White Storks to Return to the English Midlands for the First Time in 600 Years

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has announced an ambitious community-led project to reintroduce white storks to the English Midlands, more than 600 years after the iconic native species vanished from the region due to habitat loss and hunting in the 14th century.

The project is centred at Willington Wetlands, where the Trust plans to create a purpose-built white stork enclosure in partnership with Celtic Rewilding, specialists running a captive breeding facility in nearby Staffordshire. The initiative is supported by more than £300,000 from the Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund.

“The project is centred at Willington Wetlands, where the Trust plans to create a purpose-built white stork enclosure in partnership with Celtic Rewilding, specialists running a captive breeding facility in nearby Staffordshire.”

The storks are expected to arrive at the site this summer, marking a historic milestone for wildlife conservation in central England. The project aims to establish a self-sustaining breeding population that will eventually spread across the wider Midlands landscape.

What makes this initiative particularly special is its community-driven approach. Local volunteers will be directly engaged in habitat restoration across the reintroduction site, participating in planting, monitoring, and maintenance activities. A digital experience platform will allow volunteers to share sightings, photos, and video footage, engaging even those who cannot visit the site in person.

White storks are large, charismatic birds that have been symbols of good fortune across European cultures for centuries. In the wild, they feed on insects, amphibians, and small mammals in wetland and grassland habitats. Their presence is also an indicator of healthy ecosystems.

The Derbyshire project follows the successful reintroduction of white storks to southern England, where breeding pairs have been established at sites in Sussex. Together, these efforts are building a connected network of stork populations across England for the first time since the Middle Ages.