Pictures and Information about White Storks

[Abigyl]

Ame, about the Finnish storks,

I watch them from time to time.

I saw them standing on one leg, but wasn't lucky to see if they jump already or fly.

Can you update about them? Thanks.

[ame]

sorry, Abigyl, i didn't notice your question earlier.
i'm sorry but i haven't actually been watching these two beauties and i haven't read about them in Finnish papers either.

i took a snapshot of them. they were sitting/standing on the nest looking a bit drowsy.


i suppose they must fly already by now as they they were ringed such a long time ago. that is done usually somewhat earlier than the expected fledging time.

[ame]

i found a website which has a lot of pictures of the nest site in Koski
http://tertunperennat.net/haikara.htm
it's called Terttu's perennials.

in the last picture one can see that flight exercises are on the way.

[Abigyl]

Thanks! Today saw both together on 1 leg.

To me they look much smaller in size than the Hungarian or Polish or Dutch. Perhaps less food? or colder weather?

[ame]

there was an article in the local newspaper Turun Sanomat on August 27th 2015 about the white storks in Koski Finland. the storklets have begun to fly: they made their first short tours around the nest a week ago on Aug 22nd. now they have started practicing food-hunt by the near-by river which is a few hundred meters from the nest.

the article also tells that bird-loving people have already built two more nest platforms in Koski and are planning to build one or two more in hope of getting more white storks breeding in the area.

the prospects of getting more breeding white storks in Finland is widely discussed in the article and several specialists have been interviewed about the matter. the experts say that the modern agriculture does not favour white storks: underground drainage systems eliminate ditches from the fields thus reducing the opportunities for food supplies for storks. storks disappeared for example from Sweden in the 1950's because of the modernization of agriculture. in Finland the climate has (so far) been a hindrance: summers in Finland have been too short for successful breeding of storks. the climate change may allow this to change in the future. in Estonia the number of breeding white stork pairs is estimated to be 4000 - 5000 pairs.

also the risks of storks starting to breed in Finland are considered by the specialists. they don't believe that there will any. on the contrary they say that white storks are very popular and favoured birds everywhere in their breeding area.

[ame]

sad news from Koski, SW Finland.

the local newpaper Turun Sanomat reports in its today's issue that one of the storklets, Kinttu (A1), was found dead yesterday (Aug 30) near an electric power line by Jaakko Laakkio, the builder of the nest platform. apparently it had flown against the wires. it had no external signs of injuries.

yesterday morning Laakkio saw both storklets in good shape in the nest, but at about 11 am only one remained in the nest. it is expected to leave for the migration by the middle of September.

[Abigyl]

About 2 Days ago the Finnish chicks flew away. A parent is now on the nest most of the day and night.

Wish them a safe trip and a long life.

Thanks !

[ame]

Abigyl, you obviously didn't read my last mail about the fate of the storklets...

the stork you saw on the nest is the remaining storklet. i took a picture of it now. the ring with the code A2 can be clearly seen on the leg. the parents are unringed.

[Birdfriend]

It's a really tragic history, Ame. The power supply lines are a big danger for all birds. It's so sad, when they die by those humans make risks. Now, the other sibling is alone. I cross my fingers, that this storklet will survive.

[ame]

the newspaper Turun Sanomat reported in yesterday's issue (Sep 13th) that the remaining parent and storklet have left their nest in Koski Tl, SW Finland on last Tuesday morning (Sep 8th). the male of the family had left already a week earlier. since then there have been no sightings of the storks in Finland so they are believed to have started their migration towards South. they are expected to follow the Eastern migration route of white storks first via Hanko peninsula over to Estonia and to Bulgaria and then finally to Egypt.

Jouni Tittonen (the ornithologist who ringed the first Finnish storklets of the Koski nest this July) tells in the article that the parent who stayed later decorated the nest many times before leaving. this gives hope that it will return again next spring.

they say in this article (as well as in an earlier article) that the parent who stayed longer was the female of the family and that the male left earlier. this sounds a bit odd to me because it's the male in BS families who stays longer at the nest, taking care of storklets after the female has left. maybe it is different with WS. i think that these people who have watches the storks all summer must know who is who in the family although the parents weren't ringed.

[Birdfriend]

Thank you, Ame, for this new information about this stork family. We have also a white stork nest in our small town. For me is it new to read, that one parent leaves before the children leave. In the most cases the storklets leave at first for the migration and then the parent. But most likely it gives always differences. A next season it would be nice.

[hyypiö]

White stork nest cam in Koski Tl, SW Finland opened today for a new season. Last year first known breeding of white storks in Finland happened in this nest. Three storklets hatched of which one died early and second after fledging but third obviously began migration. (For more details look for previous post in this thread.)

Cam link: http://tl-turvatekniikka.fi/haikarakamera.html (has been on and off since morning today)

The cam is now closer to the nest and image is more detailed. Position is high enough for nest bottom to be visible. Last year the cam was directed to south east and there were trees on the background. Now the cam is towards north east and you will see some ugly warehouses behind the nest.

Now waiting for storks

[Solo]

.... Now waiting for storks

TY hyypiö
look forward to

[asteria]

Makov storks now have froggy supper, two geese and two roe deers are walking around and chewing cut grass. The storklets are almost the same size with parents but their beaks are black and legs pink. The elder siblings do wing excercises.

[asteria]

Four storklets just went out of the nest and stay in the grass together with both parents, three geese and a mute swan.

[asteria]

Storks walked away, the nest is empty.

[Lubaska]

Video: Makov storklets Ringing 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLLP0w3xj3s

[Lubaska]

There is a website "bociany" (Storks) with some statistics, map and also online cams in Slovakia
It is quite late for this season but this site will work next season too. Unfortunately only in Slovak.

3 online cams with storklets - at Brzotin, at Vysoka pri Morave and at Zemplinske Hradiste:
(Stream is not very good)

http://bociany.sk/onlinecamera

[asteria]

Parents in the nest while all the kids are walking somethere. Only geese are on the field around.

[hyypiö]

White stork nest cam in Koski Tl, SW Finland opened today for a new season. Last year first known breeding of white storks in Finland happened in this nest. Three storklets hatched of which one died early and second after fledging but third obviously began migration. (For more details look for previous post in this thread.)

Cam link: http://tl-turvatekniikka.fi/haikarakamera.html (has been on and off since morning today)

The cam is now closer to the nest and image is more detailed. Position is high enough for nest bottom to be visible. Last year the cam was directed to south east and there were trees on the background. Now the cam is towards north east and you will see some ugly warehouses behind the nest.

Now waiting for storks

Waiting for storks was in vain this time. Early in June I saw an article in local newspaper in which the local people in Koski Tl told that there had not been sightings of white storks in Koski Tl this year. By then it was too late for the storks to start breeding. The cam stopped working later in June.