LIVE STORK WEBCAM IN GERMANY

More info: The storks of Lindheim arrive around the end of March and their welcome appearance signifies the start of Spring. Their large, bulky nests are made from thickly woven branches, sticks and leaves, their interiors layered with moss, grasses, twigs or even pieces of rag. Some of the nests have had occupants for hundreds of years.

The white stork is a large, imposing bird, standing around 1.1 metres tall and with a wingspan of over 2 metres. Males and females look alike : their bodies and long, snake-like necks are pure white, as are the front halves of their wings. The flight feathers, of white storks however, are jet black, giving the bird a striking two-tone appearance. They stand on extremely long, thin red legs, which match the long, pointed red beaks.

The white stork is famous for its role in European folklore as the bringer of babies to new parents. But it was seen as a symbol of good luck and fertility long before that. Ancient Greeks and Romans saw the white stork as a model of perfect parenthood which is reflected in their behaviour of sharing parental duties in rearing their chicks. Since storks like to nest on rooftops, throughout history they have been a familiar and iconic part of human life, actively helping humans by hunting pests, and even allowing farmers to time the planting of their crops to the white stork’s arrival in spring.

In Central Europe the White Stork was originally established widely. Today there are large gaps in the distribution. In Denmark the stork has completely died out, in Sweden it only exists in the form of birds raised in captivity and in Hungary the population is stagnating. However in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain in the last few years there has been a gradual increase in the white stork population. One major area of stork population lies currently in Poland. Around 40 % of the world population is to be found in the new EU member states in Eastern Europe. The Michael-Otto Institute at NABU (the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) in Bergenhusen carries out a census every ten years to keep an overview of the world-wide stork populations.