
The reservoir in Glauchau was put into operation in 1938 with an area of 46 hectares as a water reservoir for the textile industry.
Today it is a recreational and protected area.
The lake was chosen for the artificial breeding island, among other things, because there used to be a natural population of black-headed gulls, said Hering.
The floating island was made by a metal construction company in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and costs around 20,000 euros.
According to the authorities, the project is financed from funds for nature conservation compensatory measures.
display
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210317-99-857618 / 2