\n Images taken by Joshua Whymark on March 7 show the birds nesting at Knepp Wilding, near Horsham, raising hopes of a bumper new season.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n White storks were originally introduced at Knepp in 2016, when a number of non-flying birds were imported from Warsaw Zoo, as part of The White Stork Project.\n<\/p>\n
\n Juvenile birds were later introduced, which are allowed to fly freely once they reach maturity, encouraging them to build nests and raise their young.\n<\/p>\n
\n White Storks nesting at Knepp (Image: Joshua Whymark)\n<\/p>\n
\n Storks were first successfully bred at the site in 2020.\n<\/p>\n
\n The birds were once common across Britain, with records of their presence stretching back 360,000 years.\n<\/p>\n
\n They are particularly associated with Sussex, with the nearby village of Storrington originally known as “Estorchestone\u201d, meaning \u201cthe village of the storks\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n However, they disappeared as a breeding species in the 1400s.\n<\/p>\n
\n While a number of migrating storks are spotted in England every year, they have unique breeding requirements, which means an active process of reintroduction has been necessary to establish them here.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n The storks have previously built shaggy nests in ancient oak trees and on the chimney of Knepp Castle.\n<\/p>\n
\n More recently, several first-year birds bred in captivity have been released without clipping their wings, to help encourage migration.\n<\/p>\n