The storks in Vlaha have really given us a challenge this year in terms of interpreting what is happening in the nest. This year, things are not happening in Vlaha at all as they have in previous years.
But let's see what the video camera mounted above the nest has captured so far.
As we reported, the first stork arrived on March 21. It tidied up the nest, flew out to search for food, but spent most of the following days in the nest.
Between 1:03 and 2:11 p.m. on March 24, there were two storks in the nest, and one of the time-lapse images captured a moment of mating, but by the evening, only one of them remained.
The nest's occupant spent March 25 alone, flying out only occasionally, most likely to search for food.
On March 26, from 4:25 p.m., there were two storks in the nest, and they began mating several times, but it seemed as if they only got as far as the stork-on-stork position, with the male not squatting on the female. However, both storks remained in the nest for the night.
On March 27, they were together in the camera's field of view until noon, but shortly after midday they flew out and did not return for the night.
On March 28, from 1:38 p.m., one stork stood in the nest. It remained alone for the night.
On March 29, it spent the whole day alone. In the pouring rain, it flew out several times to feed, but always returned to the nest alone.
On March 30, the nest was empty in the morning, and its occupant did not even return for the night.
On March 31, at 12:44 p.m., a stork reappeared in the nest. Alone. It spent the night alone.
On April 1 at 7:25 a.m., a second stork appeared, but it did not stay long. According to the time-lapse images, most of the day was spent with just one stork in the nest. However, by evening, a second one had arrived. They were together for a while, but both flew off for the night.
On the morning of April 2, two storks landed on the nest again. They arranged the branches on the edge of the nest, but did not mate. They stayed there until 10:40 a.m., flying out several times, and then the nest was empty. At dusk, a stork landed on the nest for a few minutes, but did not stay there overnight.
Shortly after noon on April 3, a single stork arrived at the nest, followed by a second one at 1:45 p.m. According to one of the frames of the time-lapse, the one that arrived later was not welcomed warmly, and they were only together until 2:11 p.m. The afternoon and night passed in solitude for the nest's occupant.
On April 4, the camera saw only one stork, and it did not return for the night.
ight.
On April 5, in the afternoon, a stork landed in the nest of Vlaha, but only for a few minutes, and the nest remained empty during the windy, snowy night. If we try to interpret the situation, we cannot be sure that we have seen the same stork since March 21, in some instances with the same mate. It is also possible that it was various passing storks that have stayed in the nest alone for a time, and occasionally in couples. However, it seems increasingly likely that the disciplined, orderly stork life that Leske and Miska have shown us in recent years is now a thing of the past. This year, it seems that Leske has not returned to the nest. We must now hope that this beautiful home remains inhabited and continues to provide a home for a stork family that lays eggs, incubates them, and raises its offspring.