Latest news with #YanSwiderski
ITV News
19-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
White storks hatch in Cornwall as part of rewilding project
A charity set up to bring storks back to Cornwall is celebrating its first successes with 8 chicks born in the county. Cornwall Stork Project aims to re-introduce the birds which died out in the UK in the 1400s. Farmer Yan Swiderski has started the breeding programme in woodland near Wadebridge. Mr Swiderski said: 'They get imprinted on the first place that they fly from, and that's where they want to go back to and they recognize that as home. "So they're born in Cornwall and they first fly from Cornwall, they will go back to that exact location in Cornwall and they will know themselves as Cornish birds. "They are beautiful, charismatic birds which engage people with nature. They're like totems of natural recovery. "When people see them wheeling in the thermals of the late summer skies, they'll go look, wow, look at those amazing birds, it just engages people with nature, what I would call a flagship species." It's hoped the 8 chicks will mark the start of a wild breeding population when they are released. Mr Swiderski added: 'We set up a registered charity to do that because we need funds to build the enclosures, buy the birds, then feed them and continue with the project for several years to keep adding to the wild population. "To build an enclosure costs about £8,000 to £10,000 and because there are not native birds, we're having to import birds from mainland Europe where they're plentiful and really we want to import birds at breeding age. "So it's quite an expensive process, but we're trying to raise initially £20,000 to continue our work. We have already raised a small amount. We've raised about £7,000 so far.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
White storks hatch in Cornwall in rewilding plan
A farmer is nurturing a brood of white stork chicks as part of a charity's aim to reintroduce them in the county. Yan Swiderski has welcomed eight stork chicks from the adults he keeps in a woodland near Wadebridge as part of work by the Cornwall Stork Project. Wildlife expert Chris Packham said the project was "exciting" as it would "hopefully recolonise Cornwall" with the birds. The first wild white stork chicks in the UK for hundreds of years hatched at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex in 2020. Wildlife expert Chris Packham said reintroducing storks was "something that's not easy to do". He said: "You can't just get some storks and let them go in the UK because they will only return to where they were hatched. "This is what is so exciting about the storks in Wadebridge. "Because those storks have hatched there, when they're released they'll have a yearn to return to Wadebridge or the surrounding area which will mean they will hopefully recolonise Cornwall." White storks have been seen flying across Cornwall as they migrate south. Mr Packham said migration was tough as some storks could be hunted and some affected by natural catastrophes. "This is a project which needs to run for a number of years to get those numbers up because there will be natural mortality. "So the idea that all eight of these storks that migrate away when they're released will make it back is a little fanciful." Storks are slow to mature, he added, so breeding would take a while. A few of the chicks born near Wadebridge were fragile and needed specialist care from the nearby Screech Owl Sanctuary. Karen Hopkins, who is caring for them, said: "The hope is that these lovely birds will fly over the Cornish skies and we can be a small part of that process by giving them the food they need at this young age." More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ The UK has its very first 'stork village' Stork breeding programme has most successful year Wild white stork chicks due to hatch Cornwall Stork Project
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
White storks hatch in Cornwall in rewilding plan
A farmer is nurturing a brood of white stork chicks as part of a charity's aim to reintroduce them in the county. Yan Swiderski has welcomed eight stork chicks from the adults he keeps in a woodland near Wadebridge as part of work by the Cornwall Stork Project. Wildlife expert Chris Packham said the project was "exciting" as it would "hopefully recolonise Cornwall" with the birds. The first wild white stork chicks in the UK for hundreds of years hatched at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex in 2020. Wildlife expert Chris Packham said reintroducing storks was "something that's not easy to do". He said: "You can't just get some storks and let them go in the UK because they will only return to where they were hatched. "This is what is so exciting about the storks in Wadebridge. "Because those storks have hatched there, when they're released they'll have a yearn to return to Wadebridge or the surrounding area which will mean they will hopefully recolonise Cornwall." White storks have been seen flying across Cornwall as they migrate south. Mr Packham said migration was tough as some storks could be hunted and some affected by natural catastrophes. "This is a project which needs to run for a number of years to get those numbers up because there will be natural mortality. "So the idea that all eight of these storks that migrate away when they're released will make it back is a little fanciful." Storks are slow to mature, he added, so breeding would take a while. A few of the chicks born near Wadebridge were fragile and needed specialist care from the nearby Screech Owl Sanctuary. Karen Hopkins, who is caring for them, said: "The hope is that these lovely birds will fly over the Cornish skies and we can be a small part of that process by giving them the food they need at this young age." More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ The UK has its very first 'stork village' Stork breeding programme has most successful year Wild white stork chicks due to hatch Cornwall Stork Project
BBC News
19-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
White storks hatch in Cornwall in rewilding plan
A farmer is nurturing a brood of white storks chicks as part of a charity's aim to reintroduce them in the Swiderski has welcomed eight stork chicks from the adults he keeps in a woodland near Wadebridge as part of work by the Cornwall Stork expert Chris Packham said the project was "exciting" as it would "hopefully recolonise Cornwall" with the first wild white stork chicks in the UK for hundreds of years hatched at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex in 2020. Wildlife expert Chris Packham said reintroducing storks was "something that's not easy to do".He said: "You can't just get some storks and let them go in the UK because they will only return to where they were hatched."This is what is so exciting about the storks in Wadebridge."Because those storks have hatched there, when they're released they'll have a yearn to return to Wadebridge or the surrounding area which will mean they will hopefully recolonise Cornwall."White storks have been seen flying across Cornwall as they migrate Packham said migration was tough as some storks could be hunted and some affected by natural catastrophes."This is a project which needs to run for a number of years to get those numbers up because there will be natural mortality."So the idea that all eight of these storks that migrate away when they're released will make it back is a little fanciful."Storks are slow to mature, he added, so breeding would take a while. A few of the chicks born near Wadebridge were fragile and needed specialist care from the nearby Screech Owl Sanctuary. Karen Hopkins, who is caring for them, said: "The hope is that these lovely birds will fly over the Cornish skies and we can be a small part of that process by giving them the food they need at this young age."
