How did the project start?
- Researchers Derek Gow and Coral Edgcumbe initiated the project, backed by a feasibility report with contributions from experts. Funding for the initial work came from the Lund Fund.
Who is running the project?
- A collaboration of private landowners in Sussex, Cotswold Wildlife Park, and Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation manages the project. Birds are sourced from Warsaw Zoo and other European sites. The overall running of the project is overseen by White Stork Project Manager, Laura Vaughan-Hirsch, a biologist with a background in education.
Who is funding the project?
- Landowners fund pen construction and stork care. Import and technical costs are covered by the Lund Fund, and breeding and quarantine are funded by Cotswold Wildlife Park.
- Fundraising for various outreach aspects of the project is an incredibly important source of income. Funds are raised through the Knepp Wildland Foundation charity.
What is the long-term aim of the project?
- To establish a self-sustaining population of 50+ breeding pairs in southern England by 2030, fostering wildlife interest and benefiting local communities.
Why reintroduce White Storks?
- Archaeological evidence of white storks in the UK dates back to the Pleistocene.
- White storks probably disappeared in the UK in 12th century through hunting but there have been numerous attempts to nest here, from the famous nest on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in 1416 to nesting attempts in East Anglia and elsewhere in the modern day. None have successfully bred, though.
Where have other reintroduction projects taken place?
- Reintroductions have taken place in Switzerland (1948), Belgium (1957), the Netherlands (1969), France (1970s), Germany (1970s), Italy (1985), Sweden (1989) and Spain (2003. These successful reintroductions have provided valuable models.
Why undertake the project in Sussex?
- Abundant habitat, historical sightings, and potential to attract wandering birds from Europe make Sussex an ideal location.
What license is required?
- Natural England and DEFRA confirmed no license is needed under the Wildlife & Countryside Act, aligning with European conservation directives.
What methodology is being used?
Experience-driven strategy involves holding birds for two years, releasing rehabilitated storks, and introducing captive-bred birds for population boost and to encourage migratory behaviour.
How many birds will be released?
Over 250 storks from Poland and France have been released across the different project sites. Ongoing releases of captive-bred birds will continue to bolster colony numbers and encourage migratory behaviour.
What will the storks eat?
Storks are highly opportunistic feeders; they consume mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, molluscs, and earthworms. Habitat management practices will encourage food sources. Small prey items, particularly grasshoppers, beetles and earthworms are likely to make up the majority of their diet in the UK.
Can White Storks survive winter in Sussex?
Yes, since the project started in 2016 they have come through winters in good condition and are now readily breeding in spring. Here, winters are much milder compared to Scania, Alsace and other regions where white storks also overwinter.
Where will birds be sourced from?
Warsaw Zoo in Poland provided the initial, rehabilitated previously wild birds. Cotswold Wildlife Park quarantined these birds and kept some to form a breeding population. The young they produce are brought to Knepp to be released in summer each year, helping to increase the number in the colony and encourage migratory behaviour.
Bird flu and what to do if you find a dead stork
Sadly, avian influenza (AI) has spread across the UK and there were devastating outbreaks in 2022, particularly at seabird colonies in the north of England and Scotland. Whilst we haven’t yet recorded AI at Knepp or among our white stork Project birds, we remain vigilant and biosecurity measures have been stepped up and continue to be monitored.
If you find a dead white stork anywhere, regardless of the apparent circumstances of death, please do not touch it or pick it up. If you can, please note the specific location at which you found the bird (ideally grid reference, What3Words reference or nearest postcode), as well as the time and date. A photo of the bird in situ would also be useful.
Please email this information as soon as possible to whitestorksgb@gmail.com so that we can deal with collecting the bird and undertaking necessary testing in compliance with the guidance given to us by DEFRA.
Will the origin of reintroduced birds affect their migration?
Mixing eastern and western populations through reintroduction has little impact on migratory behavior due to conspecific attraction.
Why are some of the juvenile storks tagged?
