Published on 1st May 2025 (based on interviews in Arpil 2025)

For the past 20 years, Knepp has embarked on a pioneering rewilding project. The 3,500-acre estate, stretching from Dial Post to West Grinstead, is now home to longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies and Tamworth pigs.  

Knepp also plays an important role in reviving the fortunes of endangered species, such as turtle doves and nightingales, and in reintroducing lost species including the beaver. However, it is the success of the white stork that has become emblematic of Knepp’s transformation from agricultural farmland to natural habitat, with visitors flocking to catch a glimpse of the charismatic bird. AAH met Laura Vaughan-Hirsch, manager of the White Stork Project at the Knepp Wildland Foundation, to find out more… 

When did the White Stork Project begin? 

In 2016, when the first storks arrived in the UK from rehabilitation centres in Poland. The birds had been injured in the wild, usually in collisions with cars, trains or electricity pylons. Some were left with wings missing or partially missing and couldn’t fly. Since then, the Knepp Wildland Foundation has been working in partnership with Cotswold Wildlife Park and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, as well as collaborators such as Wadhurst Park in East Sussex, to restore a wild population for the first time in 600 years.

How successful has the project been?

Only four years after the first adult birds were introduced at Knepp, two pairs of storks raised chicks in the wild. In 2024, we had 53 chicks fledge from 19 nests across the estate, which compared with only 26 in 2023. We have deployed a drone to monitor the nests this year and so far, have counted 25 eggs in seven nests, although we hope that up to 22 nests will produce chicks. Storks can lay up to five eggs in a nest, but typically produce three or four. They seem to become more efficient when it comes to rearing chicks each year, perfecting the incubating process and becoming more alert to the threat posed by predators. 

 Will numbers continue to grow?

We are not expecting numbers to continue to rise at current levels, year after year. It is likely that the number will plateau soon and this year’s figures are similar to last year’s, in terms of the number of females incubating. We have a team of 40 wonderful volunteers monitoring the nests, looking for females incubating and turning eggs. Soon, they will be looking for regurgitation, a sign that parents are feeding chicks concealed safely below them.  

Do the storks stay on the estate?

Storks migrate in their first year, typically at the end of August. They will then stay away for three or four years, until they are old enough to breed, when they will try to return to the colony they hatched from. A breeding pair will then return year after year and repeat the process. Last year, we tracked nine of the 53 birds that fledged and collected fascinating data from their travels to southern Spain and across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. 

How long do they live for? 

In the wild, 20 years is a good age for a stork. However, in captivity they have been recorded at over 30. As we have about 25 storks that cannot fly, we built a 6-acre predator-proof pen surrounded by an electric fence, away from public footpaths. The pen has a large pond and the storks can still forage for invertebrates in winter and grasshoppers in summer, but without the gift of flight, they cannot take advantage of the insect eruptions created by Knepp’s wild pigs. So, we provide them with supplementary food, ensuring they have the protein they need to survive. They eat meat from the estate that cannot be used at the Wilding Kitchen, so they have a great diet! We can’t keep out the flying storks and prevent them from eating the supplementary food too, as they’re smart birds. However, we’ve learned to put food in different spots to ensure that the non-flyers don’t miss out! 

Have the non-flying storks managed to successfully breed?

The success of our flightless birds is one of the most wonderful aspects of the story. They can’t build incredible nests at the top of oak trees, like other storks, so they build them on the ground instead. Last year, there were five active ground nests and these collectively fledged nine chicks. When the first chicks arrived, we didn’t know if they would fledge at the normal age, or even if they would be able to fly and migrate like the others, but several have been spotted abroad with one particularly aggressive bird, Snappy, tracked in Morocco. 

Will the secure pen remain?

We hope that the supplementary feeding and fencing will not be needed in years to come. Eventually, the original non-flying birds will have died and a wild colony will have been established here, so the fencing can come down. At the moment, the pen plays an important role in the success of the colony and we have seen the development of an interesting social hierarchy. Within the pen, there is one oak tree with four nests (above), including one at the top which is occupied by what we believe is the most dominant pair. Other nests have been built nearby, in favour of other trees around the estate, as storks like to be close to one another.  

Why have storks thrived at Knepp?

It has now been 20 years since the land was used for agriculture, so it contains no pesticides or other contaminants and is therefore rich in insect life. There is an abundance of earthworms, beetles and grasshoppers too, and we see the storks foraging where the Tamworth pigs have churned up the soil, in the same way you see other birds in a plough’s wake. Storks are very opportunistic and will eat snails and butterflies, and if their usual food source is not available will take small mammals and amphibians. They are a good indication of a healthy ecosystem as they form colonies around natural food sources. 

Do they have natural predators?

On the ground, they are vulnerable to foxes and we’ve had youngsters predated at Knepp. If they are wobbly flyers or don’t take off fast enough, they are at risk. It’s hard to know for certain, but historically it’s possible that white-tailed eagles were also a threat, although it seems unlikely they would bother when there is an abundance of easier prey. However, we have captured a juvenile white-tailed eagle on our camera traps.

Knepp is increasingly popular with walkers. Can this cause problems?

The success of the storks has attracted many to the estate. hat is wonderful is that we have several nests that can be seen from the public walkways. 99.9% of visitors understand that wildlife needs to be respected, so they stick to the footpaths. Occasionally, they wander off and find themselves underneath a nest, which can cause unwanted disturbance. However, volunteers do guide people around the estate.  

Why have the storks attracted so much attention?

People can’t help but be impressed by the beautiful coloration and huge wingspan. As a former teacher, I feel it’s important to engage young people in the White Stork Project. Last year, we welcomed 1600 pupils from schools, colleges and universities and it was great to see them taking an interest in wildlife. It also gives them a story of hope. Schools teach about global warming and deforestation, which is important, but it can seem that the world is in a unstoppable spiral towards devastation. We show them that conservation can inspire positive change too. 

What are the goals for the project?

Our ambition is to have a wild, self-sustaining population. That would be around 50 breeding pairs, not just at Knepp but also our partner site at Wadhurst Park. Eventually, the storks will spread out and nest in other locations, away from this central colony. There is an abundance of food at Knepp, but once the colony feels that there is not enough to support any more birds, we will see nests elsewhere. It is likely that this will happen in the near future, but where is anyone’s guess. 

Storrington would be ideal…

It would be fitting, as we have just been accepted as a European Stork Village. The UK is now the 16th country involved in the network and only one village is represented in each country. Storrington has a long association with storks, as its old English name of Storca-tun means stork’s town or homestead of the storks. The bird also features on the village emblem. To celebrate, we have organised the inaugural White Stork and Nature Revival Festival at Chanctonbury Leisure Centre on 5 May 2025. It’s not all about one species, but the white stork has become an emblem for nature recovery and we hope will inspire the next generation to engage in our natural wonders.  

INTERVIEW: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright

For more information visit: www.kneppwildlandfoundation.org