HELGOLANDER MEERESUNTERSUCHUNGEN Helgol~nder Meeresunters. 49, 125-134 (1995)
O r n i t h o l o g y o n the i s l a n d of H e l g o l a n d and the r o l e of
the B i o l o g i s c h e Anstalt up to the f o u n d a t i o n of the
separate
"Vo gelwarte"
Ch. HtinelI16rder
Institut ffir Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, iVfathematik und Technik der Univer- sit&t Hamburg; BundesstraIJe 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
The e n o r m o u s n u m b e r of t r a n s m i g r a t i n g a n d b r e e d i n g birds on H e l g o l a n d h a d for h u n d r e d s of years b e e n the major source of food for the i n h a b i t a n t s of the formerly D a n i s h i s l a n d (Stresemann, 1967). At the b e g i n n i n g of the 19th century, m a n y n a t u r a l history collections w e r e e s t a b l i s h e d in Europe, a n d with this a n interest in bird t a x i d e r m y developed. After the occupation of the i s l a n d by the British in 1807, a n i s l a n d craftsman, Erich J. K o o p m a n n (t 1835), a r o u n d 1820, b e g a n collecting skins for a n u m b e r of m u s e u m s . Visiting scientists (Stresemann, 1967, p. 421) like J o h a n n Friedrich N a u m a n n (1780-1857), drew a t t e n t i o n to H e l g o l a n d , which h a d slowly b e e n d e v e l o p i n g into a seaside resort since 1826; the island n o w b e c a m e very p o p u l a r a m o n g ornithologists. E v e n the secretary to the British G o v e r n e r a n d w e l l - k n o w n p a i n t e r of s e a s c a p e s Heinrich G~itke (1814-1897) - a r e s i d e n t of H e l g o l a n d since 1837 - could not resist the attraction of ornithology. H e started i n d e p e n d e n t l y collecting rare birds i n 1843, for both scientific a n d artistic purposes. His exact observations w e r e reflected in his well-written, famous book "Die Vogelwarte H e l g o l a n d " (G~itke, 1891); the s e c o n d edition with d r a w i n g s b y the author a n d additions b y Rudolf Blasius, was fortunately r e p r i n t e d on the initiative of Gottfried V a u k in 1987, a n d is still available. We are also very m u c h i n d e b t e d to H e r b e r t R i n g l e b e n for his e v a l u a t i o n of this b o o k a n d his c o m m e n t s on the o b s e r v a t i o n of some rare birds o n H e l g o l a n d (Ringleben, 1969), The b o o k consists of three parts. T h e first deals with the m i g r a t i o n of birds (2nd. ed., 3-153), the s e c o n d with the c h a n g i n g of colours without m o u l t (157-170), a n d the last a n d most i m p o r t a n t is a c a t a l o g u e of a b o u t 400 species of birds s e e n on H e l g o l a n d (173-636). T h e term "Vogelwarte" - created b y G~tke b e t w e e n 1879 a n d 1883, p r o b a b l y as a n a n a l o g y to "Sternwarte", (Ringleben, 1958J - b e c a m e very p o p u l a r a n d w a s a d o p t e d in 1901 b y J o h a n n e s T h i e n e m a n n (1863-1938), the f o u n d e r of the "Vogelwarte Rossitten" ( T h i e n e m a n n , 1927). E v e n before the i s l a n d b e c a m e part of the G e r m a n Reich i n 1890. G~tke had, for private reasons, b e e n n e g o t i a t i n g the sale of his bird collection with the British M u s e u m of N a t u r a l History in London.
Archival research b y Dr. Petra W e m e r has t h r o w n n e w light on the c i r c u m s t a n c e s of how the Prussian State s u c c e e d e d i n p u r c h a s i n g this w o n d e r f u l collection for the a m o u n t of thirteen t h o u s a n d M a r k s This collection, as well as G~tke's other b o t a n i c a n d
126 Ch. H f i n e m 6 r d e r
zoological collections, and, at a later date, G ~ t k e ' s private library, p r o v i d e d the n e w l y - f o u n d e d Biologische Anstalt H e l g o l a n d with a v a l u a b l e a n d useful scientific foundation.
