I wouldn't say I was sick of introductions, but they do distract attention from the real issue, i.e. the demise of our 'common' birds. I'd rather be able to still record, lesser spotted woodpecker, whinchat, wood warbler, redstart, yellowhammer and many more, as breeding birds in the Stockport area. White storks are never going to nest in Greater Manchester, and quite soon neither will starling, house martin and swift unless we get our priorities right, which we won't.
Exactly, Andy.
But the declining birds you mention don't have bird tourist potential.
Plus, reintroductions may be expensive but not as expensive as reforming our agricultural policy!
The only occasion I ever saw some white storks was in the Camargue in the mid-1980's
Just recently, I decided to "untick" this sighting because I now have a nagging suspicion that these birds that I saw could have been of doubtful origin. I now think these birds might have been semi-captive or introduced birds.
Please does anyone have any knowledge of the status of the stork in the Camargue.
-- Edited by Ian Chisnall on Friday 28th of July 2017 10:05:03 PM
-- Edited by Ian Chisnall on Friday 28th of July 2017 10:16:04 PM
-- Edited by Ian Chisnall on Friday 28th of July 2017 10:17:40 PM
I wouldn't say I was sick of introductions, but they do distract attention from the real issue, i.e. the demise of our 'common' birds. I'd rather be able to still record, lesser spotted woodpecker, whinchat, wood warbler, redstart, yellowhammer and many more, as breeding birds in the Stockport area. White storks are never going to nest in Greater Manchester, and quite soon neither will starling, house martin and swift unless we get our priorities right, which we won't.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 30th of July 2017 05:57:26 PM
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"Although approximately 20 migrant white storks are spotted in England every year, their unique breeding requirements mean that an active process of reintroduction is needed to re-establish them here."
Maybe I'm wrong but I think this is total rubbish. Provide the habitat and they will recolonise naturally if they want to.
Am I the only one who is getting sick and tired of constant "reintroductions", most of which are unnecessary?
The planned Sussex scheme seems a bit gimmicky. Out of interest, does anybody know whether there are still free-flying White Storks at Harewood House, Leeds? Haven't heard of birds wandering from there for a few years, which was always the place from which many White Stork records were said to have originated. It's not a place I've ever been to. Where did the Storks live on the site and were they deliberately allowed to be free-flying? Presumably as a species on the British list there's no law prohibiting that?
