I am not the only Big Bird on the cliff.

Since we arrived in Portugal, we have seen a large number of storks, many nesting on roofs, poles, chimneys, church belfries and derelict industrial buildings in towns and villages along the coast. They are quite a common sight which is not surprising, considering that the stork is protected in this country and it is against the law to demolish any structure on which storks nest. The lucky ducks! We poor seagulls don’t get any such preferential treatment.

But we were all surprised to see storks nesting on sea stacks and outcrops of cliffs. What an amazing sight, even for me. My owners are more used to watching storks from below, usually while sipping a beer in their local which is just across from a Gasthaus where storks return to the nest on the chimney year after year. It was quite a different experience, being able to observe storks from above – from the edge of a cliff.

The Oldies were seriously impressed, but at one point I watched a stork making at least three attempts at landing in its nest before finally managing it. We seagulls are much more adept at landing than that! And I know you humans think seagulls are noisy, but you’d want to hear these guys. Their beak clattering was clearly audible from several hundred metres away, even over the roar of the ocean!

     

Ok, I have to say that their nests are really cool. It is quite a feat to build such huge constructions in such precarious locations. They are practically penthouses! But with those Atlantic waves, don’t you think that they might be prone to touch of rising damp?

My story will continue soon, but in the meantime, just to keep up the suspense I’ll leave you with this cliff-hanger: