Knokke (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A young stork from Zwin Nature Park in Knokke skipped its usual migration to Africa and instead spent winter at a landfill site in northern France.
The Zwin attaches new storks with transmitters each year. One young stork was only 100 kilometers away from home, which is the transmitter study’s most startling discovery.
As migrating birds, storks head south for the winter at the end of August. They occasionally even travel 4,000 kilometers to reach Mali. For years, the Zwin Nature Park has been studying this migration, including the storks’ flight altitude, destination, and duration of stay. The Zwin has been giving transmitters to young, new storks every year for the past seven years.
“We made a remarkable discovery this year,”
says director Ina De Wasch.
“A young stork born last year in the Zwin National Park ended up 100 kilometers from the Zwin last winter, at a landfill in Blaringem, northern France. He foraged there and stayed there all winter, among older storks.”
“Storks have an innate migratory instinct,”
explains researcher Wouter Faveyts.
“But they’re also social animals. They adapt easily. They discover that food is readily available at waste processing sites across Europe. That’s where they stay.”
“So as storks get older, they stay closer to home and no longer migrate all the way to Africa,”
De Wasch continues.
“The older they get, the less far they migrate, was an earlier conclusion from our transmitter project. But a young stork always migrates far away. So for a young stork, it’s truly exceptional that it stayed so close.”
So far, only one young stork hasn’t migrated far.
“We’re very curious to see if he’ll become a trendsetter,”
wonders Favetts.
“For now, he’s the exception to the rule, deciding at such a young age that Northern France is good enough. This spring, we fitted eight young storks with transmitters. And of course, we’re very curious to see what these eight will do. Most of them will probably migrate very far.”
“The fact that they’re overwintering on a landfill close to home isn’t great news for the young storks’ health,”
Wouter Faveyts continues.
“They’re eating junk food on the landfill, food that’s not very healthy. And what’s more, they can ingest plastic or get entangled in it,
Comments
10 responses to “Young Stork from Knokke Discovered at French Landfill”
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Not surprised, really—who wouldn’t want to swap a sunny African winter for the delightful aroma of a French landfill? At least he’s staying trendy with the ‘staycation’ vibe. 😂
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Looks like this young lad from Knokke decided that a French landfill beats a safari in Mali—who needs a sun-soaked retreat when you can feast on gourmet trash? 🗑️🦩 Typical millennial, just looking for the easiest option! 😂
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Staying local in a landfill? Talk about redefining “staycation”! At this rate, the French are going to have to start offering stork-friendly gourmet bins! 😅🦩
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So, this young stork thinks a landfill in France is the place to be instead of the sunny vibes of Africa? Must be a real connoisseur of fine cuisine! 😂🙈
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Seems like this young stork thought, “Why bother with a long haul to Africa when you can have a winter getaway at a French landfill?” 😂 Talk about taking the scenic route!
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Looks like this young stork found the ultimate staycation spot at a French landfill instead of the sunny shores of Africa. Who knew that foraging for rubbish could be the new trendy migration plan? 😂🏖️
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Seems like this young stork found the French version of a holiday resort—who needs Africa when there’s a landfill buffet just down the road? 🥳🍗
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A young stork choosing a landfill over the sunny African coast? Must be the latest trend in avian hipsterism—who needs migration when there’s all-you-can-eat rubbish just down the road? 😂🗑️
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Nothing screams “adventurous spirit” quite like a young stork opting for a cozy landfill over the sunny climes of Africa. Must be a new trend in eco-friendly dining, eh? 🥴🍽️
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Seems like this young stork decided that a posh landfill in France beats a long trek to Africa. Talk about a culinary choice, right? 🥴🐦
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Seems like this young stork from Knokke has embraced the true European spirit: why fly thousands of kilometers when you can chill at a French landfill? 🌍🗑️ Talk about a staycation gone wrong!
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