Ornithology on H e l g o l a n d 127 b y d e r i v i n g the n e e d for expeditions from his p e r s o n a l interests a n d his research d o n e on H e l g o l a n d :
"I am a b i o g e o g r a p h e r and, first a n d foremost of course, a zoogeographer. A n d as no- one these days c a n cover this field completely, I have chosen ornithology again, as m y special field of investigation. But e v e n with i n t e r n a t i o n a l m a r i n e science, in whose service I first came to Helgoland, it was the zoogeographical aspect that attracted me. Very decidedly the great, almost i n s o l u b l e p r o b l e m of bird m i g r a t i o n b e l o n g s to this area of research, a n d it was to this that I t h e n d e v o t e d myself. I m i g h t h a v e b e e n d i s c o u r a g e d b y the sheer vastness of this problem, like m a n y others before me, if I h a d not g a i n e d t h r o u g h extensive travels, step by step, p e r c e p t i o n and, t h r o u g h that, possibilities for u n d e r s t a n d i n g . I first studied p h e n o l o g y in a classical place: H e l g o l a n d ; I t h e n followed the course of m i g r a t i n g birds that I h a d already m a p p e d out by m a r k i n g experiments. I myself b e c a m e a m i g r a t i n g bird, to l e a r n to u n d e r s t a n d them; r o m p e d in a n a e r o p l a n e a m o n g s t them, in order to see with their eyes. But was there p e r h a p s a possibility that this small corner of the earth, H e l g o l a n d , gave a false impression of the p h e n o m e n o n ? In order to c h e c k this, I w a t c h e d the flocks m i g r a t i n g over me in H u n g a r y , in the desert of M e s o p o t a m i a , on the coasts of the Atlantic O c e a n a n d the M e d i t e r r a n e a n , and, finally, i n e v e r y corner of vast China. "1
This text n e e d s no comment, b u t I would like to a d d that, according to some d o c u m e n t s , Weigold u s e d two a e r o p l a n e s for o b s e r v i n g m i g r a t i n g birds in 1921. His successor as ornithologist, Rudolf Drost (1892-1971), c o n t i n u e d this research, at least from 1927 on. T h e m a i n m e t h o d of r e c o g m z i n g i n d i v i d u a l birds was to ring t h e m u s i n g a l u m i n i u m rings (Bub & Oelke, 1981), a m e t h o d invented in the last decade of the 19th century by the
Danish schoolteacher H a n s Christian Cornelius M o r t e n s e n (1856-1921) (Stresemann,
1951, 341-342). Therefore, it w a s necessary to catch birds alive in a special trap (Sunkel,
1956). Early in 1908, Heincke m a d e a proposal to the g o v e r n m e n t concerning the layout
of a botanical garden for the experiments of acclimatization planned by the botanist Paul
K u c k u c k (1866-1919); also in order to trap birds in the s a m e place. In another proposal
concerning the budget of 1911 (dated 23rd July 1910, d e m a n d i n g seven thousand M a r k s
for the s a m e purpose), the argumentation for needing a garden is based on the pending
loss of private ground leased since 1908. T h e d o c u m e n t mentions that the m a i n problem
concerning the preservation of the "Vogelwarte" w a s the fact that the island w a s being
c h a n g e d into a fortress. T h e n e w place proposed for the garden - the so-called "Saps-
kuhle" - w a s favourable because it w a s already in the possession of the state a n d situated
in the military area. In an additional note, K u c k u c k a n d Weigold explain the special value
of the place for botanical experiments, w a s well as its suitability as a protected place for
resting birds. Mentioning the enclosed paper (Weigold, 1910), the authors write:
"Helgoland - a natural m o n u m e n t that is the only one of its kind in the w h o l e world -
is in jeopardy. In the words of the f a m o u s ornithologist Heinrich G~tke, the island
w a s an ornithological station - a m o r e propitious area could not h a v e b e e n thought
of. Every year, especially at the time of the spring- a n d autumn-migrations, innumer-
able flocks of birds rest here; approximately 400 specles - a m o n g these a great m a n y
rare a n d exotic accidentals that are otherwise not, or seldom, seen in G e r m a n y -
could be observed here a n d studied with regard to the peculiarities of their migratory
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132 Ch. H i i n e m 6 r d e r
possible. T h e e v e r - i n c r e a s i n g b u i l d i n g a n d h e a v y tratfic have already d r i v e n away m a n y species; m a d e their resting periods impossible or certainly s h o r t e n e d . ,2 Fortunately, the p l a n was realized, a n d so Weigold was able to increase the n u m b e r of bird-skins, which h a d b e e n firstly carefully d e s c r i b e d b y him, a n d h a d a l r e a d y r e a c h e d a total of four h u n d r e d a n d e i g h t s p e c i m e n s , r e p r e s e n t i n g one h u n d r e d a n d fifty species. Before the war, more t h a n t e n t h o u s a n d birds were m a r k e d in the g a r d e n ; a n d from 1911 on, they were m a r k e d with i n d i v i d u a l rings. Weigold p u b l i s h e d m a n y i m p o r t a n t papers, e.g. on the size a n d weight, in relation to a g e a n d sex, of m i g r a t i n g birds (Weigold, 1926) a n d also a c o m p r e h e n s i v e c a l e n d a r of m i g r a t i o n on H e l g o l a n d (Weigold, 1930). His "opus m a g n u m " , a detailed atlas o n m i g r a t i o n b a s e d on i n t e r n a t i o n a l cooperation, was com- posed in collaboration with Ernst Schiiz (1901-1991) (cf. Berthold, 1991; Zink, 1991) who h a d w o r k e d with him for some time in the Zoological D e p a r t m e n t of the M u s e u m of N a t u r a l History in H a n n o v e r , w h e r e W e i g o l d h a d b e c o m e director in 1924 (Kumerloeve, 1974; Schfiz, 1973). Due to the poor state of the economy, it was not p r i n t e d until 1931 (Schfiz & Weigold, 1931).
