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White Stork Project

@whitestorkproject

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A group of private landowners & conservation organisations working together to help white storks return to SE England

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Talking storks in Paris!

This month, the White Stork Project team travelled to Paris alongside our key partners at Cotswold Wildlife Park for the EAZA Annual Conference!

Bringing together zoological organisations from across Europe, the conference is an exciting opportunity to share knowledge, discuss current conservation challenges and strengthen collaborations.

Cotswold Wildlife Park is central to the White Stork Project’s work, breeding and rearing white storks for release as we work to establish a population in Britain. Attending the conference together gave us the chance to share our progress, exchange ideas with other European zoos and explore how collaboration strengthens conservation efforts.

Working with our partners and sharing ideas with other European zoos helps us learn from one another and other zoological and conservation bodies acorss Europe to continue improving our work together. Thank you to EAZA for hosting this inspirational event!

@eaza_official @cotswoldwildlifepark @kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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2 days ago

A first for the project, our longest recorded migration so far!

From the ground at Knepp to the south of Senegal. We’ve just had an incredible update from one of this year’s ground-nest chicks, GBDE.

After hatching on the ground at Knepp earlier this year, this young stork has now travelled all the way to southern Senegal on its first migration.

This is the furthest south we have ever recorded a White Stork Project bird. In previous years, the southernmost locations recorded for our tracked birds have been in Morocco. This bird has continued thousands of kilometres further south, across the Sahara and into the Sahel.

And we’ve been able to follow the journey thanks to the satellite tracker fitted while it was still at Knepp, allowing us to see the exact route selected by this stork.

Swipe through to see where this journey began, from a tiny chick on the ground at Knepp, to one of the most remarkable journeys we’ve recorded from one of our birds.

There’s still plenty more to learn as the migration continues, but for now, we’re pretty excited to see just how far this young stork has travelled.

@kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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13 days ago

Migration update!

The map is getting busier! We can now confirm that 20 of this year’s juvenile white storks have reached Morocco, completing the journey from Europe into Africa.

The map shows the routes these birds have taken so far, with the movements captured using E-Ring technology, which is new to the project this year. Most have followed remarkably similar routes south through France and Spain, before crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and arriving in Morocco in staggered groups over the past few weeks.

It’s still early in the migration journey, so stay tuned for more updates!

@kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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21 days ago

Sponsor a stork!

Our Stork Sponsorship is a fantastic symbolic way to show your support for the White Stork Project and help us continue our work to establish a self-sustaining population of white storks in Britain.

Your donation helps the whole colony at Knepp and beyond, allow us to invest in tracking and migration research and scientific projects, as well as community engagement and youth outreach.

Sponsorship is a one-off donation and you’ll receive a welcome pack with a printable sponsorship certificate, information about the project and exclusive updates throughout the year as the breeding season unfolds.
It also makes a lovely gift for the nature-loving person in your life, giving them a way to champion the project and its work.

Find out more about Sponsor a Stork on our website (link in bio)!

@kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

Final call to be our 2027 White Stork & Nature Festival Coordinator.

Applications close this Sunday – if you know someone who would be a great fit, now’s the time to point them our way!

We’re looking for a freelance Festival Coordinator to lead planning and delivery of the 2027 White Stork & Nature Festival, working with the White Stork Project team and Storrington Parish Council. This is a chance to work with exhibitors, volunteers, logistics and programme to bring together a brilliant day celebrating storks and nature’s comeback in Sussex.

Send a short CV (or summary of experience) plus a short outline on how you’d approach delivering the festival by Sunday 20 September.

Find out more and apply on our website, link in bio

@kneppwildland @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

Curious about the ground nest chicks at Knepp? Now you can see the nest from their perspective.

Back in May, while the chicks were still tiny, we captured something very special, a 360° view from right beside one of the ground nests at Knepp.

Created by the brilliant team at Ace Nature, this immersive footage lets you experience life from the storks’ perspective as the adults return to feed and care for their young.

Head over to our YouTube channel to watch the full video, and don’t forget to click and drag to look around. You can explore the nest in every direction and watch the storks from every angle.

A huge thank you to AceNature for creating this incredible experience and helping us bring people even closer to these remarkable birds.

🎥 Watch the full 360° video via the link in our bio and let us know what you spot!

@kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

From a ground nest at Knepp… to Morocco.

GBDE and GBDF, two brothers that hatched from a ground nest at @kneppwildland this spring, have now reached Morocco on their very first migration!

Throughout the summer, project staff and researchers, supervised by Professor Aldina Franco from the University of East Anglia, carried out regular measurements to monitor the chicks' growth and development. Before fledging, both brothers were fitted with satellite trackers, allowing us to follow their movements beyond the nest in remarkable detail.

So far, they've followed strikingly similar routes, travelling together from Sussex and Kent, across Europe and into Morocco.

