White Stork at Willington Wetlands

We see white storks as wetland ambassadors that will help us unlock the support needed to restore wilder wetland habitats.

Their return is the catalyst for significant habitat work that benefits species currently on the brink. This project allows us to create new wetland features that benefit not only storks, but also amphibians and other wading birds, while planting the hedgerows and woodland understory that support Willow Tits, Grasshopper Warblers, and small mammals.

Evidence for white storks in our region comes from physical remains, such as stork bones recovered from the Robin Hood Caves in the Peak District and sites near the River Trent. These finds, alongside historical place names, such as Storkhill, help us map their presence in our landscape over time.

Beyond nesting, it is important to remember that Derbyshire is a vital part of the wider English landscape. As migratory birds, storks would have moved through our county for generations. By restoring these habitats and wildlife corridors, we aren't just looking to the past; we are creating a healthier environment that allows storks and an abundance of other species to thrive and move freely across the country today.

While our wetlands at Willington are now healthy enough to support them, White Storks have a powerful biological instinct called philopatry, which drives them to return to the specific area where they hatched to breed. Because they have been absent from the Midlands for over 600 years, there is no local population with the instinct to return here.

By introducing a flightless pair to the enclosure at Willington Wetlands, these will then act as a ‘social magnet’, encouraging wild storks passing over the Midlands to stop, settle, and join the colony. Through this, we will support the first generation of chick hatches in Derbyshire. These birds will then naturally view the Trent Valley as their home, creating a self-sustaining breeding population for the future and encouraging more wild storks to join.

We are hoping to have the storks arrive by this summer 2026, keep an eye on our website and social media for updates as the project progresses.

It is wonderful to see storks in our skies! These are likely wild birds from the continent or from successful reintroduction projects in the south of England. However, while these birds are passing through, they aren't yet staying to breed in the Midlands.

Because storks have a biological instinct to return to where they hatched, these visiting birds currently have no 'anchor' to keep them in Derbyshire. Our project at Willington Wetlands aims to change that. By establishing a resident colony, we create a social magnet that encourages these passing wild storks to stop, settle, and eventually raise the first generation of Derbyshire-born chicks in over 600 years.

In the UK, adult White Storks have very few natural predators, though eggs or very young chicks can occasionally be targeted by opportunistic scavengers if left unguarded. However, rather than taking over, storks act as a vital regulator within a healthy ecosystem.

As generalist feeders, they have a varied diet of insects, earthworms, rodents, and amphibians. Their presence is a sign of a high-functioning wetland; they help maintain a natural balance rather than depleting any single species. By restoring healthy wetlands and boosting biodiversity, we ensure there is an abundance of food for storks and all the other wildlife that shares their home.

While we have powerful birds of prey like Marsh Harriers at Willington Wetlands, there is no evidence to suggest they will impact the stork population. Marsh Harriers and White Storks have very different nesting requirements - harriers nest in reedbeds while storks prefer high trees or structures - so they do not compete for space.

Furthermore, White Storks are famously protective parents, rarely leaving the nest unattended. The chicks also grow at an incredible rate; by six weeks of age, they are nearly the size of adults, making them an unlikely target for birds of prey or other native predators. In a balanced, wilder landscape, these species can coexist perfectly well.

During the spring/summer of 2026 we plan to create a purpose-built white stork enclosure within a low disturbance area of our Willington Wetlands site. The enclosure will be predator proof and adaptable for future species recovery projects. It will support white stork breeding, chick development, and carefully managed soft releases into the wider landscape.  

Once the enclosure is built, a breeding age pair of flightless storks will be introduced to act as a ‘magnet flock’ helping to attract wild birds moving through the Trent Valley and encourage settlement and breeding. 

As part of the project we will also be improving habitats across the site, including native hedgerow creation, scrub clearance to open up grassland and scrape creation. 

This phase of our long term reintroduction programme will last 12 months, and has kindly been funded by Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund. 

The enclosure will be located in an area of Willington Wetlands, where we know that the habitat is suitable for the storks - offering a mix of open wet grassland and scrub.

The 113-acre reserve sits beside the River Trent, a key ecological corridor, and hosts dynamic wetland habitat shaped by natural rewilding processes, including the activity of beavers. These processes are creating wet grassland, open pools and reedbeds that provide ideal foraging and nesting conditions for storks.   

We are still finalising the design of the enclosure working with experts from Celtic Rewilding, specialists running a captive breeding facility just over the border in Staffordshire.  It will be approximately 1000m2 in size, with a quarantine area and artificial nesting platforms for the storks.  We will share further information on the design as it becomes available. 

We will be working with a specialist local contractor with considerable experience in delivering work in sensitive habitats such as Willington Wetlands. The contractor will provide a series of method statements demonstrating how they will minimise the impact of the construction work on site. These method statements will be approved by our ecologists and the work will be overseen by our staff. 

We have selected an area of the site where the impact on breeding birds, badgers, reptiles and amphibians will be minimised. We are conducting a series of surveys in the area where the enclosure will be built to identify areas where wildlife is currently present and to mitigate impact.  Where necessary exclusion areas will be enforced.

We are not intending to release the storks we introduce in this project from the enclosure.  They are captive bred birds who cannot fly and would not survive in the wild. If the birds breed successfully it may be possible to release their chicks in time. These individuals will have an inbuilt tendency to return to where they were born. Our long-term aim is to establish a self-sustaining population, through potential release of chicks and attracting wild storks who we hope will settle at Willington Wetlands to breed.   

The birds will be moved to their new enclosure under the care of Celtic Rewilding’s experts. The purpose-built enclosure will include area of their preferred wet grassland habitat with plenty of opportunity for them to exhibit natural foraging behaviour. 

A dedicated team of volunteers will feed and check the welfare of the birds daily and conduct regular inspections of their enclosure - with training and advice from the Celtic Rewilding team. 

If the storks need medical attention or the enclosure fails, the storks will be safely returned to Celtic Rewilding’s dedicated captive breeding facility. 

Our team of ecologists will survey the site before the storks arrive on site to provide baseline data on populations of amphibians and small mammals. We will also assess the condition of the habitat and the ability of the land to sequester carbon.

Willington Wetlands is always open to the public. Members of the public can use a bridleway to access platforms and viewing areas. The enclosure will be visible from these viewing areas so we hope that people will have plenty of opportunities to see the stork when they are on site. 

We will also be running a series of events throughout the project year allowing people to get closer to the storks. 

For those people who can’t access the site we will be developing a digital experience, and creating a platform for volunteers to share their sightings, photos and video footage. 

Volunteers are going to be at the heart of this project. We will have a dedicated member of staff working with our community to develop volunteering opportunities, but these could include drone flyers, enclosure checkers, camera trap checkers and the management of a new tree nursery.  

We will also welcome the support of local volunteers to help us deliver the habitat restoration across the reintroduction site through a series of work parties.