Black Stork Nest 3 (Kergu) 2024

[tsang6482]

Not that I want to be overly pessimistic, but if Kergu spends another season alone in this nest, is there a possibility that he relocate to another nest next year so that he can find a mate?

[mogga]

Hello dear Kergu friends

Kergu fetched some nesting material and did his nest work.

09:19 Kergu sits down in the nest.

09:36 He gets up again.
He sings his song several times.

09:43 He flies up into the tree and continues singing at the top.

_____________

06:33 | 09:19 | 09:36 | 09:43

[Anne7]

.
Hi everyone

Thanks, Mogga

… if Kergu spends another season alone in this nest, is there a possibility that he relocate to another nest next year so that he can find a mate?

tsang6482

As far as I know, there are not enough adult BS with transmitters to answer this question specifically.

BS are known to sometimes move and settle on another nest. I think this usually happens when the old nest no longer seems suitable to them for some reason. For example, due to too much (human) disturbance, or too dangerous due to, say, a WTE nest nearby, ... Or sometimes because they have been defeated in a fight (with a conspecific) over the nest.

I don't know if they also move to another nest because they don't find a mate near the old nest.
I think they are generally very attached to their nest.

[brofasa]

Nurme may have moved due to lack of success. For 2 seasons, he spent the summer at his nest but last year he started wandering. Even checked out Kergu's nest. Now he is elsewhere again.

[Swenja]

14:37/38 Kergu comes to the nest and sings beautiful.



He looks round in all directions and sings his song repeatedly.

Kergu observes someone.



But there is no one to be seen.

[Anne7]

Nurme may have moved due to lack of success. For 2 seasons, he spent the summer at his nest but last year he started wandering. Even checked out Kergu's nest. Now he is elsewhere again.

Hi Brofasa

Unfortunately, we don't know that much about Nurme, do we?
We don't know his age, nor do we know if he ever successfully bred.

Based on the Information available on birdmap:

In 2021, as an adult BS, he refreshed an (artificial) nest. However, he did not find a female.

In 2022 Nurme visited several nests in a fairly large territory. (That’s exactly what lonely males do. They are the intruders/visitors that can be observed at (successful) nests. It has frequently been stated that the fights on a nest are about the nests. Nonetheless, I think that trying to conquer a female might be equally important. The winner takes it all…) In one of those nests he was captured by a trail camera in the company of a subadult (ringed in 2020) female (V702) from Lithuania.
Most likely, Nurme did not breed in 2022 either, as he already started his autumn migration at the end of July.

On the 2023 season we have no information, but presumably Nurme remained also alone then. He already started his autumn migration on July 29.


Solitude at periphery:
lack of partners limits reproduction of the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) at the margin of the distribution range (February 2019)
Annika Konovalov, Rein Nellis, Renno Nellis, Ain Nurmla, Urmas Sellis & Ülo Väli
Abstract: Understanding the mechanisms forming species’ ranges is a central ecological question, which could be answered by analysing factors limiting peripheral populations. In threatened species, such studies are essential for establishing effective conservation measures across the range. We analysed factors potentially influencing breeding in a declining peripheral population of a long-lived bird, the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra). We assessed reproductive success and the effects of intra- and interspecific competition, as well as predation by recording events at nests by remote cameras (camera traps and a webcam). The productivity of storks was low (1.1 fledgelings per occupied nest) compared to the other parts of the range and resulted mainly from the lower proportion of successful nests (37% of occupied nests). The main reason for low breeding success was the occupancy of many nests (35%) by single non-reproductive birds. Breeders were often visited by non-local conspecifics, which harassed local birds but only seldomly caused direct damage. Impact of predators and interspecific nest-competitors on reproductive success was low. We suggest that many individuals have disappeared from the breeding population and shortage of mates is currently the most important factor lowering the reproductive success of the Black Stork at its northern range margin. This mechanism could also limit the peripheral abundance and distribution in other long-lived birds.
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... tion_range
Full text: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ue ... dGlvbiJ9fQ

