Wednesday 21 June 2017

Algarve and Storks in Alvor

The heat is sweltering, way up in the 34 degrees + region, and the only way to stay less hot, I can't say cool, is to stay indoors. Even my friend from the UK found sitting in the shade too uncomfortably hot, but as we are both early risers, we enjoyed the cooler temperature of the morning hours. 

I had a lovely birthday celebration, and now that my friend has left, am ready to share some photos of the White Stork,  taken in the Algarve, in a place called Alvor.


The White Stork   Ciconia ciconia
 

In Portugal, the stork is a protected species, and almost revered by farmers who appreciate and protect them.....

 

as the birds thrive on small mammals, lizards, snakes, and large insects, ...
 

which save the farmers having to buy expensive  pesticides on their crops.
 

The storks often build their nests close to the marshlands or wetlands, where they can feast on frogs, and fish too.
 

This field had at least twelve nests, and after having a word with the farmer, we were allowed to photograph them.
 

They build their nests up high on tall chimneys, telegraph poles, electricity pylons, church steeples, as well as trees.
 

Their nests are a great engineering feat.
 

The adult stork reaches a standing height of 80 to 115 cm, and has a wing span of 195 to 215 cm.
 

It is in flight that they take on a grace and beauty which belies it's size, as it glides high in the sky with outspread wings.
 

I must have stayed in the field a few hours in awe of their size, as I watched them leave, and return to their nests.
 

The day was hazy, ...not the best of conditions to take photos, and....
 

We couldn't approach too near because of the chicks, so regretfully I have none to share.
 

Their were many storks foraging in the fields.
 

They are elegant creatures, even whilst foraging as they walk along at a gentle pace.
 

In the past twenty years, storks have begun to stay here all winter, and can be seen all over the south of Portugal.
 
WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY
SATURDAY'S CRITTERS
I'D-RATHER-B-BIRDIN

41 comments:

matti niilola said...

Oh my god, awesome photos. These are great.

Gordon said...

I love the White Storks, and your photos have done them proud, it would be nice if some of them would make their homes in the UK.
Thank you for looking into my blog and chooseing to follow.
Take care, Gordon.

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful Stork, in flying, standing for you.

Linda said...

Such a fascinating and gorgeous series! I thoroughly enjoy your posts and photos...always. Thank you so much for sharing.

sami niilola said...

OMG. These photos are so amazing. I like a lot.

NatureFootstep said...

we have a few couples in teh south part of Sweden but I have not seen them. Gorgeous shots!

Phil Slade said...

Just brilliant photos today. I am so pleased you showed the storks in their natural landscape like that. I can now understand why people in the Med look forward so much to the storks' spring arrival.

I enjoyed seeing them in Huelva but have never seen one in the UK. Hope it cools for you soon Sonjia.

Michelle said...

This is really an excellent series of photos. Great detail on the stork and the nest.

Les Fous du Cap said...

En Alsace, certains nid dépassent les 500 kg !!!
Céline & Philippe

Mike Attwood said...

Hi Sonjia, I hope you really enjoyed your birthday break and the pictures are pretty good too. Its even hotter here. Take great care,
Mike.

Stuart Price said...

Must be a great sight to see nesting White Storks........

The Furry Gnome said...

Amazing photos of the Storks! Really nice to see those.

LEN said...

I did not know that they nested so close to the ground. I had only seen their nests on pylons and on the top of the bridge behind Portimao. Wonderful photographs.

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shots of storks nesting.

riitta k said...

Amazing photos!

MadSnapper said...

I can tell you our American Storks are not beautiful like yours, they are rather plain. your photos are amazing, I love that nest and all those flowing wings. just gorgeous. we are also hot here and staying inside... I am not posting right now, my hubby had a stroke last Saturday, he is ok right now and having surgery tomorrow. we had to wait for his blood thinner to get out of his system... see you later

hmuxo said...

These photos are amazing Sonjia!!!!! The way you captured them in their nests is like seeing them in National Geographics!!! Lol. I've never seen Whie Storks but they are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing with us.

Teresa said...

