{"id":2907,"date":"2021-07-01T16:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/?p=2907"},"modified":"2022-03-11T11:38:31","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T11:38:31","slug":"white-storks-reintroduced-to-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/01\/white-storks-reintroduced-to-britain\/","title":{"rendered":"White storks reintroduced to Britain"},"content":{"rendered":"

White storks reintroduced to Britain<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s St. Giles cathedral in 1416\u00a0and have only been recorded here as migrants and escapees since the late 15th<\/sup> century. That is, until now. Thanks to a\u00a0reintroduction\u00a0project at the Knepp Estate in Sussex,\u00a0white storks\u00a0are now breeding in\u00a0England\u00a0again\u00a0\u2013 with some\u00a0migrating to southern\u00a0Europe and\u00a0Africa for the winter.<\/p>\n

As part of a project to restore populations of the species in Southern England, backed by several NGOs,\u00a024 young White Storks were released at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex in early August 2019.\u00a0These birds were captive bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park from rehabilitated wild birds originating in Poland and France.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

On the day after the release, all 30 Storks were seen thermalling high above Knepp.<\/p>\n

Nick Upton<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n