Recent breeding records of White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) from Vurgu Field, Southern Albania

Abstract

A survey into the presence and breeding success of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) was carried out in the summers of 2010 and 2011 in Vurgu field, southern Albania. Four breeding sites with four breeding pairs were recorded, three of which were successful, with between three and five fledglings raised per nest. Nests were located on worship buildings such as church or monastery belfries in the villages of Çuka, Phoneice, Vrioni and Çaushi, with an additional nest built on top of an old poplar tree in Vrioni. Çuka village recorded the most number of grown fledglings (5). In 2010, in the same nest, three fledglings have been noted. In one case there was no breeding success due to human disturbance.

Full text

RECENT BREEDING RECORDS OF WHITE STORK (CICONIA CICONIA L.)
FROM VURGU FIELD, SOUTHERN ALBANIA
Ferdinand BEGO
Biology Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania
Taulant BINO
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Water Administration, Tirana, Albania
Jamarbër MALLTEZI
Department of Agro-environment, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural
University of Tirana, Albania
Valbona ALIKO
Biology Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania
ABSTRACT
A survey into the presence and breeding success of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) was carried
out in the summers of 2010 and 2011 in Vurgu field, southern Albania. Four breeding sites with
four breeding pairs were recorded, three of which were successful, with between three and five
fledglings raised per nest. Nests were located on worship buildings such as church or monastery
belfries in the villages of Çuka, Phoneice, Vrioni and Çaushi, with an additional nest built on top
of an old poplar tree in Vrioni. Çuka village recorded the most number of grown fledglings (5). In
2010, in the same nest, three fledglings have been noted. In one case there was no breeding
success due to human disturbance.
Keywords: White stork, breeding success, Vurgu Field, South Albania
1. INTRODUCTION
The white stork is a typical bird of marshlands and open cultivated areas over large parts of its
range, but has drastically decreased and completely disappeared in several regions in Western and
Northern Europe since end of 1800s.. Climate changes, draining of marshlands and agricultural
pesticides are major reasons for decline (Jonsson, 1993).
In Albania, the white stork was a common breeding bird up until the 1950s, particularly in
the coastal areas of the country (Ticehurst and Whistler, 1932; Whistler, 1936; Lamani and
Puzanov, 1962). In addition, in the second half of the 20th century wetlands and adjacent habitats
were destroyed. The reason for this loss and degradation was the conversion of natural habitat to
other uses, such as i) agriculture, ii) urban sprawl, iii) industrial development, iv) infrastructure
(e.g. roads), and v) oil and gas and other resource extraction. The loss of wetland ecosystems
has significantly deteriorated the environment of the country.
Wetland habitat is crucial to white stork and other wildlife. This ecosystem provides
essential environmental benefits by removal of pollutants from water and protecting against
harmful droughts, floods and erosion. The white stork is worldwide considered a Low Risk least
concern species (LRlc). However, in Albania the species is critically endangered (CR) (IUCN,
2011; Misja, 2006). Reporting only two nesting pairs and without any breeding success, the first
nationwide white stork census was carried out in 1995 by the Albanian Society for the Protection
of Birds and Mammals (Peja & Bego, 1999).
Vurgu Field is a former marshland located in southern Albania, north of Lake Butrint
(Figure 1). Today it is an extensive agriculture field as a result of reclamation undertaken during
the 1960s. Created by accumulation of sediment deposits of the rivers Bistrica, Kalasa and Pavlla,

