White storks reintroduced to Britain

White storks reintroduced to Britain

White storks were once widespread in Britain. They gave their name to Storkhill in Yorkshire and Storrington in Sussex (known in 1185 as Storca-tun “a homestead with Storks”). But likely due to human persecution and habitat loss, they have suffered an alarming reversal of fortunes. They last bred in the UK on Edinburgh’s St. Giles cathedral in 1416 and have only been recorded here as migrants and escapees since the late 15th century. That is, until now. Thanks to a reintroduction project at the Knepp Estate in Sussex, white storks are now breeding in England again – with some migrating to southern Europe and Africa for the winter.

As part of a project to restore populations of the species in Southern England, backed by several NGOs, 24 young White Storks were released at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex in early August 2019. These birds were captive bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park from rehabilitated wild birds originating in Poland and France.

They joined six additional birds who had escaped from a large fenced enclosure at Knepp in earlier years, two of which attempted to breed in 2019 on an oak tree within the estate, and got as far as laying 3 eggs, though they didn’t hatch.

On the day after the release, all 30 Storks were seen thermalling high above Knepp.

Nick Upton, who had privileged access to photograph the birds before and after their release, was thrilled to see such a large flock take to the air. In his words, it was “likely the biggest group for centuries in the UK”. Upton has been working closely with the White Stork Project team. This project is a pioneering partnership of private landowners and nature conservation charities. Together they aim to restore a population of at least 50 breeding pairs of storks to southern England by 2030 through a phased release programme.

Captive reared juvenile White stork (Ciconia ciconia) flying from a temporary holding pen on release day on the Knepp Estate, Sussex, UK, August 2019.
Captive reared juvenile White stork (Ciconia ciconia) flying from a temporary holding pen on release day on the Knepp Estate, Sussex, UK, August 2019.

PICTURED LEFT: Marge, the first British-bred juvenile White stork to successfully migrate for the winter.

Over the next week, the flock was seen along the south coast as far as Lands End. As GPS trackers on some have shown, part of the flock crossed the channel. The first, nicknamed “Marge” (after Stork margarine) flew to Calais and wintered in Morocco. Marge became the first British-bred juvenile White stork to successfully cross the Strait of Gibraltar and migrate for the winter. Others flew to Spain and some remained on the south coast of the UK or returned to Knepp.

Not all birds are fitted with GPS tags but their whereabouts are occasionally reported by keen-eyed birdwatchers who spot the blue Darvic rings the storks are wearing, each with a unique number, which helps identify them and track their movements. Members of the public who spot the birds are encouraged to report their sightings on the White Stork Project website.

As the first batch of youngsters reach breeding age in 2022, the project hopes that Marge and other migrants will return to Knepp or nearby sites in the spring to breed and that further generations follow down the line, spreading back across the UK to fully re-establish the White Stork in the UK for the first time since medieval days.

 

 

 

First nesting attempt in Sussex

One of the first attempts by white storks to nest in  Britain for centuries occurred in Spring 2019, also at Knepp Estate in West Sussex, which is one of the UK’s leading sites for successful rewilding. Unfortunately, the eggs failed to hatch and the nest was abandoned. There were also unsuccessful nesting attempts in recent years on buildings in Norfolk and Nottinghamshire, involving free-flying storks.

Success at Last!

In March 2020, storks began courting again at Knepp. Three pairs nested, including the same pair that attempted to breed in 2019. This time, they were successful in hatching their eggs – the first white stork chicks to hatch in the wild in the UK for hundreds of years! The pair successfully raised three chicks which fledged the nest in July. Another pair raised one fledgling – adding four new birds to the population. In summer 2021, a further 14 chicks successfully fledged thanks to the efforts of six stork pairs.

In the meantime, the White Stork Project released another cohort of 19 birds at Knepp in 2020 and a further 27 in 2021 –  again from captive bred juveniles reared at Cotswold Wildlife Park. Juvenile storks, like those released from Knepp in 2019 and 2020, instinctively fly south for the winter, and generally do not return to their breeding grounds for two or three years. The team are waiting to see if Marge and any of the other birds from the initial 2019 release will return to Knepp for the 2022 breeding season. With the project already proving successful, having migrant birds like Marge return to breed will fulfill the project’s long term aims.

 

Partners in the project

Key partners in the project are Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Knepp Estate and Dennis Wildlife Foundation.

Most of the birds in the reintroduction project have come from Warsaw Zoo in Poland. In addition, 15 birds were imported from Strasbourg in France. These birds are rehabilitated wild individuals, suitable for release. There is a captive breeding programme at Cotswold Wildlife Park, as shown in the images below. Here you can also see storks in a netted enclosure at Knepp, prior to release.

White storks in Britain

Conservationists hope that the reintroduction project will re-establish a viable breeding population in southern England. Hopefully the birds will migrate south each winter along with the native European population. Juvenile storks, like those released from Knepp in 2019 and 2020, instinctively fly south for the winter, and generally do not return to their breeding grounds for two or three years. The team are waiting to see if Marge and any of the other birds from the initial 2019 release will return to Knepp for the 2022 breeding season. Small numbers of white storks already reach Britain every year as “overshoot migrants”. So it is likely that some of these will join the new breeding population.

If you would like to see more of our coverage on this iconic bird, take a look at our new white stork gallery.