One of the more unlikely celebrities in Ukraine is a stork named Hrytsko who, on March 22, returned to his home nest in the village of Lelyaki, Poltava Oblast, to await the arrival of his girlfriend, Odarka.
A livestream set up by researcher Anatoliy Podobaylo in 2023 has become something of a viral sensation in Ukraine, propelling the couple to internet fame each year when they return from their annual migration.
Podobaylo, a researcher at the Department of Ecology and Zoology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and a scientific curator of the Pyryatynskyi National Park, told the Kyiv Independent that Hrytsko arrived this year "with a squawk."
"Ten minutes after his arrival, he started to clean up the place. Shortly after he arrived, he visited one of his neighbors, a beekeeper, to see how things were going," he added.
Hrytsko has been nesting in Lelyaki since 2019. Villagers there are fond of him, coming to visit and feeding him from time to time, Podobaylo said.
In Ukraine, a stork is considered to be a symbol of prosperity, family, happiness, well-being, and of the country itself.
But those watching on the livestream are waiting for one thing in particular — the arrival of Odarka, Hrytsko's mate.
Hrytsko spent March 22 and 23 alone in the nest but with hundreds of people watching him live at any one time. One user even wrote that watching how Hrytsko is getting on is part of her "morning routine."
For most of March 24, Hrytsko was still solo, bracing himself against the wind and occasionally flying off to run stork errands.
Then around 6 p.m., another stork arrived. The Kyiv Independent contacted Podobaylo to confirm if it was indeed Odarka and was told the official confirmation would come in the morning but it was likely her due to "their interactions."
"This is what everyone was waiting for," one viewer wrote, while another insisted it was definitely Odarka because of her "spotted legs."
"There is harmony and love in the family. The feathers are ruffled, everything is fine," another viewer wrote.
But the livestream love story hasn't always gone as planned — the camera should have been installed in the early spring of 2022 but was postponed because of the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion.
"Our employee bought the camera at a vast market in Kharkiv. Then the war started. The camera ended up in Saltivka (a district in Kharkiv) and remained in the basement for a year because we couldn't get it out," Podobaylo said.
"But you know, in 2022, the stork returned to its home, even though we were already surrounded (by Russians). This was a sign for us," he added.
Andrea Januta
