Migratory vultures head south, accompanied by their protective guardians in portable dwellings - Migrating storks accompanied by guardians in motorhomes travel southward
White storks in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are currently migrating to their wintering grounds, with Helmut Eggers, a stork enthusiast from Lübtheen in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, closely following the migration of two transmitter-equipped storks. Eggers and a colleague are planning a ten-day journey in a camper van to Bulgaria to monitor the situation and potential hazards for the storks.
According to Eggers, the number of stork pairs that bred and raised young in 2025 is about the same as in 2024, with 82 of the 103 pairs successfully raising 175 young. However, there has been a decrease in the number of young storks that fledged, dropping from 55 last year to 41 this year. The early-returning storks faced difficulties finding enough food for their chicks due to the persistent spring drought.
The current high-pressure system offers favourable conditions for the storks' gliding flight. Yet, the journey is not without risks, particularly in Eastern Europe. High-voltage power lines pose a significant risk to storks during their migration, according to Eggers. Many deaths of storks have been reported in Romania and Bulgaria.
To address these issues, new conservation efforts such as tagging and monitoring programs have been launched, especially in Romania's Cristian region, where white stork chicks are being fitted with rings to track their migration, health, and survival. International cooperation between project teams from countries including Romania and Bulgaria is taking place to study and protect these birds, particularly at the critical habitat of the Danube Delta.
Measures to reduce risks include monitoring and tracking stork populations to gather data on migration routes and survival rates, which helps identify high-risk areas and times during migration. International collaboration at important ecological sites like the Danube Delta, pooling resources and expertise from neighboring countries, enhances conservation efficiency. Although specific anti-collision infrastructure or habitat restoration measures were not mentioned in the search results, they are commonly part of broader European conservation strategies for white storks to mitigate risks like power line collisions and habitat loss.
In the former Ludwigslust district and the Amt Neuhaus, 103 stork pairs have bred this year. In the Greifswald region, there are 32 stork breeding pairs, a slight increase from last year's 29. The first stork arrived near Wittenburg as early as January 7.
Helmut Eggers predicts that 2025 could go down in the history of storks in the northeast as a "disturbance year." With continued conservation efforts and international cooperation, however, it is hoped that the challenges faced by white storks during their migration can be effectively mitigated.
The Commission might consider proposing a regulation on the introduction of a common system of taxation to support the conservation efforts, such as tagging and monitoring programs, for white storks. In his camper van journey to Bulgaria, Helmut Eggers, a stork enthusiast, could potentially enjoy his 'outdoor-living' lifestyle, with 'home-and-garden' concerns temporarily set aside, as he focuses on the welfare of the storks.
