Warsaw - Poles can expect an early and very cold winter, according to a leading Polish ornithologist observing the early migrations of white storks from wetlands in Poland to their wintering grounds in Africa. If storks begin to head south before the August 24 feast of St Bartholomew, an early and frosty winter is more than certain to follow, stork researcher Professor Leszek Jerzak told the Polish PAP news agency Friday.
Jerzak notes that storks began to take off to Africa in mid-August this year, this despite the fact they enjoyed ample supplies of food this summer. This, in turn, saw a breeding boom with up to five young birds being hatched to a nest.
"This is really an impressive result. Now storks hatched this year have another big challenge - the long journey south to warm lands, which unfortunately will not be successful for all," Jerzak said.
Storks born this year are the first to begin their two-month, 10,000 kilometre migration to Africa, while their parents following at a later date, he notes.
"The incredible thing is that the young ones find their own way to the wintering grounds completely unaided," Jerzak marvels. Some believe the birds tap into the earth's magnetic fields for guidance.
After spending roughly a month feeding mostly on African locusts, adult storks will begin their journey north, back to the nests they left behind just a few months ago. The first storks usually arrive in Poland in March.
Younger birds stay in Africa for around three years to mature before flying back north to nest, according to the expert.
Some birds fall prey to animals, while others are hunted by African tribesmen for food, says Jerzak.
"Sometimes it happens that storks arrive in Poland with arrows piercing their wings - We can tell which tribe was hunting by the type of arrow," according to the professor.
Poland is the summer home of the largest number of white storks in Europe with a 2004 census counting 50,000 mating pairs, or about a quarter of the world's entire stork population.