The data from their trackers is helping us build a clearer picture of white stork migration, revealing how young birds navigate their first journey and the key places they rely on along the way.

Swipe to see how far these two have travelled, from a nest on the ground at Knepp to their wintering grounds in Morocco.

Stay tuned for more migration updates as the journey continues.

@kneppwildlandfdn @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

The storks have reached Morocco… and this is where many of them spend the winter.

These incredible photographs were taken by our friend Mustapha Abidi (@white_storck), who has been following the journeys of White Stork Project birds for many years.

While we're used to seeing storks foraging in the fields around Knepp, many migratory birds rely on landfill sites once they reach Morocco. Although far from an ideal habitat, these sites provide a vital and predictable food source, helping thousands of exhausted birds refuel after their long journey south.

As Mustapha explains, "It is the whole synergy of our ecosystem in Kénitra that makes this stopover work: the feeding area (the landfill), together with the nearby wetlands and open spaces where they come to drink, wash and rest safely." It's this combination of habitats that supports so many white storks spending the winter here before beginning their journey north again.

Mustapha, a retired vet, spends countless hours monitoring these sites, rescuing and rehabilitating injured storks and other wildlife, while keeping a watchful eye out for our project birds. Thanks to his dedication, we've been able to follow the journeys of many of our storks over the years and better understand what happens after they leave the UK.

Last year, members of the White Stork Project team travelled to Morocco to meet Mustapha, learn more about this remarkable wintering site and deliver veterinary supplies, generously donated by our partners at @cotswoldwildlifepark, to support his rehabilitation work.

A huge thank you to Mustapha for his tireless dedication to white stork conservation. We're incredibly proud to call him a friend of the project and look forward to continuing our collaboration and offering our support to protect these birds throughout their migratory flyway.

You can read more about the storks on the landfill in Mustapha’s own words in our recent blog on our website (link in bio).

@kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

Did you catch Isabella Tree's Tweet of the Day with the white stork?

In the penultimate instalment of her six-part series, Isabella celebrates this beloved migratory bird, reintroduced to Sussex after an absence of hundreds of years. Throwing their necks back and clattering their beaks in amorous display they produce one of the most distinctive sounds in the natural world.

Thanks to Hazel Reeves for the audio recording, captured at Knepp.

Catch up on BBC Radio 4. Link in bio. by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

Tune in tomorrow to hear Isabella Tree's Tweet of the Day, featuring the white stork.

The @whitestorkproject began in 2016, bringing storks back to Britain after an absence of hundreds of years. Now it's hard to imagine Knepp's the landscape without this charismatic bird bill-clattering from the treetops. Beloved across Europe and associated with fertility and good luck, for us the white stork is a sign of rebirth.

Catch the episode on BBC Radio 4, Sunday at 8:58am. by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

We're looking for a White Stork & Nature Festival Coordinator to help deliver one of Sussex's most exciting wildlife events!

The White Stork & Nature Festival celebrates the return of white storks to Sussex and the wider recovery of nature. We're looking for an experienced Festival Coordinator to lead the planning and delivery of the 2027 festival, working alongside the White Stork Project team and Storrington Parish Council.

This freelance opportunity is perfect for someone with experience delivering festivals or public events, who enjoys bringing people together and creating memorable visitor experiences. Whether it's coordinating exhibitors and volunteers, overseeing event logistics or helping shape the festival programme, you'll play a key role in making the day a success.

To apply, send us a short CV (or summary of your experience) and a brief outline of how you'd approach delivering the festival by Sunday 20 September.

Find out more and apply via the link in our bio!

Photo: White Stork and Nature Festival by Cam Parfitt @cam.parfitt Outdoor stall promoting The White Stork Project at the White Stork and Nature Festival in Sussex with people engaging and smiling, and educational displays under a blue canopy tent. by @whitestorkproject

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a month ago

That’s a wrap on this year’s live camera!

With both chicks now fledged and heading off on migration, it’s time for us to switch off the live stream until next breeding season.

What a season it’s been. From the first egg to hatching and those unforgettable first flights, the live camera has given us an incredible window into another successful year on this nest at Knepp.

A huge thank you to everyone who tuned in, shared your observations, and followed the journey of Greta and Bartek. And a special thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s data collection of live camera behavioural observations!
Your enthusiasm for these birds has been fantastic to see.

Although the camera is switching off for now, for chicks GBCD and GBCE’s, the journey is just beginning. Along with many of year’s young storks already across Europe on their first migration. We’ll continue sharing updates as they travel across Europe and beyond.

Thank you for joining us, we’re thrilled that Greta and Bartek had a successful season.

You can catch up on any action you missed on our YouTube Channel (link in bio).

@kneppwildland @kneppwildlandfdn @cotswoldwildlifepark @roydenniswildlifefoundation by @whitestorkproject

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2 months ago