10.06.2003

First Stork Chicks have arrived at the Internet Storks

After the normal incubation period of thirty-two days the first stork chick hatched on June 8th at the Vetschau Internet Storks. The second followed on the 9th and the third on June 10th, today.

The stork protectors are happy. For a while it appeared no brood would come to pass this year. The stork couple had found itself on the 24th of April yet only on the 8th of May the firt egg was laid. "That date lies awfully close to the borderline. White storks lay eggs between the beginning of April and May 10th. After that the brood drive diminishes and only seldom are eggs laid at the middle of May.", says Winfried Boehmer of the NABU-Federal Work Group White Stork Protection. (NABU = Nature Protection Federation of Germany). Our Vetschau storks had laid four eggs at a two interval. For late breeders three or four eggs are typical. At earlier laying five or even six eggs would be laid. The young ones hatch at intervals of one to two days because the couple had already begun incubating on May 9th. At that time only one egg was present in the nest.

For visitors to the White Stork Information Centre the exiting phase now begins. They can observe, via camera, the raising of the young on the monitor. In the exhibition hall guests follow live the happenings at the stork eyrie. On the Internet, under www.storchennest.de, a glance into the stork nursery is also allowed. The question, whether the parents can deliver sufficient food for the hungry "clatter beaks", will be answered when all four chicks have hatched. The nourishment biotope of the Vetschau storks is not productive enough. Over the last years the stork couples have reduced the number of hatched chicks from five to three as a result of the shortage of food. In addition, the significant dryness of the last weeks increased the scarcity of fodder this year. At many stork eyries of Lusatia storks have already thrown young ones from the nests; a typical indicator of the shortages of fodder at the biotopes. The predicted rain for the next days let's us hope that the nourishment situation will improve. Earthworms will then come to the surface and snails will come out of their hiding places. These small animals are most important for the lives and survival of the very young stork chicks.

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