Black Stork Nest, Pärnu Live Cam

A black stork nest in a forest in Pärnu County lies below this webcam, filmed from a neighbouring tree in southwestern Estonia. An adult stands at the rim with chicks in the middle, and the nest is a deep platform of sticks in the fork of a pine.

The black stork is rare and protected here, and unlike its white cousin it avoids people entirely, nesting deep in old forest. Birds at this nest carry GPS tags, so the camera and the tracking data together let researchers follow the same individuals from year to year.

The nesting season runs from April to August: incubation, then feeding, then the young testing their wings on the rim. After that the birds leave for Africa and the nest stands empty until spring.