Marko has departed for his return journey to the north few days earlier than last year (4th April 2007)
Marko has spent most of the winter at an exactly same location like last year. It is an island in a wide riverbed of the Brahmaputra river which changes its wide channel every year during melting of the glaciers and increased river flow.
From many bearings of various quality regarding the location of the stork we can identify approximately three places or better say islands which are about 10 km apart from each other. At the end of this year's winter, just like last year Marko left this area and moved some 100 km to the east towards the foothills of the Himalaya. Wheras last year he stayed on the second spot for a relatively long time - two months between 4.2. or 6.2. until somewhere between 27.8 to 28.3.2006. This year the departure from the main wintering ground took place few days earlier - between 29.1 - 1.2.2007.
In the meantime Marko stopped for a short period at other places. The actual stop over was cut short to slightly over a month and that is from 6/13.2 to 15/18.3.2007. The beginning of the migration probably took place right after 23.3.2007 more precisely between 23.3 and 29.2007. On 30.3.2007 a very approximate location of Marko was recorded some 600 km north-eastern direction and on 2.4.2007 he was some 800 km away. He was only 56 km away from his favourite stop over site near the River Chang Ho. Last year he stopped at this place only on 12.4.2006. His migration is following the same route like last year. The only difference is that this year it is one week earlier.