Storks are considered a national symbol in Poland, which until recently was their largest European nesting ground, with around 20-25% of the world’s population coming there. The birds’ large nests are a distinctive feature of the Polish landscape.
The animals fly thousands of kilometres south to Africa for the European winter. However, in Kruszwica one has stayed behind. Residents are unsure if it is a “local” - from among the storks that nest in the village in the summer - or a visitor who stopped on the way from elsewhere. Every year a small number of storks do stay in Poland for the winter.
However, while they have primarily been sick or weak birds - for example those that hatched late and were too young to fly away in August - an increasing number of healthy ones now choose not to migrate.
The stork's stay in Kruszwica is being monitored by the rangers from the Kruszwica national Park, who want to catch the bird but until now did not manage do do so, said Andrzej Sieradzki, the park's director.
Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska reports.
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