Master Adebar

Clean nest for the stork couple Hansi & Anna

The Neusiedl am See fire brigade carried out the nest cleaning.(Bild: Karl Wirthner)

Anneliese Wirthner loves Master Adebar and looks after him too.

Wirthner has been looking after storks in Apetlon for years. A nest there has now been cleaned at her expense. "So that Hansi will find a nice nest when he returns from the south," she explains. The Neusiedl am See fire department arrived with a cherry picker for the job. Two men prepared the nest, removed garbage from the previous year and put some wood wool in it, making a new "bed" for him, so to speak.

Last year, stork "Hansi" had already landed in his home community on March 12. As soon as he arrived, the stork lover spent hours watching him and his wife "Anna" and later the young. If there are a lot of young or a stork has an accident, she steps in as a surrogate mother. She then visits the Haringsee owl and bird of prey station with her husband up to twice a week to fetch day-old chicks to feed. If there is not enough food, the weakest chicks are thrown out of the nest. Wirthner wants to prevent this.

Karl and Anneliese Wirthner with the men from the Neusiedl am See volunteer fire department. They donated 1000 euros to the fire brigade for cleaning the nest in Apetlon. So that "Hansi" and "Anna", as well as the future chicks, have a cozy home.(Bild: Karl Wirthner)

She also has two sponsored storks in Haringsee, which she supports with 480 euros a year, and she donated 1000 euros to the fire department for cleaning the nest. An expensive hobby? "The animals are definitely worth it," says the woman.