Rust, a home for nesting storks

The stork has a significant meaning to the Burgenland . Here the largest stork colony can be found  in the historic town of Rust, where special nests where built on top of  chimneys to make for the perfect home for these great birds. Each year, the storks arrive in the middle of March, spend spring and most of summer, before departing again in the middle of August to their winter grounds on the African continent.  

Storks have been a regular sight in Rust since the early 1900s, but numbers had been dwindling steadily and by 1965 only three couples of them where left in Rust.  This was the time the locals founded the „stork club“ (Ruster Storchenverein) with its sole goal of conservation of the rare birds.  Finding new feeding grounds and maintaining the storks´ nests are the main tasks of the club. There is even a “stork care unit” (Storchenpflegestation) for sick or injured birds.  There are now again 16 breeding couples with more than 40 offspring  that show off  their flying skills, and are a great attraction to visitors.