Breeding storks return to Derbyshire after 600 years

White storks have returned to Derbyshire more than 600 years after they disappeared from the region.

More than £300,000 has been spent on reintroducing three of the birds to a new enclosure at Willington Wetlands, which Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said had been designed to be predator-proof and adaptable for future species recovery projects.

In recent years, the trust said sightings had increased, including birds recorded flying over the site in 2024 and nearby in 2025, but none had yet stayed to breed.

It said having a nesting pair at the nature reserve would create a "social magnet" to encourage passing storks to "stop, settle, and breed".

Beavers were reintroduced at Willington Wetlands in 2021, leading to the birth of two beaver kits in the county for the first time since the 13th Century.

And in 2024, both Britain's loudest bird, the bittern, and Britain's smallest rodent, the harvest mouse, were recorded at the site for the first time.

Katie Last, living landscape officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We are thrilled to have welcomed our storks to Willington and to see them settling into their purpose-built enclosure.

"Their arrival marks an exciting step forward for the project."

"This whole project is about more than the return of an iconic bird though. It's about reigniting people's sense of wonder in nature and demonstrating what is possible when communities come together for wildlife," Last said.

"Their return offers a powerful opportunity to engage people in nature recovery, rewilding, and the restoration of lost species.

"Through events and volunteering, we will work closely with local communities to help people reconnect with wildlife and play an active role in the storks' return.

"From this nature-rich enclosure to the possibility of a future wild population, every step will help strengthen wetland habitats, enhance biodiversity, and inspire people of all ages to reconnect with nature on their doorstep."

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