Storks of Iberia

Storks are a protected bird in Portugal and Spain. They build their huge nests now on towers of high power lines, telephone poles, and free standing platforms erected by the state. Biking past these structures we paused to marvel at the engineering that has gone into the homes of this creature - some weighing over a ton. Storks mate for life. They don't migrate anymore; simply add more material to the nest year after year. This time of year we had the opportunity to see the adult tending to chicks while the mate was searching for food from fields and streams.

​This picture is one of the last from my sketchbook record of our Iberian vacation, about 12 sketches in all.