White storks slowly recovering in southern Italy

This is a white stork nest video from the Netherlands.

From ANSA news agency:

Italians help storks deliver chicks

Bird-lovers and energy giant tempt couples to nest in south

ROME – Storks are famous for ‘helping’ humans bring their young to the world, but the roles are being reversed in southern Italy thanks to the efforts of environmentalists and energy giant ENEL.

After centuries away from Italy, these magnificent birds are gradually returning here for their summer chick-rearing thanks to ‘nesting platforms’ set up at the top of electricity pylons in Calabria.

The platforms, mounted by the Italian Bird Protection League (LIPU) and ENEL, have helped take southern Italy’s stork population from zero to four couples over the last few years.

“The aim of the artificial platforms is to attract migrating couples to nest here,” said Roberto Santopaolo, one of the directors of the LIPU branch in the Calabrian town of Rende.

“Experience has shown us that areas which are seemingly ideal for this species frequently are not used because there aren’t any suitable sites for the storks to build their nests on”. Although the white stork has traditionally summered in spots across Europe, from Greece as far north as Estonia, the birds stopped nesting in Italy some 300 years ago, scared off by over-hunting and nest disturbances.

Similar problems in other parts of Europe have made life increasingly tough for the bird in recent decades, a situation exacerbated by chemical pollution and electrocution from power cables, which kill off up to 60% of migrating storks.

Another difficulty is general environmental degradation, which has resulted in a lack of trees in otherwise suitable nesting areas.

The first stork couple returned to Calabria in 1996.

Since then three more couples have joined them – the fourth arrived this week – thanks to the platforms.