30.12.1899

Chess, Mila and Gwen receive bands

On Thursday, June 28th, at about 9:00 a.m., "our" young storks, Chess, Mila and Gwen will be banded. The banding will be done by Mrs. Katharina Illig of Luckau. She has much experience and has the required permit to do so. The necessary lift apparatus will be supplied by enviaM. Interested persons as well as guests of the Spree Forest region are invited to attend and watch the happenings at the White Stork Information Centre of Lower Lusatia in Vetschau/Spree Forest. You may also follow the banding on the Internet.

The reason for banding is, the animals can be identified at any time. With it, for instance, it can be ascertained when they breed where or how old they may become. Often times people worry that they young ones could jump out of the nest, or the parent storks will abandon the young ones. None of this has to be a worry. In the event of a threatening situation, such as the appearance of the bander, the young ones will spontaneously lie perfectly still in the nest hollow with their heads and beaks stretched out. This instinctive behaviour, the acinese, feints loss of mobility, that is death and offers the least provocation for animosity. During the banding of previous years, this behaviour could be well observed. Without any difficulties, did the young storks receive their bands. The whole procedure was completed within 15 minutes. The rigour of the young loosened after 20 minutes. The parent storks where away in search of food and did not notice any of the happenings at the eyrie. Even in the event when the parents are disturbed for a short period of time, their bonding with the young ones is so strong, that they will return shortly thereafter.

As already in previous years, the new ELSA-type bands will be used. They collect less urine acid during the chalking of the legs, and during high humidity, the adhesive do not so easily separate as the older types did.

The new type also allows for banding above the intertersal joint, and not, as previously, at the foot. This higher banding has the great advantage to better identify the ring. The ring number can be read without difficulties with a good pair of binoculars.

Winfried Boehmer
NABU Project Leader

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