13.07.2007

The young storks lift off

The plumage of our three young storks has developed far enough in the meantime, that they begin to use their wings. They practice eagerly and will lift off from the nest for the first time in the coming days. After initial hops it becomes easier and easier, and we will be able to witness, as they will flutter on strong wings above the nest to the height of 3 to 10 feet. The web camera was so adjusted to capture the "air space" above the eyrie in order to observe the flight maneuvers of the young storks Chess, Mila and Gwen.

The days of staying in the nest will soon come to an end for the young white storks. They will have fledged and soon will not be distinguishable in size from the parent storks. Toward the end of the nest period the young storks will reach a weight which lies above that of the parents. This "baby fat" they will loose quickly, however, when the flight practices and further away excursions into the vicinity begin. Something does distinguish the young storks in their first year noticeably from their parents. The beaks are not red and only slowly turn from black to brown-reddish to the bright red of a mature stork. Also, the legs do not show the luscious red of the parent storks.

Jan Peters-Barahona
White Stork Information Centre

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