The press service of Lvivoblenergo also reported that energy workers have already started installing platforms for white stork nests on electric poles. As part of the “Protection of the White Stork” project, 120 such platforms are planned to be installed in cities and villages of the Lviv region.
Why did the storks return earlier?
The expert of the NGO “Danube-Carpathian Program”, a member of the Western Ukrainian Ornithological Society, Andrii Kiyko, told LVIV.MEDIA in a comment that the main reason for the change in the flight regime of white storks is global climate change. Some storks feel the warming better than others, so in order not to waste their life resources on flights and wintering in Africa, they stop closer to Ukraine.
“Sometimes white storks can stop in the South of Europe, on the coasts and wet meadows, where there is their food base. Then the birds have the opportunity to return to their nesting places in Ukraine faster,” says Andriy Kiyko.
As the expert notes, a few years ago specialists from the Galicia National Park already recorded the wintering of storks on mountain rivers, even despite the cold winters. Since such reservoirs do not freeze, birds can spend the winter there, look for food near rivers, on floodplains.
A sharp cold snap will not harm storks
Andrii Kiyko is convinced that the decrease in air temperature in Ukraine in recent days will not harm the birds. In fact, large birds, including white storks, are resistant to short-term cold weather, so they do not need additional care.
“These birds should be given peace. Of course, you can pour them a bunch of offal so that they eat and get extra energy. But if the birds are healthy, they can migrate closer to water bodies that do not freeze, or fly to regions where it is warmer, for example, to the Ternopil region,” the ornithologist notes.
How climate change affects the stork
The ornithologist notes that climate change has a bad effect on bird habitats. Due to the increase in temperature, meadows and marshes are drying up, and at the same time amphibians and small rodents, which are the main food for birds, are disappearing. Because of this, in recent years there has been a tendency to decrease many species of birds, including storks. However, climate change may also favor the breeding of white storks. By shortening flight routes, storks save time and physical resources for raising offspring.
“There is an opinion that faster flights will help storks to become more successful in hatching and feeding chicks. During the breeding season, storks are dependent on food, they must look for food closer to the chicks and bring it to the children quickly and in sufficient quantities. However, we will be able to draw accurate conclusions only after several years of research,” suggests Andrii Kiyko.
The white stork is a large bird with a wingspan of over 2 meters and a weight of up to 4.5 kilograms. Its range is Europe (from Spain to Russia), North Africa and Asia (from Turkey to the Caucasus). In August, flocks of white storks, guided by instinct, begin to move south. They usually return to their nesting sites in the second half of March – the first half of April, although in early spring they can sometimes be seen in early March.
