News, Videos & Other Webcams > Waterfowl, Seabirds & Penguins
White Storks - Netherlands / Beleef de Lente
Kinderchick:
Thanks for your perspective on this, susha. I know it's all part of nature and preserving the species, but I still can't watch a mother killing her chick. Too tough on my poor little heart strings. :'(
susha:
I couldn't watch them for awhile either, but kept checking in on the nest for a few minutes every few days. I had a tough time getting the image out of my head of seeing the mom grab the baby out of the nest and certainly wouldn't be able to watch her kill it (I think they have a clip of it on the site). But it's nature. She did it because that's what storks do to keep the family healthy and strong. Just as killing beautiful shore birds and other birds we like (pigeons are also quite beautiful I think) is what our falcons do to feed themselves and their young. I won't watch those killings either. It seems worse in this case because it's a mom and her baby, but other animal moms kill their sick infants or leave them behind to die as Lily the black bear did two years with Jason. It was heartbreaking to watch Lily walk away from her sick cub. And we all know what a wonderful mom Lily has been. So I'm back to enjoying the storks :)
Kinderchick:
Very sad. :'( I can't watch these storks anymore either, irenkl. :(
irenekl:
Ahh shoot. Susha she did finally pull the youngest chick out of the nest, killed it and ate it. I kept that cam up on my screen while I did other things on the computer and for hours she pecked & picked on everyone in the nest. It was driving me nuts. It appeared that anytime one fell asleep she promptly woke it. Not sure of course that this is what she was doing but whatever it was it went on and on and on. After years of observing these storks I have never seen behaviour like that. Usually the siblings pick on the youngest/weakest chick until it dies and then it is dumped over the side by a parent.
I think I need to make the decision not to watch this nest.
susha:
I've been enjoying watching this family so much...but just now, mama stork has been picking away at the smallest baby and just pulled him away from the others...had to turn it off before seeing anything else. I know that she might kill it...that's what they do. But I can't watch it happening and don't want to think about it :
Maybe she was just pulling him away to give him some individual attention and when I go back, there will still be four active, healthy stork chicks... ???
Somehow, I don't think so... :'(
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