W e i g o l d ' s successor on H e l g o l a n d , Rudolf Drost (1892-1971), m a n a g e d to o b t a i n better w o r k i n g conditions for the d e p a r t m e n t "Vogelwarte H e l g o l a n d " , w h i c h was e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1923, a n d m o v e d to a n e w b u i l d i n g in 1926. Thus, Drost was in a position to organize m a n y courses for s t u d e n t s a n d other helpers, a n d to build up a n e t w o r k of observation-posts on the coast. T h e results of o b s e r v a t i o n s on a n e n o r m o u s n u m b e r of r i n g e d birds on H e l g o l a n d a n d e l s e w h e r e in the years b e t w e e n 1930 to 1944 are very w e l l - d o c u m e n t e d in a special p u b l i c a t i o n (Bub & Klings, 1981). Drost himself carried out a very good p r o p a g a n d a c a m p a i g n for his i n s t i t u t i o n b y w a y of n u m e r o u s shorter articles (e.g. Drost. 1934}. He also b e g a n to study the physiological activity of m i g r a t i n g birds, e.g. in a Faraday-cage, a n d carried out d i s p l a c e m e n t e x p e r i m e n t s (cf. Wiltschko. 1989} to learn u n d e r w h a t conditions, a n d over w h a t distances, birds were able to return. During the war, he e v e n u s e d the n e w r a d a r system, discovering that birds c a n perceive ultrasonic w a v e s (Goethe, 1972). In a d d i t i o n to all these scientific activities, his e n t h u s i a s m attracted a n d e n c o u r a g e d m a n y y o u n g ornithologists a n d other guest- researchers. He also s u p p o r t e d ecological studies on populations of b r e e d i n g seabirds o n other i s l a n d s a n d on the coast - as did also Friedrich Goethe. w h e n s t u d y i n g the p o p u l a t i o n of the h e r r i n g gull at M e m m e r t in the late 'thirties IGoethe, 1937). This field of r e s e a r c h r e m a i n s so i m p o r t a n t that in 1982, a specia] v o l u m e was p u b l i s h e d b e a r i n g the title " V o g e l z u g - F o r s c h u n g u n d S e e v o g e l - O k o l o g i e " (Hartwig, 1982). After the S e c o n d World War, w h e n the "Vogelwarte H e l g o l a n d " was r e - e s t a b l i s h e d as a n i n d e p e n d e n t institute at W i l h e l m s h a v e n , G o e t h e b e c a m e Drost's successor {1958), while from 1954 on the "Inselstation" h a d its o w n scientific h e a d of d e p a r t m e n t .
O r n i t h o l o g y o n H e l g o l a n d 133
h i s t o r i o g r a p h y of o r n i t h o l o g y o n t h e i s l a n d b e f o r e 1945 b u t o n l y to d r a w a t t e n t i o n to i t o n c e m o r e .
Acknowledgements. For archival material I am very much i n d e b t e d to Dr. P. Werner, Berlin; to the Stiftung Preul~ischer Kulturbesitz, for the permission of publication of the documents (Figs 1-4); and for translation of the German p a s s a g e s and critical revision of the English text, to Carol Berger and Andy Godfrey, Hamburg.
