Rednitzhembach (dpa / lby) – Numerous storks are currently stalking through the water meadows of the Middle Franconian Rednitztal. “The migration season is currently beginning, which means that the storks are gathering in small and large groups in the valley meadows, sometimes up to 100 or even 200 storks can be seen there for days,” explained the stork expert of the State Association for Bird Protection, Oda Wieding, on Friday. The water meadows in the Rednitzgrund south of Nuremberg are a popular meeting place.
Water meadows are an old agricultural culture. Water is distributed over the meadows via a ditch system, which brings rich booty to the storks. “Mice, earthworms, grasshoppers, etc. flee from the water and can be easily collected at the edges,” explained Wieding. The stock of storks in the Free State has increased in recent years, to more than 1000 breeding pairs in Bavaria.
Many animals fly south together in large flocks at the end of summer. The young storks get to know the best resting places, wooded areas for good thermals or valleys and ridges for orientation from the experienced parent storks.
