Baden-Württemberg: spring fever in winter: the first storks are back

With the milder temperatures of the past few days, the storks have also returned from their winter quarters.

Baden-Württemberg: spring fever in winter: the first storks are back

With the milder temperatures of the past few days, the storks have also returned from their winter quarters. When you get home, nest building is the order of the day.

Salem (dpa / lsw) - It's still winter, but the first white storks have already appeared in the southwest. About 25 to 30 couples have returned from their winter home on the Affenberg in Salem on Lake Constance, said park manager Roland Hilgartner. The birds would have overwintered in Spain, France or in north-west Africa. They would cover up to 4,500 kilometers on their trains.

"After returning from the south, the first thing to do is mating and nest building," explained Hilgartner. According to the expert, around 50 pairs of storks breed on the Affenberg every year. The first offspring could hatch as early as Easter. But some storks would still be waiting for their partner.

"Pairs sometimes get lost because they overwinter in different areas," says Hilgartner. If a partner is too late, it could be that a new candidate tries his luck. "Storks are very pragmatic." But if the old partner comes back after all, this leads to many a relationship dispute.