Polish black stork reached Nigeria – an impressive flight over the Sahara

A black stork from the Kutno Forest District covered more than 6,500 km on its autumn migration to Africa. The brave bird definitely deserves applause, but many of its kin were not so lucky. Ornithologists observing black storks point out the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Southern route – only for the bravest

The remarkable feat of the Polish black stork was reported on October 28 by the BocianiMy portal, which monitors the Ciconia nigra population in Poland. According to ornithologists, migrations to Africa are extremely dangerous, and many birds do not survive the journey. The expedition of the Łódź-region stork is particularly exceptional because it chose the southern route, which requires crossing a vast distance over open water. Flights over land are generally easier, as they allow birds to use thermal updrafts and thus save energy.

The entire journey lasted 75 days and covered 6,459 km. After leaving Poland, the stork flew southwest, then south, reaching the tip of the Peloponnese Peninsula. From there, it began the most difficult part of its flight – in 17 hours it crossed more than 500 km over the Mediterranean Sea, staying low over the water and taking advantage of favorable winds.

Our hero reached Libya on October 17 at 1 a.m., but did not rest for long. The next stage of its migration lasted 11 days and involved covering 2,392 km over the endless sands of the Sahara. Data from the electronic tag (the so-called logger) shows that at times the bird soared as high as 1,200 m above the desert surface. On October 28, the Polish black stork landed safely in Nigeria.

Black stork under special supervision

We were able to observe the success of the Kutno stork thanks to the GPS-GSM logger it received from ornithologists of the Eagle Conservation Committee (KOO). The device not only tracks the flight path but also transmits data on altitude and air temperature. This information helps to better understand bird migrations and to protect valuable species more effectively – which is particularly important in the context of the rapid development of wind farms.

Between 2017 and 2020, the Forest Experimental Station of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SSGW) in Rogów, in cooperation with KOO, carried out a nationwide project titled BocianiMy in Forests. Good practices for the protection and management of the black stork population in forest areas. The project made it possible to monitor and protect nesting sites in 47 forest districts and 17 promotional forest complexes. But that was not the end.

Each year, KOO ornithologists continue to tag black storks with rings and loggers – this year alone, a total of 121 chicks were ringed, mainly in the Łódź, Mazovia, Greater Poland, and Świętokrzyskie provinces.

A stork’s life is not easy

The black stork from the Kutno Forest District is undoubtedly a tough one, but it was also quite lucky. Many birds do not survive the migration south, drowning in sea waves, dying from wind turbine collisions, or collapsing from exhaustion while flying over deserts or mountains. Sometimes, climate change also gets in the way.

In September, ornithologists from BocianiMy reported an unusual case of a female named Skierka flying from her wintering ground in Greece… back north to Hungary. The likely cause of this strange behavior was a lack of food resulting from heatwaves and wildfires on the Balkan Peninsula.

Even staying in Poland is not easy for black storks. During this year’s bird-ringing campaign, KOO ornithologists recorded several cases of chick starvation, most likely caused by hydrological drought, as well as a significant decrease in the number of breeding pairs. This breeding season was not a good one for many stork pairs, which may be the result of a long series of dry years, the disappearance of wet habitats, the drying up of streams, and, consequently, a decline in prey abundance – summarize the ornithologists from BocianiMy.