Unusually early

Storks in Perg produce offspring for the second time

Of course, it's not that far yet, but Perg is hoping for stork babies this year too(Bild: ÖBB)

This is very unusual: the birds that laid eggs on the ÖBB radio mast in Perg last year are particularly early this year. This is because the first stork eggs to be registered throughout Austria this year are currently being hatched by the proud stork parents.

As the saying goes, they bring newborns. In Perg, however, the storks are producing their own offspring. Two years ago, the pair of birds chose an ÖBB mast as their new home, with the Federal Railways having specially converted a radio mast and erected their own platform for the popular birds at a lofty height and with a clear view.

Winter spent in Perg
And the birds seem to like it particularly well in the Lower Mühlviertel, not only have they returned, they have also stayed and multiplied. "The good nesting and breeding situation in Perg is definitely the reason why the storks are already breeding. As they also spent the winter in Perg, they have enough energy for an early brood. The pair is the first to breed in Upper Austria," says Upper Austrian stork expert Robert Gattringer.

First eggs throughout Austria
But that's not all: because all stork eggs discovered in Austria are recorded in a register, it is now clear that these are even the first eggs in the whole of Austria, as ÖBB press spokesman Klaus Baumgartner reveals to the "Krone" newspaper.