looduskalender.ee

Most black storks have by now arrived at their wintering grounds. Raivo's location is difficult to determine—in years past, he's left Israel's fishponds and flown onward before the end of the year. So is four months in one place considered wintering or simply a stopover? The same could be happening with Oss, but we can't be sure. In all cases, quite a few black storks winter in the Jordan Valley. Oss and Raivo are skillful fishermen, but they're not always able to hang on to their catch—all sorts of interested parties surround them:

Skillful fishermen and impudent muggers in the Jordan Valley.

Among our black storks, Kaku has arrived at his wintering grounds. Kaku and Valdur's nesting spots are both in Southern Estonia, and it seems that their wintering spots are also close to one another (looking from above). Both are wintering in the same region of northern Ethiopia, where Jaak and Tooni used to winter. Will they remain there will become clear over the winter. The Saaremaa islander Valja was likely killed in Syria before September 28th. All of the storks' journeys can be tracked on the map below:

Click for wider view