In Leopoldskron

Nest drama surrounding storks Fridolin and Elsa

A Salzburg AG employee nudged the stork's nest on the ground near Moosstrasse - local residents are worried about Fridolin and Elsa.(Bild: zVg)

Two wild birds built a nest in Moosstraße. However, Salzburg AG, Salzburg's energy giant, removed it - it was "just a few branches". The residents built a replacement and are angry because Salzburg AG did not think to help the storks and the birds are now gone.

Residents on Obermoosweg and Wildmoosweg in Leopoldskron were amazed: a pair of storks began building a nest on an electricity pylon on April 14. Wild birds are still an extremely rare phenomenon in Salzburg.

Local residents immediately built a makeshift nest for the outcast stork pair and mounted it ten meters above the ground(Bild: zVg)

After a good three days, so many branches had flown in that the pair were already taking long rests in the new eyrie on Obermoosweg, looking out over the lush meadows towards the Almkanal.

This should have been the storks' new home(Bild: zVg)

However, the idyll was abruptly disturbed a little later: "Salzburg AG came and simply pushed the nest down from the pole," sad bird lovers told the "Krone" and also provided photo evidence. And: "Children have already named the couple Fridolin and Elsa, taken them to their hearts and shed tears when the nest was destroyed."

Fridolin inspected the replacement nest created by the local residents, but has not been seen since April 22, together with his wife Elsa(Bild: zVg)

Skilled local residents got to work and made a replacement roost from a construction site grid, wire and branches and placed it at a height of around ten meters in the crown of a neighbouring spruce tree. "Fridolin had a look at it, but we haven't seen anything since April 22," say the concerned residents. Salzburg's energy provider argues that it was "just a few branches" and not a nest. In addition, there had been a short circuit on the 110 kV pylon one night because of the storks.

"We also acted out of safety for the animals"
"The branches were also removed for the safety of the storks," says a Salzburg AG spokesperson. However, local residents are very angry. Tenor: If the energy giant had immediately taken care of a replacement roost following the example of Burgenland or Styria, the departure of Fridolin and Elsa could probably have been prevented.