Storks are on their way home; their arrival is expected in the second half of March. In the southern part of Romania, some couples have already arrived, and soon, they are expected to arrive in Szeklerland too.
Most of the storks may arrive at the end of March — if the weather is good and the wind blows, the airflow will help them. When they arrive, they will also have something to eat; finding food will not be a big problem for them. If the weather is bad or it snows, this could hurt them.
Storks typically live in lowlands, and until the 18th century, they did not even exist in the Szeklerland region. Ethnographist Balázs Orbán says the black stork appeared in the 19th century, while the white stork settled down only after that period. From the increase in their numbers, it can be concluded that they have come to like this region. In the last two decades, the number of storks has doubled in Szeklerland. There are a bunch of meadows in this region that are home to a great variety of insects, mostly grasshoppers, which are the main food source for storks.
In Maros County, the places with the highest number of storks are Sáromberke/Dumbrăvioara, Sárpatak/Șapartoc and Gernyeszeg/Gornești.
The Romanian stork population consists of some 5,000-6,000 pairs. They have been moving to higher elevations, perhaps due to climate change, and continue to seek wet, humid places to nest. Mostly, this is why they prefer the Ciuc and Gheorgheni basins.
Related: Ringing of the white storks of Transylvania
Featured photo: 24.hu
