Przemysław Wylegała, Michał Przystański, Sławomir Mielczarek
Ornis Polonica 2026, 67: 43-50
https://doi.org/10.12657/ornis.2026.1.3
Abstract: In July 2025, an inventory of White Stork Ciconia ciconia nests was conducted in an area of 794 km² of the Natura 2000 Special Protection Area Middle Warta Valley. The study area was delineated using a 1 × 1 km grid. A total of 329 nests were recorded in the study area, including 267 occupied by breeding pairs, and the average density was 33.6 pairs/100 km². Excluding the western part of the area encompassing the Czeszewskie Forests (124 km²), the density was 37.9 pairs/100 km². Occupied nests were found in 223 1 × 1 km squares (22.9% of all), with 1 to 4 pairs per square recorded. Nests with 3 and 2 young predominated (27.7 and 26.4% of nests with young, respectively). Occupied nests were most often located on poles (92.9%), mainly power poles with platforms (70.8%). The study area, together with the Noteć and lower Warta valleys, is the most important refuge of the species in western Poland.
Keywords: abundance, distribution, Natura 2000 Special Protection Area, White Stork