Vurgu Field is surrounded by low lying hills of limestone and flych deposits, where ancient
human settlements are recorded (Kabo et. al., 1990; 1991). In the past, various crops were
cultivated, including corn, wheat, beans, vegetables, etc. However, since the privatization
process, which began in 1990, only a small portion of the agriculture land has been used, with
most of the land surface left as rangeland used mainly for grazing by livestock. However, it also
provides suitable habitat for white stork.
Recent records from Vurgu Field, the first evidence of breeding success of white stork in
Albania since the late 1980s, are reported in the present paper.
2. STUDY AREA AND METHODS
Several villages, including Phoneice, Çuka, Vrioni and Aliko, are located among the hills
surrounding Vurgu Field. The survey was based on face-to-face interviews with local inhabitants
on any history of nesting sites of white stork in their village or neighbourhood.
Site visits were undertaken on 19 and 20 June 2010, and repeated a year later on 13 and 14
July. In the first year, only one nesting site of breeding success was recorded, for Çuka village,
while the second survey provided information on three other nesting sites. Figure 1 and Table 1
report the locations and distribution of the nesting sites in the area, and the availability of habitat
suitable for the species. Three grade were chosen to describe the habitat suitability based upon the
following characteristics: i) food availability, ii) proximity to feeding ground, and iii) availability
of suitable shelter for building the nest. The grades were: 1, good habitat; 2, moderate habitat, or
sites with a medium level of food and nesting availability; 3, poor habitat due to the following
reasons: i) little food, ii) long distance between feeding grounds and nesting site, and iii) no
suitable place to build a nest was available nearby. The nesting sites visited belong to habitat
grades 1 and 2.
Fig. 1: Location of the study area and nesting sites of the white stork.

Table 1. Surveyed breeding sites and their geographical location
Station
no.
Name of nesting
site or village
Longitude N
Latitude E
Altitude
(in m asl)
Habitat
grade
1
Çuka
39°50’27.70”
20°02’14.32”
9 m
1
2
Çaushi
39°52’25.00”
20°03’55.43”
16 m
1
3
Vrioni
39°52’51.90”
20°03’05.59”
23 m
2
4
Phoneice
39°54’51.06”
20°02’38.25”
49 m
2
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Four nesting sites and five nests were observed in July 2011 in the following villages: Çuka (1),
Phoenice (1), Çaushi (1) and Vrioni (2). Four nests could be seen on belfries in worship
buildings, such as churches or monasteries, in the four stations, together with one nest in an old
poplar tree.
Figure 2 depicts a nest built on a top of a belfry in the centre of a quarter of Çuka village.
Figure 3 depicts a nest built on the top a belfry of a recently built church inside the graveyard in
Phoenice. Figure 4 and 5 depict a nest built on a belfry of a recently reconstructed church, on a
gentle hill, nearby the village of Çaushi. Figure 6 depicts a nest on the top of a belfry in the
Vrioni village.
Table 2 reports the number of nests, and the number of fledglings observed in each of the
nests.
Table 2. Number of nests and fledglings observed during field survey on 13 and 14 July, 2011
Station no.
Site
Number
nests
fledglings per
nest
adults per
nest
fledglings &
adults
1
Çuka
1
5
2
7
2
Çaushi
1
4
2
6
3
Vrioni
2
0
2
2
4
Phoneice
1
3
2
5
Total
5
12
8
20
Twelve fledglings were recorded. In the nest in Çuka village, there were five fledglings grown
to full adult size, and ready to leave the nest. In the nest in Çaushi village, three fledglings were
still staying together, while a fourth was standing on top of the cross near Çaushi church, at the
top of the hill (Figure 7). The young stork had probably successfully left the nest to fly. Parents
were not present at that time at the nest, and probably had left the nest to find food. At Phoneice,
both the young storks (3) and parents had left the nest for feeding prior to the researchers’ arrival.
Figure 3 depicts the roof of the church around the belfry, whitened from white stork
droppings. Here, the pair had raised three fledglings capable of accompanying their parents to
feeding areas. At Vrioni church, the nest was build without any apparent breeding success. Figure
6 depicts one of the adults in the nest. The white stork pair had previously built a nest but without
laying eggs there. Then the pair moved to another place, an old poplar tree some 100 m far from
the church. In the tree they built another nest and laid 4 eggs, but these were stolen. The pair did
not make any other attempt to lay eggs again.

