Lavreotiki: 25 dead storks found on power poles

More than 25 dead young storks were found along the coastline of Lavreotiki, in the wider Legrena area, and were taken to the ANIMA Wildlife Care Centre in Kalyvia. The transfer was carried out by teams from the Inter-Municipal Stray Animals Network and the Lavrio Forestry Service. According to ANIMA, at least four more birds remained dead hanging from grid poles at the time of the collection, while two surviving young storks were taken to the centre’s First Aid Station. The organisation attributes the deaths to electrocution on uninsulated poles of the distribution grid and is preparing a relevant report to DEDDIE. The collection was completed within the same day, with birds that could not be reached left on the poles.

The flock had stopped in the area as part of its annual migration to Africa. In August, the year’s young birds set out on their first journey and gather in large groups before crossing the sea, using high points to rest and roost overnight. Medium-voltage poles serve as a natural roosting spot for them, resulting in simultaneous contact with two conductors, or with a conductor and a grounded part. A stork’s wingspan exceeds one and a half metres, making large birds particularly vulnerable to grids without insulating covers. The simultaneous loss of dozens of young birds from a single flock has a disproportionate impact on the species’ population, as the survival rate in the first year of life is already low.

Electrocution on distribution lines is recorded internationally as one of the main causes of mortality for large birds during migration, and is addressed with technical solutions that are well known and relatively low-cost: insulating covers on conductors, raised perching platforms, and rearrangement of pole components. In Greece these interventions are carried out case by case, usually after a complaint or a mass-mortality incident, rather than based on a risk map along migratory corridors. The white stork is protected under the European directive on wild birds, which creates an obligation to take measures when a systematic source of mortality is identified.

As of this writing, no public statement from DEDDIE had been recorded regarding this specific incident. ANIMA states it will submit a documented report with the locations where the birds were found, so that a targeted intervention can be made at the specific poles. Lavreotiki lies at the southern tip of Attica and is a regular stopover point for migratory species, making the issue recurring rather than isolated. More from the area on the Lavreotiki page. The ANIMA care centre in Kalyvia receives a large number of cases every year from across Attica and operates with volunteers and donations, without regular state funding.