Some 607 years after the last recorded instance of White Storks breeding in the UK, experts are working to bring them back with a target of 50 pairs across the South of England by 2030.
The birds are traditionally associated with fertility and good luck – but haven’t been bred in Britain since the 15th century – but they have found a new home at the Knepp Estate in recent years.
A stork wearing a tracking tag (Image: Live Stork Project)
Visitors have been flocking from across the country to see the nests high up in the oak trees.
This month, the public can involve themselves even more with a live map tracking their migration.
Researchers and the public will be able to watch the storks as they make their way from Sussex to southern Europe and northern Africa using a live map on Knepp’s website.
Read more: Stunning pictures capture eagle over Sussex nature reserve
It uses satellite tracking technology on some birds to display their migration on an interactive map.
This year’s juveniles have already made their way to Morocco, France and Spain.
The project is a collaborative effort between the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Warsaw Zoo, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and nearby landowners.
The storks in a tree (Image: Live Stork Project)
Former biology teacher and now Sussex’s stork project officer Laura Vaughan-Hirsch said: “We are thrilled to be able to learn about the movement of these fantastic birds thanks to the satellite technology and share the stories of their success over the coming months and years with the new mapping.
“It’s been a privilege to introduce people of all ages to the project and see how excited they are to learn more about the stork’s return. I look forward to seeing what this next season brings as the colony grows.”
Storks have a historic connection to Sussex with the village of Storrington being named in the Domesday Book as Estorchestone, meaning the village of the storks.
The council has even adopted the stork as its logo.
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