Stork Chicks Cope Well in Summer Drought
The four black storks, whose daily lives have been streamed live over the internet since they hatched in May, turned nine weeks old on July 27, and are coping well with the hot and dry summer weather, bird watchers said.
Rain has been scarce in western Estonia during the summer, but the storks have managed to catch enough fish and frogs from nearby waters, Urmas Sellis, a member of the eagle observers' club told uudised.err.ee.
Beside keeping an eye on the four stork chicks, bird enthusiasts have installed a camera right above the nest of two Lesser Spotted Eagles named Tuuli and Remo, whose addition to the family hatched in June. The baby eagle should start learning to fly in August - around the same time that the storks leave their nest, Sellis said.
It has not yet clear whether the bird-viewing cameras will still be around next year. "This filming project is voluntary and a bit expensive as well. The equipment needed would cost around 6,000 euros, if we were to buy it," said Sellis.
This year, bird watchers installed a total of four cameras, but two of the nests were not occupied.
Ingrid Teesalu