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Black Storks Appreciate the Nest Built by LVM Experts

Successful nesting of storks has been found in a nest built by JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM) experts in Southern Latgale region. The nest is large and stable enough for three young storks to feel safe in it.

“In 2016, the tree branch on which black storks had made their nest broke off. In order to improve the nesting success of storks in the established micro-reserve, we have built an artificial nest exactly at the same place. Our experience shows that restoring a fallen nest in the same tree as soon as possible gives good results - storks usually take up new homes and nest successfully. This time, they did not show any interest in the new nest for a whole year, but now it has been successfully inhabited,” says Uģis Bergmanis, LVM Senior Environmental Expert.

Black storks choose the thickest trees of mature forests for nesting - most often oaks, pines and aspens that are more than a hundred years old. The largest portion of the stork population in Latvia nest in the territories managed by LVM, where micro-reserves are established for the protection of the species, for the protection of the habitats in the territory; logging is not carried out in the vicinity of the nests. Every year, company's environmental experts build artificial nests to improve the nesting success of protected birds: black storks, ospreys, golden eagles and owls.

Artificial nests are most often set up in already known nesting places, in situations where the previous natural nest has fallen down, the tree has withered, broken or is at a risk of breaking - especially for black storks and ospreys. Thus, birds are not motivated to build a new nest in a wider region, but occupy the artificial nest, thus achieving regular and successful nesting in the specific area.

Since 2012, LVM employees have set up a total of 94 artificial nests for four of protected species, the majority of which are intended for golden eagles and ospreys. Over the last five years, the majority of the populations of these two species have been nesting in artificial nests. Successful nesting has also been found in the nests set up for owls and black storks.

The construction of artificial nests as a method of attracting rare birds of prey in Latvia was first started in 1981 by building artificial nests for ospreys.