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The White Storks of My Childhood

© Renie Burghardt

The harbingers of spring of my childhood were the white storks that came back to our village in Hungary, every year. (Called, Feher golya, in Hungarian.) Usually, by the end of March, early April, we would be watching anxiously for their return.

I remember the humongous nest, against the side of our chimney on the roof. My grandfather said it had been there for many years, even when my own mother, who died soon after my birth, was a child. So these huge nests were built to last. Not everyone in the village had nests on their roof, so we were privileged that the storks chose our house, because a white stork was considered great good luck.

"They trust us," Grandfather said. Of course they did. We loved animals.

Usually, by mid-March, Grandfather would make a point of remarking, "I wonder who'll be the first one to see the stork, this year?" Naturally, it was always me- my grandparents made sure of that.

The male stork, beautiful in his white and black plumage, long red legs, and red beak, would show up first, to inspect and claim the nest. A few days later, the female, who looked just like the male only a bit smaller, arrived. Together they would further inspect the nest, and begin making necessary repairs and improvements. They always worked as a team, which impressed me, and I loved watching them carry twigs, hay and other nesting material to make the nest a good home for their young.

After the nest was deemed a fitting home, the female laid her eggs. Usually, there were three to five eggs, my grandfather informed me. Then, it was time to sit on the eggs. Both the female and male did that, taking turns to sit on them. I loved to watch them change shifts, because they always did a sort of ritual dance with their long legs, spreading their wings, too, and clattering their bills, during the change. It was most amusing to see and hear.

Then it was time to wait for the eggs to hatch, which would happen a month later. This was the most exciting time for me. Once, Grandfather climbed on the roof and picked up a baby stork to show me. It was fluffy and cute, and in my mind, it kind of resembled a duckling. Now came the busiest time for the parents. Both father and mother stork brings food for the babies. They catch insects such as grasshoppers, locusts, beetles, earthworms, frogs, lizards, snakes, and even mice.

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