Every decade, the white stork census records the global population of this fascinating bird species. NABU coordinates the multinational efforts between BirdLife partner organisations, NGOs, and other participants. 2024 is again the year of the stork!
In celebration of this year's International White Stork Census, NABU went looking for the twelve best white stork snapshots for a 2025 NABU calendar! The white stork breeds in 54 countries in Europe, North Africa and Asia, facing diverse breeding and living conditions. Each stork has its own unique journey.
We invited white storks enthusiasts to share their stories with us for our white stork calendar. Along with their photo submission, they had the option to include a few sentences about the creation process, the work involved, or the stork featured in the image.
The twelve winning photos are featured in a NABU calendar for the year 2025. Additionally, the jury has chosen another winning photo, now featured as the cover of the calendar. Each winner received three copies of the calendar. The winners were announced via our Instagram channel. Furthermore, the winner of the cover photo received a one-year digital subscription to the magazine of our partner organisation, BirdLife.
It was the first time in many years that a pair of white storks not only checked out this particular nest, but also bred successfully and raised two healthy-looking fledglings. The photo was taken through the tulip tree in my mom’s garden on an early morning in April 2023 - photo: Stephan Busse
The photo was taken on 8 February 2024, in typical North Frisian foul weather in St. Peter-Ording, Schleswig-Holstein. Due to relatively mild winters, the storks are now resident year-round, but on this day, it was clearly too cold for them - photo: Sven Michael Sauer
This photo was taken from my mother’s balcony. The storks nest on her roof - photo: Jan Mennicke
In the field of meadowfoam during spring - photo: Holger Frank
A mother stork brings food for her young in Senta, Serbia - photo: Ivan Bukvic
White stork in Poland - photo: Agnieszka Florczyk
On a mild May evening, a stork was cleaning its nest on the high trunk of an old tree. The sunset bathed the sky in vibrant colors, and the beautifully lit clouds in the background gave the scene a special magic - photo: René Nickel
Over the last 30 years, some of the white storks in southwest Portugal have started to nest on offshore rocks - photo: Paul Yealand Kalfayan
Every year, when lavender blooms in the Ukrainian Carpathians, this lavender field becomes a favorite spot for white storks - photo: Oksana Vashchuk
A stork with its prey in Kyiv, June 2024 - photo: Oksana Makhovskaya
These three younglings were raised in 2024, marking the second year that white storks have bred in this particular nest after many years of hoping a pair would use it again. The photo was taken from about five meters up the walnut tree in my mom’s garden on an early July morning - photo: Stephan Busse
Radolfzell-Böhringen: During a summer thunderstorm, the stork sat calmly on a neighboring house - photo: Wolfgang Spreng
Liftoff! At the end of August, the stork year is drawing to a close - photo: Ina Müller-Velten
A limited-edition White Stork calendar for 2025 has been created from the 13 winning photos. With only 150 copies available, this exclusive piece is perfect for true stork enthusiasts.
Get yours now!The jury reviewed all submissions and selected the thirteen best photos to determine the winners. The winners were notified via email.
1. Participation in the contest is free of charge. To enter the contest, uploading a photo is required. Participation is only possible online within the participation period from July 15, 2024, to August 31, 2024. Entries received after the participation period will not be considered in the drawing. Each participant can submit up to three photos for the contest.
2. Eligible participants are natural persons who are at least 18 years old. NABU reserves the right to exclude individuals from participation at its discretion if there are legitimate reasons (e.g., manipulation, unfair conduct, false or misleading information, etc.).
3. The following prizes will be awarded: The twelve winning photos will be published in a 2025 calendar. Additionally, they will be shared on the NABU website and social media channels. Winners will receive three copies of the calendar and a one-year subscription to the BirdLife digital magazine.
4. The winners will be determined by the jury after the participation period ends. Winners will be notified promptly via email. If winners do not respond within two weeks, the respective prize will be re-awarded. Prizes are non-transferable.
All information on secure data processing can be found in our information regarding our privacy policy according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Do you know how many white storks are currently nesting? Let's find out! Every ten years, the white stork census records the species' global population. NABU coordinated the eighth census and has updates on interim results, as well as a look behind the scenes. more →
Ecosystem functioning needs to be seen as a global task. Therefore, NABU is active in 36 biodiversity hotspots and beyond. As part of the BirdLife network, bird conservation has a long tradition for us. Its efforts contribute to biodiversity as a whole. more →
