First White Stork Chicks in the UK since 1416

While it doesn’t boast Ostriches, Black Vultures, or Royal Albatrosses, the UK is no stranger to large birds, and now plays host to the third-largest eagle in the World, a resident population of Cranes, and now increasingly, White Storks.

A White-Tailed Fish Eagle, the third biggest eagle on the planet, which've now

made their home in Scotland, parts of Northern England and even the Isle 

Of Wight.

They’re flawless-looking birds, covered in pristine white and black feathers and donning a bright red bill and pair of legs. Standing at up to 125cm tall though, you wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one if you were a fish, toad, or any little ground-living animal. That’s because they’ve got quite a unique method to hunt their prey. Using their powerful legs, they plunge their feet into the ground, kicking whatever they can get their claws on into the air, where they catch it, then crush it in their beaks and devour it. Clearly, the perfect candidate to carry new-born babies through the air.

The belief that storks deliver babies to people is actually based on some facts, such as the tight bonds formed between parents and their chicks, which sometimes return to their parents to look after them when they get older. But one of the reasons they’re depicted carrying specifically human babies is also one of the reasons they originally went extinct in the UK: their love of nesting on the tops of chimneys. Raising their young so close to humans has prompted many beliefs that they bring luck and are a sign of fertility, with lots of people welcoming them.

A beautiful photo of a White Stork by accomplished photographer: Ronald Pol.

Instagram: @Ronaldpolphotography

Sadly, this can’t be said for everyone, which is understandable, since a Storks’ nests can weigh over a ton, and can cause entire chimneys to collapse, which initially led to lots of hate and persecution towards them. This, combined with hunting and habitat loss, meant they were quickly exterminated in the UK, with the last breeding pair nesting in 1416, leaving a niche in the ecosystem-wide open, until now.

Personally, I'd love a pair of White Storks nesting on my

chimney, but you can see why it can cause problems.

Slowly but surely, over the last few decades, they’ve started to make a comeback, with an increased number of migrants coming to the UK to investigate possible nesting sites. Between 1958 and 2014, an incredible >1,000 birds have been sighted, not bad considering they were mercilessly persecuted. The ultimate success though is when a pair nest in the UK, which albeit is extremely rare, it has been happening more often, with only three nests being made from 1416 to 2014, while in 2020 (so far), three nests have already been made on just one estate. But on the 15^th of May, something which conservationists have previously only dreamed about happened: finally, after six hundred and four years, White Stork chicks hatched!

Several times before, eggs have been laid, but despite everyone having their fingers crossed for the birds, none of them ever hatched before, making this a historic moment in conservation. It wasn’t just one chick that hatched either, but a whopping six baby Storks, three in two different nests, both on the wildlife loved Knepp Estate in West Sussex. Sadly, it has certainly not been smooth sailing for the four parents, with one pair managing to successfully make a nest and lay a clutch of eggs on the exact same estate last year, only for them to tragically never hatch.

This was evidently still on people’s minds when they were observed incubating the eggs this year, with some dreading that history would repeat itself and the chicks would die before hatching. But following some keen observations from people, the promising sign of the adults regurgitating food into the nest could only mean one thing: chicks.

One of the two nests.

While it is highly unlikely that all the Storks will survive, as only 30% of all birds survive their first year, hopefully, some of them will fledge (this normally happens about 2 months after birth) and live on to see Britain become full of these

The promising (although a bit blurry) flash of

grey feathers from Stork chicks. 

unique birds once again.

The White Stork Project:

Just like many freshwater invertebrates, White Storks are thought to be an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, and fill a unique niche in it, making them a valuable species. Realizing this, conservation charities like the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust created the White Stork Project, with the goal of establishing 50 breeding pairs of White Storks in South England by 2030.

How the White Storks are being re-introduced:

Lucy Groves, the projects officer, laid out the three ‘phases’ that are/have be taken to get White Storks back into the

The luxurious enclosure with the Storks in.

British countryside for good, and these were:

Phase 1: Creating a ‘static population’

To create a static population, a large, open-aired enclosure had to be constructed, made up of a mosaic of different

A Stork gulping down a Water Vole.

habitats, from woodland to wetland, and all-enclosed in a ring of predator-proof fencing. When it came to stocking the enclosure with birds, rescued and rehabilitated Storks from Poland were used, as the injuries they’d previously suffered meant they wouldn’t be able to fly again.

This first step was important for many reasons, one significant one being the hope that it might attract any wild White Storks passing by, and lo and behold, two months later a pair of wild migrants joined the flock.

Phase 2: Creating a resident free-flying population

Normally in the wild, White Storks migrate south to places like Africa to avoid the cooler weather, but to start a resident population, a group of then captive Storks were held back two years, even during Winter. After the two years were up,

This Pool Frog needs to watch out-he's on the menu for roaming White Storks-

another great photo taken by Ronald pol.

they were released, but now saw the area they were kept back as their home, so were unlikely to venture too far.

By creating a resident population, it ensures that the birds can be monitored year-round for health problems, etc. and also means they’ll stay and (hopefully) successfully breed in the UK.

Phase 3: Creating a migratory population

The final goal is to have birds that naturally migrate to Africa or other southerly areas during Winter but migrate back up to the UK for Summer since this is natural. This could also attract other birds in the Southern migration destinations to travel back to the UK together, and continue to boost the population.

You can read more about the chicks here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-52675922


Link to a video by the White Stork Project's officer about the three phases:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n15aPsN0iA