Storks are returning to Poland. Ornithologists prepare nests for their arrival

The Masurian Landscape Park is pleased to announce the return of the stork Krutek from his adventure-filled winter migration to Africa. Soon more white storks and their black cousins will arrive in the country. The Eagle Conservation Committee reminds that this is the right time to repair and rebuild their nests. The success of the spring breeding season depends on how well the nests are prepared.

Krutek has returned – the Masurian hero is safe

Throughout the winter, stork enthusiasts had the opportunity to follow the remarkable fate of Krutek, a legendary resident of the Masurian Landscape Park. As a chick, he fell out of the nest and was taken to the Stork Rehabilitation Center at the park. Equipped with a GPS transmitter, the bird travels south every year for the season, and his journey is reported in social media to the delight of his many fans.

This year the journey was not without emotion. On October 22, the signal from the Masurian stork’s transmitter disappeared, causing concern among observers. Today we know that he spent the end of the year in the Sharm el-Sheikh region of Egypt. On January 4, the transmitter became active again, providing a completely new location: the Israeli town of Massu’a in the Jordan Valley. From there Krutek set off on his journey home, flying through Turkey and Bulgaria.

After several days of rest in Romania, the stork reached Ukraine on February 20, from where he began the final stage of his journey to Poland. On Monday morning he was found in a state of complete exhaustion by a roadside in Jedwabno in Szczytno County. Thanks to the quick reaction of the people who spotted him, he was taken to the Periodic Stork Rehabilitation Center in Krutyń, where he is recovering under attentive care. In a few days, the stork will most likely return to his nest.

Bociek Krutek jest wycieńczony i przebywa na obserwacji w Ośrodku Okresowej Rehabilitacji Bocianów. Ten ptak-celebryta stał się znany dzięki monitorowaniu jego tras migracji za pomocą nadajnika GPS. 👍https://t.co/Qu5BD77s8p

— Radio Olsztyn (@RadioOlsztyn) February 23, 2026

Storks face growing challenges

Experts point out that in the era of climate change and intense landscape transformation, winter migrations of storks are becoming increasingly difficult and risky. Some birds give up the journey altogether due to higher autumn temperatures, which can also be dangerous. The unexpected arrival of frost and snowstorms may prove fatal for them.

Storks that do migrate are also changing their habits. They are modifying migration routes, and their returns to the country are happening earlier and earlier, raising concerns about the availability of natural food. Krutek is currently being fed at the rehabilitation center, but many other birds are doomed to starvation or to foraging among rubbish.

Tracked by the BocianiMy portal, a young black stork named Kinderek was misled by local weather conditions and set off on his journey to warmer regions too late, only on December 8. After covering 520 km, he died of hunger and exhaustion about 20 km from Lake Balaton in Hungary.

Nest preparation as the foundation of breeding success

For years, storks return to the same nests, remaining faithful not only to their home but also to their partner. Usually males arrive first and spend the first days rebuilding nests after winter storms. However, in a state of hunger and exhaustion, they do not always have the strength to do so.

The Eagle Conservation Committee has been repairing and stabilizing black stork nests for years. Thanks to the commitment of ornithologists, for 25 years it has been possible to maintain a valuable habitat in the Noteć Forest. Last year, as many as four chicks were born in the nest in Sieraków. Experts from the committee are appealing to forest districts to inspect nests, offering technical and substantive support. Repairs can only be carried out until mid-March, as later intervention risks disturbing the birds.