Facts and Figures
- Location:
- Selzach Altreu, Kanton Solothurn, northwest of Switzerland, close to the River Aare and the city of Solothurn
- Population:
-
31 – 47
Min. and max. numbers of breeding pairs since the year 2000
300
Inhabitants in the year 2017 - White stork in German:
- Weissstorch
- Nesting sites:
- On trees and village buildings
- Events:
- Permanent and special display in the visitor center, guided tours and „White Stork“-excursions
Contact
Infocentrum Witi Altreu
www.infowiti.ch
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Events and tourism
A permanent display in the visitor center is complemented by an annual special display (2017/18 „meadow worlds“). About 100 guided tours and „White Stork“-excursions are conducted. 30.000 visitors in the information center yearly.
Landscape and habitat
Altreu/Selzach is situated in the Aare riverplain between the Jura mountain range in the north and the river Aare, a Rhine tributary, in the south. A 15 square kilometre conservation area called „Witi“ is the main foraging ground for the storks.
Altreu fathers
Several years ago there was a breeding pair of White Storks in Altreu. They returned year after year but never managed to raise chicks. In an emergency situation, when another nest was abandoned, the local conservationists put the abandonded eggs into the nest of the unsuccesful couple and discovered that it was a couple of two male storks. The adoptive parents bred the eggs and raised the chicks succesfully. Since then the fathers in Altreu know, that they can do so just as well!
Conservation
- Annual maintenance of the stork nests
- ringing and tracking of storks
- close cooperation with the local farmers for habitat improvement.
Local players and EuroNatur partners
„Verein für üsi Witi“, Infozentrum Witi