28.08.2002

Internet-Stork Eyrie orphaned

The three young storks of the "Internet Storks" at Vetschau/ Spree Forest have now left the nest of their birth. In the evening of August 20th all three came to the eyrie to spend the night together for the last time, and were fed by the parent storks one more time. In the evening of August 21st only two young storks turned up and stayed the night. They left the eyrie early in the morning and did not return. Only the parent storks can be seen at the nest. Even a few days bevor that, the young storks extended their flight trials and stayed away from the nest longer and longer. They are now looking for the company of other young storks. More than one hundred storks can often be observe at a good feeding place. At the end of August/beginning of September they begin the long journey to Africa.
Astonishingly the young storks depart earlier than the parent storks. They find their way without the help of the parents. White storks are gliding flyers and require good thermal currents for long flights. The currents are only formed over land masses, the reason why they avoid the open Mediterranean. The so-called "Eastern Migrants", to which the Brandenburg storks belong, cross the Straits of Bosporus to fly south. Many of them fly as far as the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and so cover a distance of 7,500 miles (12,000 km). The storks which nest west of the Elbe River take a western route and travel across Gibraltar to West Africa. They are named "Western Migrants".
The nests now look like a flat platform. The hollow of the nest was filled little by little by the parent storks, and the nest's edge trampeled down by the storks. This way an ideal start and landing area was created for the young storks.
Before the parent storks finally leave the eyrie, they will "winterize" it. To do this they will again bring frequently branches and earthen clumps to the nest. After that the parent storks too will leave the brooding place and set out on the long, dangerous journey.

A visit to the White Stork Centre is worthwhile even after the storks' departure. The exhibits remain open. In addition a video shows interesting phases of the brooding period, from the arrival of the first stork on March 28th, the partner selection and courtship, the laying of eggs, the hatching and raising of the young, the battles at the eyrie, the young ones' flight trials and finally the departure.
The picture archives of the Internet site "www.storchennest.de" contains more than 1,000 photographs. Every ten minutes the web camera stored a picture.

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