‘They do look majestic’: tears and pride as first white storks set free in Cornwall

<p>Twenty-one birds released on Bodmin Moor where it is hoped they will one day return to produce their own young</p><p>They took a little coaxing at first – after all, they had got used to a safe, comfortable aviary tucked away in woodland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. But after a few minutes, the birds stepped out into freedom and the bolder ones were soon soaring into the blue, the first white storks to be released into the wilds of Cornwall.</p><p>Yan Swiderski, the founder of <a href="https://thecornwallstorkproject.org/">the Cornwall Stork Project</a>, had tears in his eyes. “I do feel a bit emotional,” he said. He sounded a little like a proud father wanting to play down the achievements of his offspring – and failing. “They’re a little bit clumsy at the moment. They aren’t used to flying free … but they do look majestic, don’t they?”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/first-white-storks-released-bodmin-moor-cornwall">Continue reading...</a>