Stork alarm
More than a hundred storks besiege village – and more are coming
A stork rarely comes alone (symbol photo)
© Zoonar / Imago Images
Stork after stork has been gathering in a village on Lake Constance for years. There is now one bird for every three residents, complains the mayor. And he raises the alarm.
The mayor says that one wonders how things will continue in the coming years. In the medium term, we will have to speak of a plague. The local politician has already written an open letter to the state of Baden-Württemberg and various state and federal parliamentarians. His concern: in the medium term, the ministry must develop a master plan, a guideline, for dealing with protected species in particularly affected towns and communities, says Zindeler. The hope is that the result of protection will be considered right through to the end.
It is about the balance between man and stork
The mayor cannot say exactly how many storks there are in Hohenfels. As a large municipality, they do not have a perfect overview. But: “We notice that when farmers work their fields, the grapevine between the storks works very well. They then gather on site because the area is naturally ready for food.”
One morning in late August, more than 130 storks were counted in an area in the Mindersdorf district. “If we extrapolate that to the population, we have one stork for every three residents.” He could not determine the exact number. “But that is remarkable.”
More storks than the mayor would like: Field in Hohenfels
© David Pichler
It is important to know how to keep the population of protected animals stable so that the relationship between humans and storks does not deteriorate. An upper limit for nests and animals could perhaps be conceivable, which the Ministry of the Environment would classify as acceptable. “I cannot anticipate an answer here.”
Stork representative remains relaxed
The mayor explains that he does not know why the storks are attacking Hohenfels in particular. “We are an attractive community with a wonderful natural landscape.” There are reed beds with lots of small animals, which provide the ideal conditions for the colonies to find food. “That is why we have noticed that they want to settle here and find good conditions for breeding.”
The municipality’s stork representative, Josef Martin, does not see any problem with the number of animals. He has never had a stork leave its droppings on his terrace. “The only problem is under the nest.” The nests are not in front of any terrace. “So you don’t have to worry about everything being covered in shit.”
In Mindersdorf it is as quiet as a church. “There is nothing here anymore, no shops, no pubs, nothing.” A little clattering of the storks is wonderful. “That is nature.” The church also strikes every quarter of an hour, which is also normal. “You just have to be a little more relaxed about it.” With nests over gardens, you can come to terms with it. “The storks are not a threat to us humans.” They are not wolves that roam around the village. You should not scare them away. Birds by removing branches before they build their nests. This is legitimate.
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The young birds have already left the village and moved south. Only the “old” nest owners are still there so that no one else can occupy the nest. But in the next few days they will also move south. “Then they will be gone. Then there will be peace again for half a year.”
How many will come back to Hohenfels in 2025 will become clear in the spring.