News
Knepp Breeding Season 2025Following the incredible success of the 2024 breeding season, the team eagerly anticipated what 2025 would bring for the white storks at Knepp.
We’re thrilled to share that it has been another prosperous year for the colony. Read on for a summary the key highlights from this season’s journey.
The season got off to a flying start, with encouraging signs from the resident, non-migratory storks. As early as February, project staff and the dedicated volunteer team observed the first signs of breeding behaviour. Established pairs were reaffirming their bonds through characteristic bill-clattering displays and began nest-building, placing twigs one by one. In some cases, mating was even observed as early as mid February.
March brought a surge of activity, with increased mating and egg-laying as well as an influx of returning migratory birds. The team confirmed six storks that arrived back at Knepp from their travels across Europe, thanks to sightings from abroad and camera trap analysis. Three of these return migrants paired up and laid eggs. This marks a significant milestone for the project: after the return of GB6N last year (our first migratory return breeder), this year’s arrivals further confirm that these birds are not only surviving their long journeys but are also successfully navigating back to their natal site at Knepp to breed. It’s a promising sign that these UK white storks are able to migrate return and successfully breed.
March brought a surge of activity, with increased mating and egg-laying as well as an influx of returning migratory birds. The team confirmed six storks that arrived back at Knepp from their travels across Europe, thanks to sightings from abroad and camera trap analysis. Three of these return migrants paired up and laid eggs. This marks a significant milestone for the project: after the return of GB6N last year (the first migratory return breeder), this year’s arrivals further confirm that these birds are not only surviving their long journeys but are also successfully navigating back to their natal site at Knepp to breed. It’s a promising sign that these UK white storks are able to migrate return and successfully breed.
With 18 nests actively incubating, the team patiently awaited the first signs of hatching. Hours were spent watching for the subtle cue of adults regurgitating food into the nest, a clear signal that chicks had hatched. By late April, the first hatchlings arrived, marking the start of an intensive period of parental care.
Both adults forage for their chicks, returning to the nest to regurgitate food for the hungry young and as chicks grow, small heads can be seen bobbing above the nests, giving an indication of how many eggs have hatched. Later, these observations are confirmed during the chick-ringing process. This year, we’re thrilled to have ringed an impressive 45 chicks, who over the following weeks took their first, tentative flights.
Among the 18 active nests, four were once again built on the ground by the non-flying stork population within the safety of the on-site pen. These resilient birds successfully bred for the first time in 2023 and have continued to adapt and thrive. This year, they produced 7 healthy chicks that fledged.
Ground nests, like those in trees, develop year after year as birds continue adding material. The oldest of these now stands at hip-height and is an impressively dense and sturdy structure. As with their tree-nesting counterparts, each ground-nesting chick is ringed before fledging. However, fledging for these birds means simply stepping off the nest and taking flight from the ground to begin honing their flying skills.
Excitingly, three of the Knepp ground-nest chicks from this year have been fitted with satellite tags which will transmit live data on their movements to help us understand their behaviour and migratory patterns as they explore Europe and beyond.
By late July, all 45 chicks had fledged and are now often seen soaring together on warm days on the thermals over Knepp, perfecting the flying skills ahead of the big migratory journey. Though they have taken flight, many still return to their nests to be fed by their parents, and even visit each other’s nests as they find their way around.
Last year, around 40 birds from the colony departed on migration in mid-August, indicating that this year’s fledglings could lift off very soon, setting their sights on European skies.
The project team are looking forward to learning more about the movement of these birds and we’ll continue to share their stories on our website, and via social media.
