White storks are making a comeback in the UK, so keep an eye out for them over the next few months.

These beautiful birds were once common on mainland Britain but declined in drastic fashion during the 15th Century due to hunting.

They are still common in parts of mainland Europe, particularly in Germany where they often build their nests in old chimneys. But Brits usually only see storks when they’re blown over the English Channel by high winds.

That could be about to change. More than 100 storks were recently bred in captivity and have now been released into the wild in three locations in West Sussex and Surrey. One nest has already been spotted in oak trees on the Knepp estate near Storrington.

White storks are making a comeback. CREDIT: Soloneying

Lucy Groves, the white stork project officer for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, one of the partners in the reintroduction scheme, told The Guardian: “The female was just coming up to four years old last spring and was a little bit too young to breed but they obviously know what they are doing this year and were ahead of the game. It’s really exciting. It’s going to be a fantastic year.”

So keep an eye on sky. If you think you’ve seen a heron, maybe take a closer look to check it is not a white stork. Look out for the red bill and red legs.

The project aims to have 30 wild pairs of storks by 2030 and can take heart from the successful return of another large white bird – the crane.

According to The Guardian, Britain’s crane population has reached its highest level for more than 400 years with 56 breeding pairs last summer.

Natural recolonisation saw cranes return to east Norfolk in 1979 and reintroduction and conservation efforts led by the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust have now returned them to the Somerset Levels, Wales, Scotland and the Humberhead Peatlands.