How to help storks that will spend the winter in Poland?

This year, stork assemblies have been gathering since the end of July, which means the birds are leaving – the General Directorate for Environmental Protection reported. Some of the birds have already left Poland at the turn of July and August. Those that have remained are feeding in meadows and fields, preparing for their journey. Their nests will soon be empty. As the directorate noted, not all storks will fly out of Poland. Young from late clutches or weaker individuals that have not managed to learn to fly will remain in place. – We record cases of storks that, for various reasons, spend the winter in our country every year – the GDOŚ added.

GDOŚ pointed out that before deciding to help, it should be remembered that the white stork is a wild animal, and that one should remain calm and distant. As the “Bocian” Nature Society writes in the “White Stork Protection Guide”, after seeing a wintering stork in Poland, it is worth making sure whether it is healthy or injured. It is necessary to check whether the bird has visible signs of injury (e.g. blood), whether it is limping, holding asymmetrically or even dragging one of its wings, flying away in case of danger, or just running away. It is worth paying attention to whether the bird is sleeping on high objects (ensuring its safety), or whether it is unable to fly efficiently and sleeps on the ground. The guide indicates that wintering storks usually feed in fields and if it is not necessary, one should not attempt to catch them until the first frost; by then they should have enough food. The management stressed that attempts to capture a healthy bird are illegal because under the law, the capture and transport of a protected animal that is not injured requires the consent of the relevant body.

A healthy stork can only be fed, which also allows for observation of its health. It is worth paying attention to the place where you leave the food – it must be safe for the stork, eliminating competition with dogs, cats or foxes, for example. Storks will happily eat, among other things, freshwater fish (measuring 10-15 centimetres), poultry and beef hearts (the latter only in pieces) and rodents (not poisoned). However, you cannot feed them with, among other things, liver, cold cuts, cereal products, sweets or sea fish. As GDOŚ reported, if you notice that the bird is clearly weak or sick, you should immediately try to catch it and bring it to the nearest rehabilitation centre. She noted that even an injured bird, if it is in good enough condition, will try to escape and will not let itself get close.