The black storks in Estonia are suffering from loneliness
ESTONIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (February 2019, Peer-Reviewed Publication)
In Estonia, the rare Black Stork are living on the northernmost edge of their distribution range. In recent decades, the population of the species has significantly declined; however, no unequivocal reason to it has been found. At the same time, the breeding success of the Black Stork in Estonia is much lower than in the rest of Europe, including Latvia and Lithuania.
A recently completed research by Estonian University of Life Sciences, NGO Eagle Club and Estonian Environment Agency tried to find out the factors impacting the low breeding success of the Black Stork that has led to the decline of its Estonian population. In the course of six years, automated cameras were installed close to the nests of the Black Stork all over Estonia in order to record events in the nest. Each year, up to twenty cameras were installed and a total of nearly 450 000 photos were analysed.
At first, the effect of predation on the breeding success was analysed, as the European pine marten was previously considered the main predator. However, the impact of predatory animals proved very low. As a surprise, it came out that one third of the nests of the Black Stork in Estonia are inhabited by single birds who cannot breed due to lack of partner. Such single birds may leave their nests and annoy breeding couples. Thus, the Black Stork in Estonia lack partners who may have died on long migration routes or proceeded to breed elsewhere where living conditions are more favourable than here. On the one side, the results of the research help clarify the ecology of factors shaping the species' range; on the other hand, they enable to pinpoint how to plan further steps for the protection of the species.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases ... 020619.php

[Swenja]

15:34 Kergu flies away.



Thank you very much @mogga

Hello @Anne7
perhaps the wind farm activity is also driving the female black storks away.
Thanks for the links to the publications!

[Anne7]

Hello Swenja!

That is indeed quite possible. The extensive works associated with the construction of this huge wind farm, the construction of a road and the installation of a distribution network will undoubtedly have an impact on the tranquillity and safety of all BS in that area. I think it is inevitable that there are a lot of disturbances in the area.


January 2023
https://tuuleenergia.ee/sopi-toots-wind ... x/?lang=en

38 wind turbines with a nominal capacity of 6.8 megawatts and a total capacity of 255 megawatts will be constructed in the Sopi-Tootsi wind park. Wind turbines are produced and installed by Nordex, one of the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturers. The amount of the contract for erecting wind turbines is over 200 million euros.

With the agreement signed with the Põhja-Pärnumaa municipality, the parties confirmed that there will be good cooperation during the construction of the wind farm and that possible obstacles will be resolved in a friendly manner and with the goals of the project in mind. Enefit Green enables direct line, i.e. free of network fee electricity consumption for up to 20 megawatts and builds a public road through the wind park according to the plan.

According to Aavo Kärmas, chairman of the management board of Enefit Green, the construction of the Sopi-Tootsi wind farm is Estonia’s biggest investment in renewable energy production so far, which brings a significant amount of electricity to the market at a cheaper price for consumers. “We plan to build a solar park near the wind turbines, and the most powerful and modern renewable energy area in the Baltic States will be formed, which will benefit both the local community and every electricity consumer in Estonia. For a project of this scale to be successful, joint efforts of all partners and good cooperation during both the construction and energy production periods are needed,” described Kärmas.

[Swenja]

19:37 Kergu is back. No singing.



He seems to have fine sand or clay on his toes.



I hope Kergu hasn't walked through concrete somewhere and left his prints.
There is such a light-coloured coating on his toes.

[Hulbi Lorm]

Perhaps Kergu was introduced to the Stork Walk of Fame.

[Swenja]

April 19

04:57, 06:54 Kergu sits down in the nest.



He fetched some nest material in the morning and loosened everything up nicely.

[Swenja]

09:18 He sits down.



09:46 Kergu stands up and preens.

09:47 He sings his song.

[Swenja]

It's cold in Estonia.


https://www.ilmateenistus.ee/ilm/progno ... s/?lang=en


https://www.ilmateenistus.ee/ilm/progno ... t/?lang=en

[Swenja]

Time to preen the feathers.





a super stretching

[Swenja]

11:38 Kergu does ps and sings a short song.



He sits down again.



Poor Kergu. It's time to hatch some eggs. But the female is missing.
So he sits in the nest a lot today.

12:15 Kergu stands up and does a super stretch. He sings again.

[Swenja]

12:27 He flies away.



The microphone is scratching terribly again today.

[Swenja]

18:00/01 Kergu is back.

He flew past the nest from the left


and landed on the right.


No singing.

[Swenja]

19:31 Kergu may have been dreaming. He suddenly sang out of a nap.

[Swenja]

Kergu touched the edge of the nest



and found the spot suitable for a healthy ps.

[Swenja]

Kergu did some nesting work this evening.
He loosened the nesting material and checked the edge of the nest.



nice stretching



and preening.