- Title: GERMANY: STORKS TRY TO HATCH GOLF BALLS FROM GOLF COURSE
- Date: 24th May 2005
- Summary: KROGASPE, GERMANY (RECENT) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR WIDE OF DRIVING RANGE WITH MEN TEEING OFF 2. WIDE OF MAN TEEING OFF 3. WIDE OF STORKS NEST 4. STORK NESTING 5. STORK LANDING 6. SOUNDBITE (English), CHRIS PARKER, GOLF INSTRUCTOR, SAYING - "So, theyve landed, theyve built themselves a nest, and they' ve taken the golf balls in a simulation like they have eggs in the nest. And theyve tried to hatch these golf balls. Naturally, they won't get any result out of it. We had two nests at one time. We had eleven balls in one nest and three balls in the other nest." 7. GOLFERS TEEING OFF 8. WIDE OF STORK AND NEST WITH GOLFER IN BACKGROUND Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th June 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KROGASPE, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA9W3KOFW5U6GTYAAAZ2S8RAVVZ
- Story Text: Storks try to hatch stolen golf-balls.
The small Northern German town of Krogaspe is famous
for two things: Firstly, its exclusive golf course. And
secondly, the golf courses inhabitants who moved in here
about two weeks ago. In the middle of the driving range, a
couple of storks have made a nest on the ground and, for
lack of eggs, have filled it with golf balls they found on
the course.
According to ornithologist Georg Fiedler this is a an
extremely rare phenomenon . "This is an absolute
phenomenon. In ornithologic literature, there is an
analysis that spans the time between 1894 and 1997. During
this time, only 16 cases in all of Europe have been
registered, where storks have been nesting and trying to
hatch on the ground. Only twice in all this time, this has
been successful", Fiedler told Reuters TV on Friday (May
20).
To many golfers, the couple of storks is a little
sensation. Golf instructor Chris Parker said: "The golfers
are very interested. Somebody came here from Austria. He
had read it somewhere, came up here and wanted to play golf
and watch the storks. There are curious people coming form
everywhere."
Storks normally only nest in trees or bulidings. The
two birds from Krogaste golf course however lost their
original nest after a fight. Fiedler suggested that another
couple of storks might have taken over the nest. The
Krogaste-couples urge to hatch remained even after they
lost their original home and brood. Nobody knows why the
couple picked the space in the middle of the green, which
is not exactly undisturbed or quiet. "So, theyve landed,
theyve built themselves a nest, and theyve taken the golf
balls in a simulation like they have eggs in the nest. And
theyve tried to hatch these golf balls. Naturally, they
wont get any result out of it. We had two nests at one
time. We had eleven balls in one nest and three balls in
the other nest", Parker explained.
The storks are back down to one nest at the moment. And
because they have been trying so hard, a real storks egg
was given to them on Thursday (May 19). Good news for the
golfers who hit their balls off the course, as normally the
storks would be expected to find and "confiscate" the
balls.
If everything goes well, the storks might well hatch soon-
a baby stork with a good handicap, perhaps.
Next year, the owners of the golf cours plan to erect a
mast for the storks- so they can breed appropriate to their species
but
without leaving the green.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
