Big news for bird lovers: white storks have returned to Willington Wetlands near Derby, England, for the first time in 600 years.
Just how long is 600 years? Long enough that if the storks had stuck around, they could have watched every Harry Potter movie back-to-back more than 2.5 million times — with plenty of bathroom breaks left over. In American terms, storks disappeared from this area around the time Christopher Columbus was still a kid, decades before he ever sailed to the Americas.
Storks used to be a common sight across the UK, kind of like how you might spot herons, egrets, or bald eagles near lakes and rivers in North America. But they disappeared centuries ago — and now conservationists are trying to bring them back.
Three New Arrivals
Earlier this year, three young storks — one male and two females — hatched and grew to full adult size in just about 12 weeks (for comparison, humans take about 18 years). They've now been moved into a specially built enclosure at the wetlands, complete with its own pond, and have already started exploring their new digs.
Ever think you would celebrate the return of a dog-sized rodent?! You might, if those rodents were the beavers making their way to the wetlands in Shropshire. Until recently, the area had spent its last 400 years beaver-less, after hunters depleted the beaver population for fur, meat, and scent glands.
Now, the county is excited to welcome a pair of beavers that was transported all the way from Scotland — that’s 300 miles! But why go through all of this trouble just to bring beavers back? Beavers’ list of strengths include helping to control water, creating new habitats for other creatures, managing willow tree scrub that’s drying out the surroundings, and being pretty darn cute.
Big news for bird lovers: white storks have returned to Willington Wetlands near Derby, England, for the first time in 600 years.
Just how long is 600 years? Long enough that if the storks had stuck around, they could have watched every Harry Potter movie back-to-back more than 2.5 million times — with plenty of bathroom breaks left over. In American terms, storks disappeared from this area around the time Christopher Columbus was still a kid, decades before he ever sailed to the Americas.
Storks used to be a common sight across the UK, kind of like how you might spot herons, egrets, or bald eagles near lakes and rivers in North America. But they disappeared centuries ago — and now conservationists are trying to bring them back.
Three New Arrivals
Earlier this year, three young storks — one male and two females — hatched and grew to full adult size in just about 12 weeks (for comparison, humans take about 18 years). They've now been moved into a specially built enclosure at the wetlands, complete with its own pond, and have already started exploring their new digs.
Ever think you would celebrate the return of a dog-sized rodent?! You might, if those rodents were the beavers making their way to the wetlands in Shropshire. Until recently, the area had spent its last 400 years beaver-less, after hunters depleted the beaver population for fur, meat, and scent glands.
Now, the county is excited to welcome a pair of beavers that was transported all the way from Scotland — that’s 300 miles! But why go through all of this trouble just to bring beavers back? Beavers’ list of strengths include helping to control water, creating new habitats for other creatures, managing willow tree scrub that’s drying out the surroundings, and being pretty darn cute.