End of February 2003 spring migration of birds reaches the CMS Secretariat. Birdcalls of common cranes flying in characteristic V-formations mark the beginning of the new season. This event shows one of nature's mysteries: the migration of huge flocks of birds travelling long distances between Scandinavia and Southern Europe or even North Africa. Up to 70,000 cranes start their journey from their breeding sites in Northern Europe and the Russian taiga in October. Most of the cranes breeding in Germany, Sweden, Norway and Poland gather on resting sites on the island of Rügen off the German Baltic coast. They take the Western flyway heading for Spain's biggest national park: the Extremadura.

The meadows with their cork and holm oaks offer excellent feeding grounds to the cranes. They share the oak forests with a variety of local animals such as wild boars, culvers and others. In winter, tens of thousands of cranes can be spotted in shallow waters such as the Laguna Gallocanta. They spend the winter in these meadows until they start forming up for their flight back in early March. Travelling thousands of kilometres between the most remote areas of the European continent requires a lot of endurance from the birds.

It also takes cross-border efforts to enable the birds to pursue their migration. But they face numerous threats such as declining habitats and food shortages. They need new stepping-stones on their flyways and bodies of water as alternatives to their traditional migration routes. CMS will continue to enhance regional co-operation in order conserve cranes and their habitats throughout their range. Only then can we hope to welcome them back in October.