24.04.2007

The "Internet Storks" clutch is complete

Cico and Luna hide the eggs

Presumably, the clutch is now complete at "our" storks. Nevertheless, Cico and Luna keep up the suspense and do not show how many eggs the completed clutch contains. NABU-Project Leader, Winfried Boehmer, remarked on it, "We have never experienced anything like it. The nest hollow is very deep and around the outside the storks constructed a veritable thicket of branches. With this we have been refused a glance at the clutch, and only by their behaviour can we guess at the number of eggs. While the eggs were turned, we were able to see only two of them.". This type of eyrie construction increases the stork experts' amazement because the old eyrie had been totally removed and a willow basket had been erected to serve as a nest help. Which means, the storks incubate on this foundation. "In the evening of April 14th Internet visitors discovered the first egg and in the morning of April 17th the second one. After that, Cico and Luna "hid" their eggs ever deeper in the nest hollow and no longer show what they have accomplished. At such early laying of eggs a clutch contains mostly 5 eggs," says Boehmer. The storks began incubating right after the first egg. Accordingly the young ones will hatch in daily intervals. After an incubation period of 32 days, this means on about May 16th, the first chick should hatch.

The stork partners alternate while incubating. One of them will watch over the clutch at all times, which includes regular turning of the eggs so that the embryos will develop evenly. The "leisure time" stork devotes the time with the care of his plumage or flies to feed in nearby fields and meadows. Upon the return to the eyrie, which is always accompanied by a happy greeting clatter of beaks, the storks will quite often bring back nest materials. They putter on the nest constantly. They pay particular attention to keeping the eggs dry and warm.

Those who are interested in informing themselves about the life of storks and the necessary measures of protection, and who may want to look directly into the eyrie may do this by a visit to the White Stork Information Centre of Lower Lusatia in Vetschau/Spree Forest. The facility is open daily except Mondays between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

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