As many as 64 stork chicks hatched in the communities of Borzont and Joseni - Harghita County were fitted with leg rings under a bird-ringing project that has been taking place at the Cheile Bicazului-Hasmas National Park for the second consecutive year.

National Park director Hegyi Barna told AGERPRES that the ringing of the young storks was done at the initiative of experts from Hungary's Duna-Ipoly National Park, which is twinned with the Romanian natural preservation area in Harghita County.

The activity was organized by the Cheile Bicazului-Hasmas National Park in cooperation with the Gyilkostó Adventure Association in Gheorgheni and coordinated by the bird ringing personnel of the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate (Hungary), under the supervision of representatives of the local power supplier, given that most nests are built on electricity poles. The number of ring-marked nestlings increased from 45 in 2023 to 64 this year.

Hegyi Barna explained that the rings were made available by the Romanian Ornithological Society; they are specific to each country, allowing an easy identification and providing important data about the seasonal migration routes and movements of the white stork population, or about bird survival factors and mortality.

The ringing was done in the nest, with the volunteers being lifted to the chicks with the help of a crane, in a very swift operation that caused the birds no stress.

"Each country has its specific ring type, which can be very easily identified with binoculars or a better camera. Each ring carries a distinct registration number. The rings are applied when the juveniles are of a certain age - neither too big, so that they are not able to jump out of the nest when the volunteers arrive, neither too small, so that the ring doesn't fall off their leg. This is the best period to band the nestlings, from mid- to end-June," explained Hegyi Barna.

He went on to say that the chicks ringed last year are expected to return starting in 2025, and the villagers of Joseni and Borzunt are eager to meet them.

Stork chick ringing activities will continue next year as well, and the traditional bird ringing camp - now at its sixth edition, will be organized in autumn at the Cheile Bicazului-Hasmas National Park.

Director of the Harghita National Agency for Natural Protected Areas (ANANP) Demeter László told AGERPRES that every year, between July 1-15, the agency conducts a census of the stork population, and that last year's data shows that there are approximately 500 pairs of nesting storks in the county.

He specified that Joseni and Borzont, as well as the communities located along the Olt River are home to a large number of storks, with Sânsimion boasting the highest number of nesting pairs - 70. AGERPRES (RO - author: Gina Sstefan, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)