White Storks in Poland 2009
White Storks in Poland 2009
Written by Friday, 10 April 2009 00:26
Thanks to the Internet distance is no longer as much of a problem as it used to be. In 2006 I took advantage of this and joined the internationally acclaimed project "Blisko bocianów" (Close to the Storks), which focusses on the White stork. The project, an initiative of Paweł T. Dolata, leader of the PwG OTOP (1) and project co-ordinator, contributes to field research as well as being highly educational. It has attracted the interest of ornithologists and bird lovers in this amazing bird while at the same time it has raised - and continues to raise - awareness amongst people, something that all animals need to survive in the wild today. The camera follows the life of a pair of storks in the most famous nest in Poland, the country with the biggest population of White Storks (40000 pairs). In his monograph on the White Stork in Poland, which is the only book on this subject, Paweł T. Dolata discusses the project and its aims. Those interested in this project can find more information at PWG.OTOP.
For the past 4 breeding seasons I was able to watch the birds on line, together with millions of fellow bird lovers from around the world, which I found both interesting and rewarding. At the beginning of the season this year we were all pleased to see the first fleeting visit of a stork (28th of March 2009) at the village Przygodzice, near Ostrów Wielkopolski, at South Wielkopolska; a subsequent visit was on the 2nd of April 2009. 'Our' stork, the particular bird which would breed in the local nest, arrived on the 6th of April in the afternoon and it was expected to be the one who would occupy the nest this year. We all stood waiting for his partner to arrive.
According to field observations and reports the male occupies the nest first. Naturally there are the occasional exceptions. A good example is Max, a female white stork who is usually the first to arrive at her nest (the bird's movements are being followed via a transmitter). We were convinced that the first stork that arrived this year was a male though we were not sure whether he was the same male who was occupying the nest last year or not. The only clue we had was a marking we observed when the bird was breeding, namely a slightly darker feather amongst the white feathers of the tail. There is therefore a possibility that for the past three breeding seasons the same male occupied this nest. We could not know in advance what would happen this year - and it appears the opposite happened.
The first bird to arrive had a dark mark amongst the white feathers of its wing. We do not know if the feathers were slightly dirty or this was a chromatic aberration. This aside, the mark was helpful in identifying the bird which arrived first (6th of April 2009). On the 8th of April the second bird arrived and a bit later they started breeding. It was then we realised that the stork with the mark was the female. It is unusual but it happened this year in Poland.
You can watch what is happening in the nest should you be interested. Please remember to take into account the time difference between your location and Poland. The first link, which is transmitted via the upo-site of PWG OTOP, changes image every few seconds. You can capture and save an image if you place your mouse cursor on it: Bociany EC.
The second link is streaming via TV Interactive. This is a 24 hours live transmission, complete with sound, using an infra-red video camera at night which the storks cannot see: Bociany ITTV.
We are currently waiting for the chicks to hatch and for the first trial flights. which is an absolute delight to watch. Once the young chicks are proficient flyers we will have to wish them a good winter and wait for them again next spring.
Update: On April 11, 2009 in the evening the female laid the first egg. Below are photos of the pair in the nest and the egg.The pair are a delight to watch interacting and adding straw to their nest.
On the 13th of April at 10.10 pm the second egg was laid, followed by the third egg on the 15th of April at 19:49:
The fourth egg was laid at 19.57 pm on the 17th of April 2009, followed by the fifth egg two days later, on the 19th of April at 21:54
The parents are currently tending the eggs; we are expecting the storklets to hatch in about a month. I will keep you posted with more photos of the development of the young birds.
Update: the first two storklets hatched on the 15th of May, followed by the third chick on the 16th of May, the fourth on the 18th and finally the fifth chick on the 20th of May. For those interested there are videos of the newly hatched birds in the nest on-line.
Observers noticed that the smallest chick was struggling to survive. On the 24th of May one of the parent birds brought a large snake to the nest to feed the young. The young birds were unable to eat the snake and almost chocked on it. The parent then removed the dangerous food; in the process it almost threw the smallest chick out of the nest with the snake. Thankfully the chick did not get hurt.
Regrettably, not all the chicks survived their first days in the nest. The first storklet that did not make it passed away on the 29th of May. The parent who was in the nest at the time chewed the body and offered it to the rest of the chicks to eat; nature does not waste resources. There are videos of the chicks feeding for those interested in watching them. A second storklet passed away on the 31st of May. The chick was way quite big at the time so the parents could neither eat it nor throw the body out of the nest. The project co-ordinator removed the body from the nest at a later date.
The remaining three storklets are growing up well, though not uneventfully. An emergency rescue operation had to take place when one of the parents brought to the nest a pig's intestine, which almost got two of the young their lives. Thankfully, observers noticed the life threatening situation the notified the project co-ordinator, who, assisted by the fire brigade, came to the rescue. They freed the young birds, lined the nest with freshly cut grass and got rid of the dangerous piece of food. This intervention, imperative for saving the lives of the young storklets, would not have been possible without the camera via which all activity in the nest is observed.
While the storklets are growing up it is not just the responsibility of the parents to take care of them; local residents have also got a vital role to play in ensuring the young birds grow up uneventfully. An incident that took place on the 12th of May confirms this beyond a shadow of a doubt. One of the parents brought to the nest a piece of rope. This is extremely dangerous as the young may get entangled; they subsequently develop gangrene on their legs and pass away. When observers noticed the rope they immediately notified the project coordinator. He went on stand-by in case any of the youngsters got entangled and had to be freed. This is a delicate exercise, involving the use of a Fire brigade crane. Thankfully at 04.35 on the 13th of May we noticed one of the parents throwing the rope out of the nest.
