Preface All across the planet birds wing across their flyways in search of food and shelter They are zipping high above the oceans forests deltas marshes rivers villages towns cities cities church spires skyscrapers and highways All across the planet birds come to rest on shores where turtles and crabs lay eggs and fish spawn They shelter in forests for the night feed in fields where insects hatch and flowers bloom providing food to fuel their journeys Over land and sea birds battle storms and icy winds crash into glass windows are killed by bullets eaten by cats poisoned by toxic chemicals and starved for lack of habitat And all across the world people young and old are joining together like a wave to help birds survive ix
THE VANISHING BIRDS x
Whoever you are no matter how lonely the world offers itself to your imagination calls to you like the wild geese harsh and exciting over and over announcing your place in the family of things Mary Oliver Wild Geese xi
PART I WHITE STORKS White Storks Ciconia ciconia are large wading birds In August and September as the weather begins to change in Europe they fly south from their summer breeding grounds to Africa where the weather is warm They return return to Europe each year in spring White Storks build their nests in tall trees on rooftops and on chimney stacks In 1988 the storks were evaluated as threatened but due to successful conservation efforts in 1994 they were upgraded to a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN 1
