The first white stork of the year: Spring in Marchegg moored!

The first white stork of the year: Spring in Marchegg moored!

Marchegg, Österreich - On February 28, 2025, the first white stork of the year ended up in the WWF outer reserve in Marchegg, one day earlier than in the previous year and two weeks earlier than in previous years. According to the WWF expert Jurrien Westerhof, further storks will arrive in the coming weeks and will prepare your nests in the reserve and in the old oaks around the castle for the upcoming brood season in April. The return of the storks signals a pleasant development, since the number of breeding pairs in Austria in 2024 at 54 was not as high as it has not been since 1999, while the existence of young birds with 130 copies has also reached the highest level in almost 30 years.

optimal conditions for storks

The good conditions for the storks are the result of a wet winter and spring in the previous year, which offered excellent living conditions to the wet meadows. Despite the dry winter this year, the storks still find rich habitats in and around Marchegg. The grazing with half -winds conic horses ensures a varied vegetation and a good food supply, since many insects, including grasshoppers and beetles, form the food base of the storks. In addition, five new artificers were built in the winter of 2023/24, which are gladly accepted and expanded by the storks. In the WWF protection area in Marchegg there are now up to 60 stork nests available.

In order to ensure the stability of the stork population in the entire March-Haya area, the WWF calls for measures to restore the river landscape. Jurrien Westerhof emphasizes: "The floodplains need more water again so that they can also be preserved outside of Marchegg as a stork habitat." This initiative could be crucial to secure the living conditions for the storks in the long term and to continue to support the spectacular return of these majestic birds.

Further information on the developments in the floodplain reserve and the measures of the WWF can be found on ots.at href = "https://www.wwf.at/wp-content/cms_documents/weidebericht-auenervat-marchegg-2019.pdf"> Weide report of the WWF .