The Cornwall Stork Project

Aim

Help Reintroduce the White Stork to Cornwall. Help us raise £5,000 to bring back these iconic birds by expanding our breeding population.

A Vision for Nature’s Return

Archaeological records dating back 360,000 years confirm that White Storks were once part of Britain’s native wildlife. Following successful reintroduction programmes across Europe—including at the Knepp Estate, which has re-established White Storks in East Sussex—our vision is to bring these birds back to Cornwall.

This effort is part of the wider and growing rewilding and nature recovery movements that aim to restore biodiversity and ecosystems.

"Nature recovery is the activity of helping life on Earth to thrive by repairing human relationships with the rest of the natural world.”
 — Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery

Storks are beacons of this rehabilitation of the natural world, engaging people with nature and inspiring action for positive change.

Yan Swiderski began breeding White Storks at Hamatethy in early 2021. He soon began receiving enquiries from other landowners and conservationists in the county, and so we decided to form a charity with the objective of establishing a wild breeding population of White Storks in Cornwall and beyond.

The Cornwall Stork Project welcomed its first chick at Hamatethy in 2024. Since then, eight more have hatched and been successfully reared.

Our Vision

A self-sustaining population of these magnificent birds that enhances biodiversity, connects people to nature, and restores a vital part of our natural heritage.

Why We Need Your Help

To succeed, we need more breeding-age birds to grow our captive population across multiple sites in Cornwall.

Reaching our initial goal of £5,000 will allow us to import four adult birds (two breeding pairs) and feed them for a year. If we reach our full target of £10,000, we will be able to relocate eight adult birds into a second breeding aviary. This aviary has already been built—paid for by the generous landowner at Woodland Valley Farm—and is ready to receive the birds.

Cornwall Council’s Cornwall Climate Nature Fund has pledged £5,000 in match funding towards our £10,000 Crowdfunder target. That means if we raise £5,000, the Council will match it, and our full £10,000 goal will be reached!

With Your Support, We Can:

• Purchase breeding pairs of White Storks
• Provide essential feed and veterinary care
• Support chick rearing and habitat management
• Work toward our first wild release—as early as next year

All funds go directly toward the welfare and expansion of our breeding population. The charity is volunteer-run with no paid staff—100% of proceeds support the storks, so every pound truly makes a difference.

Why Storks?

While White Storks are not a keystone species, they are charismatic and easy to spot in the landscape. They make ideal flagship species, capable of motivating and inspiring communities to engage in landscape-scale conservation.

White Storks also exhibit natal philopatry, meaning that although they migrate, they return to the same location year after year to nest—raising generations of wild-born storks here in Cornwall.

Why This Matters

• Biodiversity: Storks thrive in biodiverse ecosystems. To restore storks, we must first help restore natural habitats.
• Flagship Species: Their return inspires engagement in broader conservation efforts.
• Educational Impact: Sparks public interest in rewilding and the natural world.
• Community Involvement: Encourages local landowners to rewild their land.

Our Progress So Far

Successful reintroductions have already taken place at the Knepp Estate in Sussex. Now, we’re working to bring these birds back to the Southwest.

• We’ve established breeding aviaries at Hamatethy.
• We’ve partnered with Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Paradise Park Zoo, and the Screech Owl Sanctuary.
• Several chicks have already hatched and are thriving.
• More landowners are ready to build aviaries—if we can supply the birds.

The Next Step

Successful reintroductions in France, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland have demonstrated how this can be done—by building up a number of colonies in close proximity. This creates a kind of critical mass that makes the population viable.

Our plan is to breed captive birds at several locations in Cornwall. Once we have fledged around 20 birds, we will begin releasing them and continue to do so over several years. At this stage, it is crucial to build up our numbers, so we are making every effort to source breeding-age birds and accelerate progress. We will continue to feed ‘wild’ birds at the release sites to support their establishment.

Join Us

• Donate today to support the return of the White Stork
• Share our campaign with your friends and networks
• Sign up for updates and follow the Storks’ journey

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made