Storks in Alsace
 

Someone mentioned a while ago that when in Alsace to look up and see the storks. I'm really glad I remembered to look up at the roofs because there they were. There are huge nests on many roofs. We loved seeing them so I am passing on this tip.

You know, I was just recently wondering about this. I recall years and years ago that a particular area in France was noted for their storks. I kind of assumed with pollution, urban growth, etc. they would be a thing of the past. It's nice to know they're still around.

Where exactly in Alsace did you see them?

There are storks nesting in many of the towns in Alsace: For example, there are multiple nests in Kaysersberg, and about six on one building (the Mairie) in Munster. A conscious effort to provide for their future has been made in Alsace over many years, and the effort seems not to have been in vain.

I just got back form Alsace and went to the stork preserve. It is in Hunawihr. It was pretty neat. There were at least 30 pair of nesting storks and there were a couple of nests down at eye level. I had a 4 foot stork follow me around for awhile. The wine route is picture perfect - one town cuter than the last.

We stopped at the stork preserve too. Had no idea it was there and just fell on it when driviing from Colmar back to Strasbourg. It's absolutely amazing - I knew they were big - but not that big.

Gives you a much better feel for the dinosauer/bird connection.

Anyone visiting Holland/Germany/Denmark in the spring & summer should also keep an eye out for them. Many towns have special nesting poles for them. Mostly they are now wild birds which come in from Africa, but some are releases from the stork sanctuaries in each country. There was a huge campaign to reestablish these birds in Northern Europe after they began to die out here, partly due to the Italians love of shooting anything that flies, partly due to lack of nesting places.

About the best place to see the storks from close by is the Ecomusée d'Alsace near Mulhouse. It's a museum village, which consists of old houses from all over Alsace, and is well worth a visit on its own behalf, not only because of the storks.
On those houses there are 50 or more storks' nests, the birds walk around among the visitors (attention ladies, a legend says that you'll get pregnant if a stork bites you ;-) ), and from the top of a tower you can look into the nests from above.

The storks had all but disappeared from about 1975 to 1995. And then they came back.