To track migration routes and behaviors, specially designed trackers provide high-resolution GPS and accelerometer data. Take a look at the Migration Map which displays some data from these tags, allowing us to learn about their movement.
Do the tags affect the birds?
No, the lightweight tags on a backpack harness minimally impact storks. The biodegradable stitching ensures eventual tag detachment. Several storks with satellite tags have successfully migrated all the way to north Africa and are observed exhibiting normal behaviours there.
What happens to tagged storks that don't survive?
An effort is made to determine causes of death and data analyzed for program improvement. However, high mortality rates (as with any migratory species) must be acknowledged and sadly sometimes tagged storks do not survive.
What will happen to the data produced from the tagging?
Some of the data will be accessible on the project website for public monitoring. Research findings will be published, and summaries provided for non-technical audiences. The project ensures transparency and adherence to ethical tagging practices. We work in collaboration with various researchers who have full access to our tag data.
New stork project enquiries - White Stork Project Statement
In today’s world, the urgency of addressing the biodiversity crisis cannot be overstated. The decline of species and degradation of ecosystems present formidable challenges that demand swift and decisive action.
Reintroductions can play a key role in efforts to restore lost species, but are complex and require careful planning and delivery. Since 2016 the White Stork Project team has worked diligently at Knepp and Wadhurst Park to establish a breeding population of white storks in Sussex, where extensive areas of suitable habitat exist, along with evidence of former breeding. This work has been guided by experts in avian breeding at Cotswold Wildlife Park who have established a successful white stork captive-breeding programme, and are an integral part of the project team. Our approach is guided by careful planning, rigorous monitoring, and adaptive management strategies. These principles ensure that our efforts are both effective and ethical, minimising the risks to both the species and the ecosystem.
The methodology developed by the project team, in consultation with other white stork projects in Europe, aims to encourage migratory behaviour within the population, which is important given the UK’s position at the northern edge of the species’ range. It has been pleasing that both captive-bred and wild-fledged storks have migrated successfully to Iberia and North Africa, and that some of the older birds have begun to return, and in one case, begin breeding. All of the released birds, as well as juveniles reared in natural nests, are either colour-ringed or satellite-tagged under licence from the British Trust for Ornithology, to ensure we can monitor the establishing population effectively.
Although the early results are encouraging, self-sustaining colonies have yet to become fully established at Knepp and Wadhurst and, as such, a concerted effort is still required by the project team at these sites to maintain and encourage white storks to regain a foothold in the UK. Given the need for us to direct our time and resources where they are most needed, this remains our priority at present. Once the population is secure for the long-term we believe there is scope to carry out similar work in a strategic manner in other areas of southern England with suitable white stork habitat.
We recognise and are encouraged by the fact that there is a desire across the country to initiate similar white stork reintroduction initiatives. It is important to emphasise that any such projects require careful planning. Our experiences show that it is crucial to adhere to established protocols to mitigate the risks of unintended consequences and ensure long-term success. Unsuccessful reintroduction attempts may erode trust from the public, funders, and policymakers, potentially hindering future conservation efforts. Whilst we certainly do not wish to discourage this enthusiasm, regrettably we do not have capacity to provide support for other projects at present, but we will keep this under review as time progresses.
If our work to restore a self-sustaining population in the Southeast is successful it will greatly aid the recolonisation of other parts of southern Britain. As the population begins to expand away from the core sites at Knepp and Wadhurst, the installation of strategically placed artificial nests in areas of suitable habitat is likely to enhance the geographical expansion of the population, as observed in other parts of the white stork’s European range.
If you are interested in undertaking a reintroduction project, the following resources provide valuable insights:
- [IUCN Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations](https://www.iucn.org/resources/guidelines-iucn-species-conservation)
- [Global Reintroduction Perspectives](https://www.globalreintro.org/)
- [European Reintroduction Network](https://www.reintroductionnetwork.org/)
Thank you for your commitment to biodiversity conservation. Together, we can make a difference.