Three juvenile white storks have arrived at Willington Wetlands in Derbyshire, marking their return to the Midlands after an absence of more than 600 years. The trio, consisting of one male, one female, and one of undetermined sex, were bred at Celtic Rewilding's captive breeding facility in Staffordshire before being moved to their new, purpose-built enclosure.
Conservationists are hopeful that the presence of these storks will act as a "magnet flock" to attract wild birds migrating through the Trent Valley, encouraging them to settle and establish a healthy breeding population. White storks disappeared from Derbyshire and the Midlands around the 14th century, primarily due to habitat loss and hunting.
Katie Last, living landscape officer for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, stated that seeing white storks back at Willington feels like a significant milestone after years of landscape restoration. The project's next aim is to achieve a sustainable population that can live outside the enclosure and be seen flying through the landscape.
The £309,000 project was funded by the Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund. The 40-hectare Willington Wetlands site, previously gravel pits, has undergone years of restoration to create wet grassland, open pools, and reed beds, providing ideal conditions for storks.