We can all help alleviate dangers for the young birds by being careful with disposing unwanted items when Storks nest in our vicinity. The adult birds will collect all sorts of materials to line and reinforce their nest. Some of these are dangerous for the young. In this instance there was, thankfully, not nasty incidents. However, this is a particularly well taken care of nest, with a lot of observers focussing their efforts on the well being of the birds and expert help in hand. It is important to ensure that young storklets do not die in other nests due to human carelessness or indifference.
Update: At the beginning of June the weather was not favouring the young storks; it was cold and rainy. The parent birds made up for it: their constant care of their young ensured the storklets were growing by the day. Their rapid growth was clearly noticeable; the young birds grew wings and started standing up on their own. The first bird to stand up on its own two legs was noticed on the 32nd day post hatching. The parents felt confident enough to leave the young birds in the nest without supervision for short intervals.
In accordance with our project tradition we announced a competition in the forum to name the young birds; the winning names were Zosia, Barycz and Czwartak. These are token names as we do not know the sex of the birds (the birds can only be sexed accurately with DNA testing). Zosia (derived from Sofia and meaning Sophie = wisdom) was chosen to honour the day of the first storklet hatching; this was the 15th of May which in Poland is St Sophia's day. Barycz was named after the local river providing food for the storks in this nest. Czwartak means "fourth" and the name was chosen to identify the fourth storklet that hatched.
June 27th was the big day for our storklets - it was their ringing day. The conditions were unfavourable due to the constant rains which made the soil in the adjacent fields soft and, therefore, usnuitable for the Fire Brigade vehicle to drive on. The nest is located high up on top of an old chimminey and it is only accessible with Fire Brigade ladders. In the end the firemen chose a different angle to approach the nest and we were able to get to the young storks.
For the comfort and the safety of the birds the ringer, Paweł T. Dolata and his assistant, Wojtek Kazmierczak, carried them to the ground to weigh, measure and ring them. The young storks were ringed with the German rings ELSA, worn over the ligamend of the leg. These rings are easier to read when the birds are spotted later on in different locations. The procedure lasted 31 minutes. Once the birds were ringed the nest was checked for possible dangerous items (such as pieces of string etc) and samples were taken for scientific studies in mites existing in stork nests. One of the parents returned to the nest 25 minutes after the ringing was completed and the young birds were back inside, safe and sound. By that time the ringing team had proceeded to ring other young birds in nests further away.
If you would like to see photos from the ringing please visit Bocianyzprzygodzic (pages 1 and 2); videos of the young storks are available at Boocianyzprzygodzic.
During these past days we observed our young storks growing stronger and shaping up to fine birds, as opposed to the hatchlings we first saw at the back end of May. The young birds are currently testing their wings and jump higher and higher in the nest in preparation for their first flight, usually taking place 60 - 65 days post hatching. For as long as they remain in the nest their parents will continue to feed and take care of them. And then the big day comes: the day when our young storks will join the flock to travel south, towards Africa, for wintering.
While the young birds were growing something really strange happened in the nest. Those who have been observing the nest would know that in April, while our pair was getting ready to breed, another male stork, whom we called "Aggressor" came and claimed the nest. Our pair successfully fended the "Aggressor" off; the bird got hurt in the process and had to be taken to a local vet, Dr Stanisław Kempa, for treatment. On the 15th of May, having fully recovered, "Aggressor" flew off. The incident was recorded but nobody thought more of it until on the nights of the 14th and 15th of July the bird, identified via its ELSA ring number, returned and spent time in the nest together with the three nestlings. During these nights the parents stayed on the neighbouring chimney, their normal summer roosting place. On both occasions the "Aggressor" flew away early in the next morning (4.12 am on the 15th of July and 4.40 am on the 16th of July), having being attacked by the nestlings and their parents. This video clip shows the young storks driving away the "Aggressor".
On the 19th of July 2009, 65 days post hatching, starting around noon time and continuing into the afternoon, the nestlings engaged in their first flights. The flights were short, however they lasted over 2 minutes and took place outside the nest, which indicates the passage into the flying stage of a bird's life. It is interesting to watch the training and rehearsals the young birds engage into until the time they will have to join their parents for the long journey to Africa.
We all hope that in 3-4 years these birds will return to the place they hatched, adult birds by then, to nest and breed themselves. In the meantime we can only enjoy watching them while they are here and wish them best of luck in the long journey ahead of them. We will continue reporting on their progress for us long as they remain in the nest so stay tuned.
Thanks for reading this report, I hope you enjoyed it. Keep an eye out for our storks. We are all proud that the site with the live connection, bociany.ec.pl, is already on the 3rd place of the Top Birding 500 Ranking. Last year we won the first place internationally, which we are hoping to win again this year. Enjoy bird watching in nature and on the internet.
Photos by the author except where otherwise indicated in the captions.
Notes:
(1) South Wielkopolska Group of the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds
N.B. Mrs Eva Stets manages the forum of the project "Close to the Storks". You can contact her for further information, or to join the forum, by clicking on the link. The link will take you to the English speaking section of the forum. The link for Polish speakers is Blisko bocianów.
See Macro and Nature Photo Albums:
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