26.07.2011

The Vetschau Storks leave the Nest

The days of the young white storks at the Internet eyrie will soon come to an end. The young storks are now fledglings and weigh more than their parents. In size they have reached that of the parent storks and one cannot see any significant differences. They will lose their "baby fat" quickly, for the strenuous days of flight training and excursions into further and further away areas have begun. The eyrie will now only be used as sleeping quarters. Two differences between the young and parent storks, however, are evident during the first year of life: The beaks are not yet coloured red but will change gradually from a beginning black to puce to a bright red. Also the legs do not yet show deep red of the parent storks.
At this time we notice an increase in attacks on the eyrie by alien storks which even attack our young storks. In concert with the parent storks, which appear immediately at the eyrie, they drive off the invaders.
Locally at the White Stork Information Centre of Lower Lusatia in Vetschau, 2a Drebkau Street you may retrace the year's events through camera recordings.
 
Bernd Elsner
Manager
NABU Regional Association Calau

Zurück zur vorigen Seite