In the 1950s, the white stork was a common visitor and breeder in the areas around Saranda,
Delvina, Gjirokastra, Korça, Vlora, Fieri, Lushnja, Kavaja, Durrësi, Laçi, Lezha and Shkodra, and
was still widely distributed (Lamani and Puzanov, 1962), including in non-coastal regions, for
example in Gjirokastra and Korça. But between the end of the 1940s until the 1960s the formerly
Fig. 2: View of nest with 5 fledglings at Çuka church Fig. 3: View of the nest at Phoneice graveyard church
Fig. 4: View of nest at Çaushi church Fig. 5: Closer view of nest at Çaushi church
Fig. 6: View of an adult at Vrioni nest Fig. 7: View of the young stork on the top of the cross
nearby Çaushi church

extensive marshes and floodplain forests were reclaimed and increasingly converted into
agriculture land (Kabo et al., 1990; 1991), after which, until the early 1990s, agriculture, formerly
traditional and extensive, became intensively developed with widespread application of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides. Natural habitats were considerably destroyed and replaced by
monoculture agrobiocenosis.. Consequently, white stork gradually lost its foraging habitats and
its population in Albania decreased (Jonsson, 1993; Peja and Bego, 1999; Schulz, 1999). In the
late 1980s, the white stork was no longer a breeding bird in the country, becoming a rare,
irregular visitor across most of its former distribution range. Since the start of the privatization
process, in 1990, the chances for white stock to recover increased due to an intense reduction in
used farmland.
Today, Vurgu field is undoubtedly the most favourable area in Albania for the white stork.
Most of the agricultural land is not cultivated. Instead, it plays the role of rangeland for grazing,
as the majority of local inhabitants have migrated to Greece.
The following factors have influenced the return of white stork as a breeding bird: i)
agriculture land naturally converted into former marshlands, providing secure and abundant
feeding grounds for the white stork, and ii) restoration of churches with creation of a secure and
quiet place for nesting. The presence of four nesting sites, five nests and three nests with breeding
success and 12 fledglings raised during 2011 are encouraging. All the three positive cases of
white stork breeding were located in the central area of Vurgu Field.
The pair in Vrioni village did not succeed in breeding. Efforts were made to build a nest on a
top of a belfry, about 6 m above ground, and a second one in a poplar tree nearby. Unfortunately,
human activity had a great detrimental effect here. The size and location of the belfry did not
prevent human access. Nevertheless, four eggs were laid in the second nest, but during incubation
these eggs were stolen. Consequently, any effort to breed ceased.
The belfry of the church in Çuka village is very high (9 m), and here there was no human
interference. Elsewhere the behaviour of the fledglings was different. At Çaushi, once the
fledglings noticed the presence of humans, they hid themselves (Figure 8), and once the humans
got away, all fledglings reappeared.
The first survey (year 2010) reported the presence of three fledglings and an adult (one of the
parents) in the nest on top of the belfry at Çuka church. The second survey (year 2011) reported
the presence of five fledglings in the same nest (Figure 9). The increase in number shows that
Çuka church is the most suitable breeding site for white stork in Vurgu Field, due to availability
and proximity to foraging area and safety of nesting place. Overall, the increased number of
Fig. 8: Fledglings at Çaushi church hiding in the nest
while approached by humans
Fig. 9: White stork nest in Çuka church: 3 fledglings
and one adult observed in the nest during year 2010

raised fledglings (12) reported during summer 2011 indicates that in a few years the number of
breeding pairs in Vurgu field may further increase. The only constrain remains the safety of the
new nesting places. Newly built houses are unsuitable places for white stork to nest. Therefore,
measures such as construction of high platforms in safe places will help more breeding pairs of
white stork to nest(Altenburg, 2010; Dolata, 2006; Schulz, 1999; Tryjanowski et. al., 2009).
Raising awareness of local people and a better conservation policy for white stork ought to be
undertaken. Local authorities and academic education have a great role to play.. White stork
breeding is also a tool that can promote ecotourism in the area.
Today, Vurgu Field is the only area in Albania where the white stork is known to breed.
Disturbance during the breeding season has to be prevented. In few years, the white stork
population will probably increase further, and new breeding pairs may appear in adjacent areas
such as Vrina Field and Drinos Valley, particularly with implementation of an appropriate action
plan. Further studies and a suitable monitoring on the white stork population and its breeding
success are recommended.
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