When the end of the Summer is getting nearer the Alsatian storks are gathering for their yearly long trip to the south … My fascination withthe storkgoes back to childhood. It wasa birdwhichwas much talked aboutin the books, especiallythe talesand legends. On the contrary, whenI was a child,it was very rare tosee the storks in reality. And for a good reason: in the years 1960-70, the storks of Alsacehad almost disappearedfrom the region.
Fortunately,ornithologists andenthusiasts,fans of thestork,were mobilized torescue theemblematic birdof Alsace and, for the past50 years havedone a remarkable job. The white stork, the magnificentwhitewader,black and red,summercrowning ofhigh roofsof Alsacesince the MiddleAges, has returned: nearly 800 couples nestin the areaagain!
The stork, emblematic birdof Alsace
The White Stork(Ciconia ciconia)is a largewadingbirdspeciesof the familyCiconiidae. Its feathers mainlywhite,with black onthe wings.Adults havelong redlegs and a long straight red beak. They are on average100 to 115cm from thetip of the beakto thetip of the tailwith a wingspanbetween 155and 215cm.
The White Stork of Alsaceisa great traveler. Ittraditionallywinters intropical areasof sub-SaharanAfrica.The storkis essentiallya glider, allowing it to coverhugedistances usingthermalsofwarm air currents. At itsmigrationbetween Alsaceand Africa, it avoids the crossingof the Mediterranean Seaby makinga detourto the west bythe Strait of Gibraltarsince the currentsof airascendantsit needsare not formedabovewater.Neither during the night.Which forces the storksto stopevery night…
TheWhite Storkhasa carnivorous dietand consumesa wide range ofanimal prey: insects, mollusks,various otherinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and small birds.She findsmostof its foodon the ground,amonglow vegetation, andin shallowwater.
The Rhine Valleyand the plain ofRied — especially at a time whenthe non-channeled river (before 1850)behavedmuch likethe Nilewith regularflooding —isideal forthe storksthat favorsgrasslandsto find their food, oftenin the vicinityof rivers, swamps andfloodplains.
A millennialfascination for storks…
The storksfly overthe planetlong agoand even beforeman have made its appearance. It is aprehistoric bird…We foundsome ofthe right humerusfossilof a storkonRusinga Islandin Lake Victoria, Kenya. Foundin geologicallayersdating from theMiocene, this fossildates back24 to6 million years!
In ancient Egypt, the storkwas associated with thebâ, the “soul” of whichshe wasthe hieroglyph. In Hebrew,the storkevokeskindness and mercy.The birdis known to behelpful withother membersof its species.The Greek andRomanmythologiesdepictstorksasmodels forcompliance withtheir parents,who do notdie of old agebutfly to someislands andtake the appearanceof human beings…
… a birdof good omen, protectiveandlucky charm.
In the Germaniccountries, storks were protectedbecause theirsouls werecalled human; the presenceof a neston a housewas supposed toprotect the place of fires.
“Blessed is thehomechosen bythe storktomake its nestbecausethelightning will spare. “So the day and the nightof St. Johnthe Baptist (24 June 1007), a big stormof lightning fell onthe Strasbourg Cathedralandoccasionedgreat damage. TheLarousse Encyclopediatellsus: “This beliefis so strongin 1007that the workerswho workin the reconstruction ofthe Strasbourg Cathedral, partially destroyedby lightning,stoptheir workfor fearthat lightningstrikes again. They resumeonly when a couple of storkstook residence onthe scaffolding… “ Refhttp://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/vie-sauvage/cigogne_blanche/184835
Throughout theRhine valley,to the Netherlands, people encouragedstorksnesting onthe houses tobring them luck, sometimesby buildingplatformsas a support. In EasternEurope, it was thought thatnestingstorkson a housewould bringharmonyto the family,avillage withmany of thesebirds would make a goodharvest, andthat the animal couldpredict the weather: agitation among the storkwasomenof bad weather,if the bird was standingon one leghe wouldbe cold, and if he slammed its beakthe day would besunny.
The storkin Alsaceis present onseveral documentsfrom the Middle Ages. Severalhistorical referencesemanate from the Annalsof Dominican of Colmardating fromthe late 13thcentury.This manuscriptis a sort ofvery concisenewspaper whichin one sentence,somein the form ofmemo, list each notable developmentof the year.Many timeswe find thearrivalofstorksin spring, when they leaveor other eventsthat affect them…
It is thestorkthat bringsbabies…
TheWhite Storkis responsible for providingbabiesto young parents. This mythprobablyhas a very ancientorigin.
TheGermanicfolklorereported thatstorkswould find babiesin cavesorswampsand would bring themto householdsin a basketon theirback orbyholding them in their beaks. The caveswerethenbelieved to containtheadebarsteineor “stork stone” but the birds couldalso findchildren inKindelsbrunnenor “fountain children” in German. Newbornswere directlygiven to the motherorreleased intothe chimney.Couples wantinga childcould placesweets forthe storkon thewindowsill.
Where to see storks in Alsace?
Onthe Alsatianroofsand steeples, hugestorknestsareforming impressivecrowns. I knowonly recently(thanks toa visit to the“stork park” at Hunawihr), the weightof such anest cansometimes reacha ton. This requires thatthe hosting roof structureis solid!
Ribeauvillé — Onthe wine routeof Alsace, In Ribeauvillé, there are severalnests.Thesestorkshave losttheir migratoryinstincts andmust be fedby thetourist office, at leastI suspect🙂 Iregularlyobserved them when passing by throughoutthe year,and always withthe same pleasure.
Ecomusée d’Alsace — TheAlsace Living Museum, having been one of thepilot sitesfor the reintroductionof the stork, now housesone of thelargest populations ofstorksin the regionwith about thirtycouples.You canobserve manynests onthe roofs of houses. They are almost alloccupied bycouples returningto nesteach year…
45StorkVillagesin Alsace — The network“Stork Village of Alsace”wasestablishedin October 2009.To join, municipalities have to sign a charterand are committed topromote the receptionofstorksby setting upand maintainingone or morenestson the territoryof the municipalityand to supportor undertakeconservation actionfor the specieswhile informing thepublic.Since its launch,45 municipalitieshave signedthe charter.Itcan be recognized byasign shownat villageentrances.
Hunawihr,thereintroduction centerof the stork — Originally, the Centre was exclusivelyacaptivebreeding siteforWhite Storks. Dedicated tosavethe iconicstorkthe centre was establishedin Alsacein 1976 in the villageof Hunawihr, just near Riquewihr (2 kilometers only). This is whereJacquesand Jean-Claude Renaud, creatorsof theEagle ParkinKintzheim,manage to finda technique to“repopulate” Alsace… Today, the “Centre for the reintroductionof theStork”isa wildlife parkthat hasexpanded its activitiesto otherendangered species. It is alsoa leisure area, but above alla place wherewe become awareof the threatsput on nature andthe need tosave it.A visit not tobe missedwhen visitingAlsace.Spring isparticularly interesting becauseit is the seasonforbreeding. We will havethe opportunitytodevotea full article.
Accommodation for your stayin the land ofthe stork…
From smallstudios to largeluxury apartments(the most beautifulis called theWhite Storkprecisely), les Remparts de Riquewihr offer15 charmingapartments foryour stay in Alsace–14 holidayapartmentsin Riquewihrand1 in LaVancelleAlsace.