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White storks |  |
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Adventure: Migration of white storks at the Strait of Gibraltar
Dear reader!
Every year between the months of July till October about 80 000 white storks are migrating over the Strait of Gibraltar to their winter domicile in Africa and every year it´s a new adventure and a very special experience! When do you ever have the possibility to see so many "red legs" in one time? And be able to observe how they wait for the best weather and atmospheric condition to absolve the flight over the strait as safely as possible? Where else someone can - often enough with tears of emotion in the eyes, watch as thousands of storks starting up into the air for such an important journey?
It is difficult to judge, what of all that impresses me most. To be able to witness all this, belongs for me to the most impressive and great experiences in my life.
And now please enjoy yourself with the photos!
Best regards
Birgit
Favored gathering places of storks before continuing their flight to Africa are the rice fields and other agricultural land of La Janda.
An agricultural area about 40 km north of Tarifa, which …
…traversed by irrigation canals and …
… therefore rich with food.
The distances there are big, the storks are very shy and so you are only able to make photos from a fractional part of the 'red beaks' from far distance:
Harvest time in La Janda means for the storks to be able to 'recharge their batteries' before the continuing flight, because the mowing machines of course let lots of prey uncovered and the 'red beaks' don't hesitate for long but take their part:
"Well, if this here is the way to Africa?"
Another group is taking a rest in a cool rice field:
This photo belongs to one of the best of all my memories which again only shows a fraction of the storks, whose heads look out of the rice fields near Benalup. On this very day there were thousands!
As soon as the sun is warming up the air, some restlessness is coming up within the groups, who until this moment, did enjoy the food here and there. First only a little number of storks is going up into the air:
Continuation on page 2