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Stork already back in S. Germany. How come so early? (1 Viewer)

mark_s

mark_s

Well-known member
On my walk today through our local nature reserve near Lake Constance in South Germany, I saw a White Stork had returned already! It's very mild considereing it is still only early February, but still, Storks returning this early? I'm amazed.

I assume the bird is one half of the pair that has been nesting here for the past few years, as it was standing on the old nest that has been build on top of a specially erected nesting pole. I guess it's waiting for his/her partner to return too.

Anyone else seen Storks returning early?
 
Although its early I wouldn't mind betting Britain gets one (or a Great Spotted Cuckoo) in the next few days. The weather looks right.

John
 
There was quite a passage through my region from mid January onwards, a group of 12, followed by 5, then 3, then 6, and that was just the ones seen around the town.
 
I think one of the reasons why some Storks may return earlier is that many do not longer fly to sub saharan Africa to spend the winter. Many Storks now spend the winter in Spain.

There are also reports every year of some Storks spending the winter in Germany, but I don't know if this are always truely wild birds.

Markus
 
Your stork may have been an early one or a wintering one. As storks were extinct in Switzerland, a reintroduction scheme was implemented. Storks (from Algeria I think) were brought to Switzerland and fed. To make sure that the small population would survive, they were also fed in winter, so they didn't migrate.
In the meantime, this storks have a lot of young which migrate to Spain and Morocco. They usually come back end February, but this year the first ones made their way home already. (see here: http://www.fr.ch/mhn/cigognes/cartes/Max.gif)
Near Konstanz some storks are wintering, I remember seeing one last year on a frozen part of the Lake Constance.

So your stork could have been an overwinterer or an early migrant.

Greetings from Switzerland
André
 
Not the same species of course, but I was a bit surprised to see a Black Stork flying north whilst at the parents down here in SW France. Not totally unexpected, I saw a fair few migrating last year, but this seems a little bit early?
 
A black stork or two have been seen in the Lleida area in the last couple of weeks, a trifle earlier than usual. As for White Storks, I don't know what percentage of the local breeding population bothers to migrate, but nowadays you can't tell it's winter just by counting storks.

Steve
http://BirdingInSpain.com
 
mark_s said:
On my walk today through our local nature reserve near Lake Constance in South Germany, I saw a White Stork had returned already!
Click to expand...

There are a few storks all year round near/at Lake Constance. I guess it was one of them. Probably part of the re-introduction program, they don't migrate.
 
Hello,

is the storck still there or already.
There are some storcks in Germany they does not migrate.
I saw also a group of more than 50 cranes in January, 3 years ago near Berlin.
Buy the way I saw a butterfly second last weekend on ski tour in Austria in an altitude around 3.000 m.


Best regards
Dieter
 
Four unringed(wild?) storks have stayed over winter on our local nature reserve and two have been sitting on the nest on the nesting pole in the reserve for about a week.
Last year we had two overwintering, one ringed and one unringed, maybe it because the winters are getting milder?.
 
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