23.04.2003

Questions asked of the Internet Stork Eyrie at Vetschau

Is the stork, which arrived on April 14th, male or female?
As a rule the male storks occupy the eyrie first, but there are exceptions. Only after the partner has arrived, one can differenciate between male and female. The males are larger and stronger.

Arrival on April 14th - isn't that very late?
Last year a pair appeared already on April 1st. Yet this year all of March passed without a single stork showing up at Vetschau. The anxious question was, "Will a stork pair appear at all this year?"

On April 4th at 1:30 p.m. a stork stood on the nest. However, flew away after only two minutes. He only used our eyrie to temporarily rest during his return flight. By the middle of April the eyries of Lower Lusatia are usually occupied. Still, stragglers do arrive during the first days of May.

Does the stork settle at the Internet nest due to a shortage of alternatives?
Storks can choose from many nests. Every in our region arriving stork pair has more than two nest helps from which to choose. (nest helps=specially prepared high masts on which to construct a nest. In the olden days one could find horizontally mounted wagon wheels on poles or barn roofs). The Internet eyrie appears to be a coveted spot. In previous years it was occupied early and often fought over by several storks.

What does a visit to the Stork Centre offer in addition to the Internet?
The Stork Information Centre is now open to visitors from Tuesdays to Sundays and on Holidays between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and with prior notice even outside of these times. The attractions for the visitor are the exhibits and additional information, the information conversations with members of NABU (Nature Protection Federation) and with people interested in stork matters as well as experiencing the complete establishment. The mast mounted camera peers into the nest from a distance of about 40 feet (12 m). Directly at the eyrie a new directional microphone catches any noises. Picture and sound can be followed on the monitor in the visitors' room of the Stork Centre.

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