After a wet start to spring that has affected the number of breeding storks in Denmark, experts are now hoping for more varied weather to improve conditions for the large birds. This year, only seven pairs of storks have chosen to breed in Denmark, which is a decrease from last year’s ten pairs. This has created some disappointment among nature conservationists and ornithologists. “There was almost rain every day in April when the storks were supposed to establish themselves. It was not stork weather at all,” explains Jesper Leegaard, a board member of the association Storkene.dk. He adds that it was only at the end of April that the weather improved, and the storks began to arrive in Denmark. The storks have mainly settled in Southern Jutland, but breeding pairs have also been observed in Djursland and East Zealand. So far, chicks have been found in three of the nests, including in Smedager in Southern Jutland, where five stork chicks are being raised. Although the wet start to spring has been a challenge, it is now the dry and sunny weather that is concerning. “It is very dry, and the earthworms are going deeper and deeper into the ground. This is bad for the storks, who rely on the worms, especially while the chicks are small,” says Jesper Leegaard. He hopes that a rain shower will soon come, making it easier for the storks to find food. Last year, 16 fledgling storks took flight from Danish nests, and although it is too early to predict how many chicks there will be this year, it is clear that the stork is here to stay in the Danish landscape. “There is no doubt that the stork population in Denmark will increase in the long run. But we may not see new records every year. There will be some fluctuations, as we also see this year,” concludes Jesper Leegaard.

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