17.04.2006

The Stork Couple found each other

Cico's "slovenly" Life is in the Past

On the Saturday before Easter at 5:00 p.m. the "right" female stork arrived at the Vetschau stork eyrie. Cico received her with joyful clatter. However, he was just as joyful when several other females had arrived previously. Cico occupied the Internet stork eyrie at Vetschau on March 29th, Since then he "befriended" different females and mated with all of them. Cico relished his single status and did not let a single chance go by. Sine his arrival he "nibbled" at at least five females, which he allowed to stay at the eyrie for a short time but then chased them away with beats of his beak.

On April 3rd all stork fans were strongly convinced that Cico had established a solid relationship. He had been together with the female for 16 hours. Both built on the eyrie, mated quite frequently and everything appeared to be well on its way. Yet again, Cico chased away this female from the nest with beats of his beak. That a stork male mates at daily intervals with different females and then drives them away is a behavioural phenomenon which has rarely, if ever, been described in the past. The large community of stork fans can now be anxious whether Cico will stay faithful and breed successfully with the current female. Everything points to it at this time: Together they have spent three nights at the eyrie at which they work strenuously. They mate at short intervals. During the work they pecked heavily at the microphone and stripped off the outer shell.

About five to ten days after the insemination the laying of eggs will begin. As a rule, three to five eggs will be layed at two day intervals. After 32 days of incubation the young will hatch.

Daily storks are now arriving in the Spree Forrest and occupy the numerous eyries. They are already longingly awaited by villages' population. But only about 40% are occupied for the majority of Lower Lusatian storks will only arrive in the coming days. Until the end of April storks will still arrive from their winter quarters in Africa. It will be difficult for early May arrivals to have a successful breeding season. The brood instinct subsides significantly during the first 10 days of May. Really late arriving storks will not breed at all. Those who want to know much more about storks have the opportunity at the Vetschau Information Centre, open on Tuesdays to Sundays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Winfried Boehmer
NABU Project Leader

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