Storks!

Well, I'll admit it...I've become obsessed by storks (and I'm afraid it's contagious, because Babette, John and Gary are showing signs too!).  It all started innocently enough when we got in our car after lunch one day, and I remember that I had read in Rick Steves book on France, that the area we were in that day (called "le route du vins" running from Colmar to Strasbourg) is home to many storks.  I mentioned that we should be on the lookout for stork nests as we were driving along...from the back seat John instantly said "well, there's one" and pointed to the peak of the roof right next to the car...and darn if he wasn't right!  A HUGE stork was perched in her nest right in front of us! 

Suddenly it was "game on"!!  Now that we knew what to look for we were ready. We drove along the lovely Route du Vins which meanders through one story-book town after another, interspersed with acres and acres of vineyards.  This was one of the prettiest drives I've been on. 

Every time we entered a town we looked at the roofs to find the stork nests, and they were everywhere.  These nests can weigh up to 1000 lbs!!  So you can see why there are metal supports to take the pressure off the roof!  The nests are 6-7 feet in diameter (storks have a 10' wingspan and can be unto 5' tall!), and some nests can be 8' deep!!  Storks frequently reuse existing nests, just "refurbishing" them with each new clutch of eggs.

Obviously, there is some mess involved with having a nest on your roof!

Storks are generally monogamous, and groups of storks are called either a "muster" or a "phalanx"!  When they fly it is a gliding, soaring type of flight...not a lot of wing flapping.  Babette and I were standing in a small passageway between shops and a stork came gliding over our heads!  We quickly looked at each other to see if it had been real!!  It felt like a terradactyl swooping over us, it's wingspan almost touching the buildings!  I'll never forget that moment!

They storks eat frogs, fish, smaller birds and even small mammals 😳. They are voiceless but communicate with a clattering of their bills when they are excited.  They lay clutches of 3 to 6 eggs which are incubated for about 5 weeks by both parents.

We asked a shop owner if the storks were here year round, or was this part other migration.  She said they used to come only in summer, but due to climate change they are now here year-round. 😢