Three young storks made a nest in central Tashkent. Storks in the modern city among highways clogged with traffic are something so exotic that the first thought leaping to the mind is that this is some sort of sculpture. It is not, however. The storks walk the grass without showing any fear of autos and pedestrians. They do not even mind being photoed.

Their wings are not clipped but the storks do not leave the small green enclave surrounded by concrete and asphalt on all sides. Every now and then, however, they do take off to stretch wings. The storks probably consider the lawn a meadow, their natural habitat.

Tashkent owes it to local enthusiasts who raised three young storks from the rural areas in urban conditions. In fact, storks were quite common in Uzbekistan once. Broad use of pesticides in Uzbekistan in the middle of the 20th century made them quite rare because the toxins poisoned both the land and water in the ponds where storks fed. In cities, storks stopped making nests even in the ancient Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. Even encountering one in rural areas became a rare occurrence.

Fortunately, the situation is changing for the better with the use of new methods and practices in agriculture. Birds are coming back - pheasants, quails... Grey storks stop in the Uzbek steppes again when migrating to India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

There is no saying at this point what will happen to the young storks in Tashkent, if they decide to stay or leave. They may decide to leave the city altogether or make a nest somewhere near Chor Su bazaar.