The Flickr Whitestorks Image Generatr

Europe, Portugal, Algarve, Sotavento, Olhão, Smokestack, Lightning rod, Nest, Storks (slightly cut from R&T)

The stork (ooievaar) symbolises new life, and this couple is living up to this symbolism ;-). Storks favour high-up nets, so they can frequently be spotted building/reusing nests in Olhão on the smoke stacks of the ruined fish canning factories.

As can be observed here, these nests are often huge and may be used for many years. Some nests can grow to over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and about 3 metres (9.8 ft) in depth.
Storks were once considered monogamous, but this is only partially true, some species exhibit regular extra-pair breeding.

The stork winters in Africa south of the Sahara or in India and comes to (southern) Europe to breed. During our two-week stay in Olhão, we could admire their elegant and energy-conserving flight and, of course, enjoy the bill-clattering too, a mode of communication at the nest.

The ruined factory that belongs to the smokestack, is: here.

This is number 54 of the Olhão & Ilha Culatra album.

© Bram Reinders

www.bramreinders.nl

"In Portugal stork numbers have increased dramatically following legal protection granted to them in the '80s. Although originally migratory, there are many that now no longer make the arduous journey south and instead over-winter in Portugal; this is being attributed to Climate Change."

The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average 100–115 cm (39–45 in) from beak tip to end of tail, with a 155–215 cm (61–85 in) wingspan."

Unlike the shy black stork I uploaded from Greece yesterday, the white storks (Ciconia ciconia) were all over.

Both in the air, nesting in the villages, and like here- filling the fields when the farmers plowed the fields.

It was interesting to see all these big birds walking among the baled grass and tractor, instead of lots of gulls like we are used to in Norway.

The white stork breeds in a variety of habitats across Europe and North Africa, notably in open areas like farmlands and wetlands.

It doesn't breed in Norway, but visits us now and then.

(Stork in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of them in the links below the line!

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PS not a very sharp image due to inability to stop along the busy highway.

In recent years, some of the white storks prefer to build and live in massive nests on tall electrical utility towers in colonies in the Algarve, Portugal.

They return to the same nest every year. Google

This might be a White Stork condominium!! I suspect that this White Stork colony is a fairly social group.

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"

The zoo contained storks and a pony. The stork seemed not to be bothered by people, and the parents seemed to share baby-watching duties. At one point the second parent stepped into the nesting box and was shooed away by the first parent: "I got this!"