The
stork is an important bird in Latvian folklore, supposedly bringing health and
wealth to homes with its presence. The large, noble bird is considered sacred
by many other nationalities as well, and storks and babies have been linked
together for centuries (as I wrote about in my post “The baby brought the stork!”).
The link is possibly due to their migration patterns coinciding with a countdown of nine months after midsummer and the search for the elusive papardes zieds…
In
late March and April the migrating white storks (Ciconia ciconia) return to Latvia, with male storks arriving first
to retake their previous nests or build a new nest. The female birds join their
mates several days later. A long-distance migrant, they winter in Africa from
tropical Sub-Saharan Africa to as far south as South Africa, or on the Indian
subcontinent. When migrating between Europe and Africa, the birds detour around
the Mediterranean Sea because the air thermals on which they depend on for gliding
on their long distance flight do not form over water. This explains the large
concentrations of birds that can be seen near the Straits of Gibraltar and Bosporus
around this time.
Many
times people put up poles with a wheel on top to bring storks to their
property, as this provides a solid foundation for a nest. Electrical poles are
also utilized, although storks nest on chimneys, in trees or wherever else they
find a good base for their large stick nest, which may be used for several
years. My favorite site on our recent trip was the chimney of the ruins of an
old home.
Storks
are monogamous breeders, but do not mate for life. The female lays one clutch
of eggs annually, consisting of one to six eggs which will then hatch about
33–34 days later. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs and feeding
the young, which will leave the nest two months after hatching but continue to
be fed by the parents for a few more weeks. Starting September the birds once
again fly south on migration.
Before
leaving the storks will flock together and feed in groups. One source described
the farewell dance the female carries out in the nest the day before leaving
for warmer climates; the stork boogie includes lifting the legs, jumping and levitating.
Storks
are almost silent birds. The exception is at the moment when the adult birds
return to their nest, at which point they usually clatter their beak to announce
their arrival. One of their Latvian nicknames is derived from this noise; a klabata is a sort of wooden percussion
instrument, a timber drum that is hollow to allow for maximum resonance.
A bird
of prey, the carnivores forage for insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small
mammals and small birds, finding most of their prey close to the ground or in
shallow water. It is a common sight to see a crowd of storks following a
tractor mowing hay, as frogs and lizards are left with little cover.
Stork
populations can be considered an indicator of the overall health of the
environment, and in recent years the white stork has seen an increase across the
continent, with approximately 10,500 pairs of white storks nesting in Latvia.
This can be compared to 7,000 pairs in 1934, when changes in farming methods
and industrialization saw their decline and even disappearance from parts of
Europe. Conservation and successful reintroduction programs across Europe have
resulted in the white stork resuming breeding in the Netherlands, Belgium,
Switzerland and Sweden. In direct contrast black stork (Ciconia nigra) numbers have declined by about 40% within the
country in the last fifteen years, possibly linked partly to the decrease in
old-growth forest and disturbance of nesting areas; black storks prefer wooded
areas and breed in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or
hardwood forests. However recent research from the University of Latvia has shown that
the decrease may be largely connected to Soviet-era DDT deposits, just another
long-lasting legacy of fifty years of occupation.