Las cigüeñas para mí son especiales. En Extremadura hay muchísimas; es nuestro símbolo. Me encantan.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

These White Stork shots are splendid indeed. It is an iconically European bird, at least for those of us who do not have the pleasure of seeing it all the time, and really invokes for me a sense of timelessness. I remember seeing reproductions of medieval woodcuts showing storks on top of houses. I don't know whether the association of storks bringing babies still persists, but that too was quite charming in its own way. Stay cool in those abominably hot temperatures.

This N That said...

Excellent pictures..Love the ones showing the bird in flight..Great shots..interesting post..I hope you had a nice birthday and a good time with your friend,

Lowcarb team member said...

So lovely to see all of these photographs.
I thought you did so well to get them in flight too, lovely to see.

I hope the weather cools a little for you.
Take care

All the best Jan

Marijke said...

Good morning Sonjia,
Breathtaking photo's of the Storks.
Have a wonderful weekend ahead.

Jeevan said...

The white stork looks gorgeous and the way marked in black and white is so elegant to check! Indeed, these birds are farmer’s friends and while they keep away the insects and replies away, their poop is a wonderful fertilizer for agriculture.

This is a lovely post on the white storks and their choice of trees for building nest is marvellous. And the trees here support the nests well alike someone holding at their palms :)

Hootin Anni said...

Absolutely awesome!!! What incredible images. It was so very kind of the farmer to allow you on his property to get these stunners. Wow.

They're beautiful!!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us at I'd Rather B Birdin' this week.

Debbie said...

ooooh goodness, they are just beauties. it must be wonderful to see so many nesting in one field. i don't think i have ever seen on, outside of a zoo, yours are especially beautiful, more beautiful than the ones i remember seeing!!

your captures are amazing!! they are spectacular in flight and you did an amazing job photographing them!!

nice to hear that you had a lovely birthday!!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, happy belated birthday! The storks are beautiful. It is awesome you saw them nesting on this property. Twelve nest is awesome, they are doing well. I could spend some time watching them too. Your flight captures are lovely. Well done. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

Sharon Wagner said...

What a nest. And what a wingspan!

Tomoko said...

Such wonderful and beautiful moments!!!They are beautiful!

Stewart M said...

Great birds - its been a long tome since I have seen any.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Nancy Chan said...

Blessed belated birthday to you! The storks are beautiful. Love all the photos, especially those in flight and on the field. Have a lovely day!

Lea said...

Beautiful! Wonderful!

Anni said...

I'm back...
Just coming over again to say:

Thanks again....Sharing with us at I'd Rather B Birdin' is always appreciated.

A Colorful World said...

Glad you had a lovely birthday! And visit with your friend. What amazing stork photos! Really awesome.

Tom said...

...magnificent captures of this beautiful bird, I love the the images in flight. Hoping that the fires are not affecting you, stay safe.

carol l mckenna said...

Amazing and creative photography ~ the stork so lovely in flight or not ~ Happy Birthday to you ~ ^_^

Thanks, for stopping by my blog and commenting ~ ^_^

Helma said...

Really beautiful pictures of the stork.
On the nest and in flight you have a good idea of footgrafering this beautiful bird. If it's so hot, we'll stay home too. Fortunately, in the Netherlands, it is sometimes hot :-)
A hug.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I never saw a stork nest before--it is so large and amazing looking! I hope you had a very Happy Birthday! I was also born in June. Best month of the year

DeniseinVA said...

Fantastic photos, they are very regal looking birds.

Prunella Pepperpot said...

An amazing post and such stunning images. What a beautiful bird the stork is and so graceful in flight.
Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful week :)

Ida said...

These were wonderful. What an amazing bird. Loved the shot with all the nests.

Richard Pegler said...

Hi Sonjia. Just catching up after my Scottish holiday.

These are super images of the Stork. How wonderful to be able to see them in this sort of situation.

Your temperatures sound really uncomfortable! I hope it's a bit cooler for you now. We had it very warm for a while here, but it's now become quite cool and rather wet - it's just 13 degrees C here at 09h25, and raining!

With my best wishes - - - Richard

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