:::nostress::: ...(please?)

"Flying Over Natura 2000", a project of discovery…


« Flying Over Natura 2000 » is a project aimed at discovering the Natura 2000 network. You can discover the Natura 2000 sites via the migrations of black storks Indeed, every year, these birds undertake long journeys across Europe to their African wintering grounds. Their movements can be followed thanks to a radio transmitter, attached to the stork like a mini backpack and relayed by satellites.

In each of the eight participating countries, two storks are our ambassadors. They come from

* Belgium,
* France,
* Luxembourg,
* Spain,
* Hungary,
* the Czech Republic,
* Estonia
* and Latvia.

Every day during their long journey, these storks send a « postcard », or small TV clip, to television viewers. These show the places they have flown over, principally the Natura 2000 sites (or future sites), with their characteristics, biodiversity and ongoing human activities.
The media in each country will follow their favourite storks. They will provide daily bulletins of their peregrinations and adventures, both good and bad, illustrated by the « postcard » of the site concerned.




The migratory paths of the birds are quite well known thanks to two previous black stork satellite-tracking experiments:

* Solon asbl http://www.explorado.org/solon-new/
* and Czech Radio http://capi.internet.cz/home.htm).

There are two main paths crossing Europe: one flies over the Straits of Gibraltar whereas the other crosses the Bosphorus.

Throughout the storks’ journey, European TV viewers will obtain a true picture and see landscapes as diverse and, probably as unrecognised as, the vast peat bogs in Latvia and the mythical forest of Bialowieza, in Poland as well as some species which are symbols of biodiversity in Europe, such as the Iberian Lynx, the Griffon Vulture or the Freshwater Pearl Mussel.

Flying Over Europe - Black Stork Directory