Graeme Green

Three juvenile white storks have been introduced to a purpose-built enclosure at Willington Wetlands in Derbyshire, marking an effort to restore a species absent from the Midlands for more than 600 years. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust hopes the birds will attract migrating storks, eventually support breeding and enable carefully managed releases into the wild. The £309,000 project builds on the restoration of wet grassland, pools and reed beds at the former gravel-pit site, with broader goals of improving biodiversity, creating wildlife corridors and reconnecting local communities with nature.