In many culture, storks have often symbolized the birth of a new baby. Now two lucky storks have made history by having babies of their own.
Five baby storks hatched at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, the White Stork Project announced on Friday. This is the first time in hundreds of years that white stork chicks have been born in the wild in the United Kingdom.
Before this, the most recent babies hatched was recorded on the roof of St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in 1416.
The female stork, a bird from Poland and one of the storks from the project, mated with a male believed to be one of the “20 or so vagrant storks” that visit the country every year.
“After waiting 33 days for these eggs to hatch, it was extremely exciting to see signs that the first egg had hatched on May 6. The parents have been working hard and are doing a fantastic job, especially after their failed attempt last year,” Lucy Groves, a project officer for the White Stork Project, said in a statement.
“These are early days for the chicks, and we will be monitoring them closely, but we have great hopes for them. This is just one step towards establishing this species in the South of England. It may be a small step, but it is an exciting one.”
The storks and their five baby chicks are nested in a large oak tree, and the parents, who have been very protective, were seen regurgitating food to feed the chicks.
“This stunning species has really captured people’s imagination and it has been great following the sightings of birds from the project during the period of lockdown and hearing about the joy and hope they have brought to people,” Groves said.
The White Stork Project, which aims to reestablish the species, is a joint venture between private landowners and wildlife conservation organizations.
The goal is to restore a population of at least 50 breeding pairs of white storks in southern England by 2030.
