Energy workers of DTEK Grids DSO helped ornithologists ring 106 stork nestlings

Ornithologists would climb each nest together with energy workers using an aerial platform, while de-energizing the grids in advance for safety. They wait for the adult birds to fly away, and only then, they carefully take the chicks to register parameters and place special numbered rings on the limb. All information is entered into the international database. After ringing, the chicks are returned to their nests. 

“This year, we have ringed 106 nestlings – and every one of them became a part of a large international database that includes over 100,000 white storks. Thanks to the participation of DTEK Grids DSO in the #EnergyWings project, a total of nearly 300 Ukrainian birds have already received identifiers, thus, making it possible to not only track their path to Africa, but also receive valuable data about population’s state and dynamics. This is our contribution to preservation of the Ukrainian ecosystem,” – explains Olena Potapenko, head of the environmental safety division at DTEK Grids. 

Ringing of storks within the #EnergyWings project is implemented in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions for the third year in a row in cooperation with the Western Ukrainian Ornithological Society and is a part of the international initiative of the Polish Ornithological Society “Małopolskiego Towarzystwa Ornitologicznego” directed at preserving this bird, which is symbolic for Ukraine. 

Prior to ringing, it is mandatory to carry out monitoring of nests, to check how many birds have returned to its nests in the city of Kyiv and in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Donetsk regions. This year, it showed impressive results – 96% of storks returned to safe nests, mounted by the energy workers, which is the highest figure in recent years. Energy companies from Poland and Slovakia are also engaged in the project of the Małopolskiego Towarzystwa Ornitologicznego, PGE Dystrybucja SA in particular.  

DTEK Grids energy workers continue to implement the #EnergyWings project, despite a full-scale invasion. Since 2023, a total of 275 stork chicks have been ringed, and over 20,000 storks have taken wing. Scientists expect first results of ringed storks return from Africa in 3-4 years.