Three hundred white stork pairs were spotted nesting in Slovenia this year, the highest number recorded so far, and 473 baby storks learned how to fly. The figures were released by the Bird Watching Association (DOPPS) after they completed their 25th annual white stork monitoring.

The latest record, which topped last year's by some 30 pairs, comes after a record number of storks spending winter in Slovenia was reported in January.

The organisation carries out the annual monitoring between the end of June and the beginning of July, when baby storks are big enough to be easily counted.

DOPPS members also interview the locals in nesting areas to find out more about the storks' nesting habits and other characteristics.

This year, the birds laid claim on nests that had been vacant for ten years, and phalanxes numbering as many as 70 storks were spotted, the organisation said.

At 473, the number of baby storks which survived and learned how to fly was average this year. The record number, nearly 600, was reported in 2020.

The main factor affecting nesting success is weather, especially in May. "Despite all the devastating storms raging in Slovenia in recent weeks, a vast majority of chicks learned how to fly," DOPPS said.

DOPPS presented the results of the latest monitoring at its first meeting of white stork guardians in a village near Šmarješke Toplice in southeastern Slovenia on 29 July.

Since the first monitoring in 1999, more than 11,100 young storks have left the nests in Slovenia. Only one nest was always the site of successful first flights - a nest in the Ljubljana Marshes. The most unusual nesting locations include a fire station siren, a motorway sign holder and an antenna.