N O T E S
1 "Ich bin Biogeograph, in erster Linie natfirlich Tiergeograph. Und da heutzutage n i e m a n d mehr alles g e n a u umfassen kann, w~ihlte ich mir als Sondergebiet wieder die V o g e l k u n d e als G e g e n - stand. Aber auch schon bei der internationalen Meeresforschung, in deren Dienst ich ursprfing- lich nach Helgoland kam, hatte reich die tiergeographische Seite angezogen. Viel a u s g e s p r o c h e - n e t geh6rt diesem Forschungsgebiet aber das groBe, schier unersch6pfliche Problem des Vogel- zugs an, d e m ich mich d a n n widmete. Ich ware wohl ebenso entmutigt davon w i e d e r a b g e g a n g e n wie m a n c h e andre vor mir, w e n n ich nicht dutch ausgibige Reisen mir nach u n d n a c h Anschau- u n g und dadurch Erkenntnism6glichkeit beschafft hatte. Ich studierte die Ph6nologie erst an elmer klassischen St6tte: Helgoland, folgte d a n n aber d e n Wanderv6geln auf ihren Wegen, die ich durch d e n Markierungsversuch festgelegt hatte, wurde selbst ein Wandervogel, um sie v e r s t e h e n zu lernen, u n d tummelte mich im Flugzeug unter ihnen, um mit ihren Augen s e h e n zu lernen. Denn gab nicht vielleicht der eine Fleck Helgoland ein falsches Bild? Um das zu prfifen, sah ich den W a n d e r z u g an mir vorfiberrauschen in Ungarn und in der Wiiste Mesopotamiens, an den Kfisten des Atlantiks u n d des Mittelmeers und nun an allan Ecken des g e w a l t i g e n China." (Weigold, 1910-1929, fol. 146-147)
2 "In Helgoland steht ein N a t u r d e n k m a l auf d e m Spiel, das in seiner Art einzig auf der g a n z e n Erde ist. Die Insel war nach d e m Ausdruck des b e r i i h m t e n Ornithologen Heinrich G~itke eine Vogel- warte, wie sie gfinstiger gar nicht g e d a c h t w e r d e n kann. Allj~ihrlich b e s o n d e r s zur Zeit des Frfihjahrs- u n d Herbstzuges fasten hier unz6hlige Scharen von V6geln; g e g e n 400 Arten, darunter zahlreiche seItene, in Deutschland nicht oder kaum b e o b a c h t e t e und exotische Irrlinge k a m e n hier zur Beobachtung u n d k o n n t e n in ihren Eigentfimlichkeiten hinsichtlich ihrer Zug- g e w o h n h e i t e n studiert werden. Schon heute sind n u n Beobachtungen in dem Umfange, wie sie G6tke anstellte, nicht m e h r m6glich. Die immer m e h r um sich greifende Bebauung u n d der starke Verkehr h a b e n m a n c h e Arten bereits verscheucht, ihre Rast unm6glich g e m a c h t oder doch verkfirzt." (Kuckuck & Weigold, 1910, fol. 76 recto)
A R C H I V A L S O U R C E S
Gatke, H.: Latter to the Kgl. Preuss. Minister der Geistlichen, Unterrichts und M e d i z i n a l w e s e n A n g e l e g e n h e i t e n Herrn Dr. von Gossler Excellenz from October 22nd., 1890, a n d Copy of "Kaufvertrag" from February 16th, 1891. Stiftung PreuBischer Kulturbesitz, Dienststelle Merse- burg, Preuf~isches Kultusministerium, Rep. 76 Vc Sekt. 1 Tit. XI, Generalia, Wissenschaftssachen, wissenschaftliche Sachem Teil II, Nr. 10e, Die Gaetkesche Vogelsammlung, das Nordsee- Museum auf Helgoland u n d die Vogelwarte daselbst, Bd. 1 {1890-1909), B1.7 bzw. 25.
Kuckuck, P. & Weigold, H.: A n l a g e l z u A.323 vom 23. duli 1910. Erl~iuterungen z u m Plane eines
botanisch-ornithologischen V e r s u c h s g a r t e n s auf Helgoland. M e r s e b u r g (see G4itke), Nr. 10g, A1323, Der botanische V e r s u c h s g a r t e n bei der Biologischen Anstalt Helgoland, B1.75-78. Weigold, H.: Bericht fiber seine T6tigkeit w~ihrend seines Urlaubs vom Nov. 1913 bis 16. Mai 1919,
134 C h . H f i n e m 6 r d e r
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