“Our Glukovo stork family suffered a great loss. As a result of yesterday’s storm, a nest with two chicks was thrown from a power pole, which unfortunately was not yet prepared for such a situation and died” – we read the Facebook profile of “Maternia District Council”.
City services were informed about the incident where two bodies of storks were picked up. The two-year-old storks survived, after they were shocked, on their perch.
Residents consulted an ornithologist working with the Department of Environment and the city about the accident. They found that two-year-old storks coped, but did not reproduce because it was too late, so there was no need to rebuild their nests.
Rest of the article below the video:
Next year the storks will return to the same place. “That is why, as a district council, we will apply for substantial and financial support to repair the nest site on this pole. We have until March to prepare a new, safe place for storks to nest” – Gdańsk councilors assured.
What do we know about storks?
The white stork is a strictly protected bird that requires active conservation. It lives in Central and Eastern Europe, the Iberian and Balkan Peninsulas, North Africa and Asia Minor and Central Asia. It can reach a height of one meter and a wingspan of up to two meters.
It is found in wet areas, near human settlements. It feeds on small invertebrates, fish, amphibians, small reptiles and small rodents. When flying, it makes up to two wings in a second.
Storks depart at different times depending on the province
Departure dates vary between regions of Poland. Birds from the southwest, that is, from Silesia, will move first, then storks from the north of the country, and birds from the east will stay with us for a long time. The professor points out that there is a dense population of storks in eastern Poland, where the probability of observing “latecomers” is very high.
The phenomenon of “stork flocks” can be seen in plowed fields and mown meadows. – If 30-40 storks are feeding in the field, it is a sign that they are flocking to leave. Flying is a very expensive journey and you need to be energetically prepared for it. That’s why airplanes refuel at the airport, and storks find a place where there is more food to eat before heading to the African wintering grounds – the professor explains. Piotr Tryjanowski from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań.
What affects the migration of storks?
The migration of storks is influenced by, among other things, atmospheric conditions. The website mojapogoda.pl writes that it is still dry in Sudan and Chad, which extends the stay of migratory birds in these countries. Usually, when the monsoons start in this part of Africa, the storks are forced to leave.
Last year, scientists wrote about the impact of wars on bird migration. – At least 1/3 of the Polish population migrates through Ukraine, these birds nest in eastern Poland, while coming to us from the central and western part of the country via Slovakia, avoiding the Tatra Mountains. However, let’s remember that all our birds fly through Syria and 2/3 through Lebanon, and unfortunately it’s not peaceful there – said Joachim Siekira, president of Grupa Silesiana at the time.