Overview
- First arrivals are on nests in Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, though snow and frost are slowing further movements.
- NABU Thüringen reports roughly one third of birds back by mid-February, with most younger or eastern-route migrants expected in March and April.
- Leiferde’s famed male Fridolin has returned for a 19th year, while staff worry his long-time partner Mai may not reappear after the winter outbreaks.
- More storks now overwinter in Germany or Western Europe—several hundred in Bavaria—yet tagged data show well under ten percent stay year-round and many are still in Spain or Morocco.
- H5N1 near Madrid killed hundreds of storks and other risks persist, including plastic ingestion at compost sites, unsafe power lines, hunting and drought, so researchers are tracking returns via tags, rings and nest cameras before judging the 2026 breeding season.