Hundreds of storks flood Hooge and Lage Mierde: ‘So cool!’

At the end of Monday afternoon, the storks settled there, according to local residents, there were at least two hundred birds. Tuesday morning, a large part was still there.

“This is the time of year when the storks migrate south,” nods forester Frans Kapteijns. “But the route they take is something to wait and see every year. Two years ago, for example, they gathered south of Tilburg. Where they gather depends on the weather and the wind direction.”

But not all birds go south, the forester explains. “There are also storks that were born here, in so-called migration stations. In general, they often stay here.”

Frans is a bit surprised about the moment the storks decided to move south. “After all the rain of the last few days, there are many amphibians. They like to eat them. So there is enough food for the storks,” he explains. And yet they go on a journey. “But they prefer to eat insects. And there are really very few of them. So they continue to the south anyway.”

The lack of insects for the storks is a result of climate change, says Frans. “This is due to climate change and the poor quality of nature in the Netherlands. Due to all the nitrogen and the use of pesticides.”

Jettie Melchers wanted to see the storks with her own eyes and picked up her bike early Tuesday morning. She narrowed her eyes. “Do you know how many there are? This is so beautiful! We read that the storks had settled here and thought: we have to go there! We got out of bed and drove here. So cool!”

“You rarely see such a whole group of storks gather to continue their journey,” says Jettie. She sees the storks are very calm. “They are warming up,” says Jettie. “They really want to get away from it all, but then the temperature has to be a bit higher.”