Stork protection program launched in Hungary
mme.hu
Electricity providers in Hungary help storks by placing “nest holders” on top of poles, encouraging them to nest near villages.
By: All Hungary News
2008-06-26 09:29
The Hungarian Ornithology Association (Magyar Madártani Egyesület) has launched an extensive campaign to protect storks nesting in Hungary. As part of the campaign, ornithologists ringed 160 stork chicks in 27 settlements around the country on Friday, writes hirtv.hu. The rings, which can be read with binoculars, help scientists trace the route of the birds, locate their resting places and gather information on how loyal they are to their mates. The birds are popular and iconic in Hungary as four-fifths of Hungarian storks nest on top of electric poles, a high rate compared to other countries. The main reason for this is that electricity providers help the storks by placing baskets on top of poles. These have proved a great success with the birds – and with villagers.
As part of the campaign, ornithologists have also placed webcameras in nine nests. These can be viewed on the association’s website, writes hirado.hu.
Roughly 5,000 White Stork pairs are nesting in Hungary today, only one-third of their number before the Second World War. A positive sign is that their number has been stable since the 1970s, said Péter Lovászi, regional co-ordinator of the campaign in Szeged.
Storks return from their wintering place early April and lay three to six eggs a few days later. Chicks hatch one month later and leave the nest eight to nine weeks after that