10-year-old boy tags rare black stork near Chernobyl then tracks it in motorhome. This is what he discovered

A 10-year-old wildlife documentary maker has been following rare black storks across Turkey in a motorhome. He hopes to raise awareness of the plight these birds face on their long migration.

“Everyone knows and loves white storks. In many countries, they are a symbol of family,” says Noah Beshto, who is from Ukraine. “But many people don’t even know that black storks exist! They are beautiful, rare and mysterious birds. I wanted to learn more about them, tell their story and show what an amazing journey they make during migration.”

Together with Georgian ornithologist Nika Paposhvili, the 10-year-old tracked a GPS-tagged black stork and followed it on its migration.

These birds can travel thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds.

Beshto and Paposhvili followed the bird as it headed south towards Africa from an area near Chernobyl in northern Ukraine.

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Beshto and Paposhvili tracking the black stork in their motorhome. Credit: Noah’s Diary

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While they documented its journey for Beshto’s YouTube channel, Noah’s Diary, they came face-to-face with the harsh reality of what these animals face.

“The hardest part was seeing so many dead birds,” he says. “In Bulgaria, we found lots of dead storks near power lines. They were feeding at a local landfill, and then they landed on power lines or collided with them and were electrocuted.”

This is just one problem faced by the birds as they migrate. They’re also affected by poaching, habitat loss and the impact of climate change.

Beshto also hopes to inspire more children to get into conservation. “You don’t have to wait until you’re grown up to do something good for our planet,” he says. “You can start right now!”