Wife arrive! Or uh, partner. Whatever.

I think they're both the same storks as last year. Because they are totally used to my bullshit. And last year that took some time and suspicious eyeballing first.

The shagging has begun immediately. There's no foreplay, the whole thing lasts about 5 seconds but goes on many times per day, accompanied by slow beak clacking. Then several minutes of intense preening to straighten the feathers.

#Stork #Nest #StorkNest #Bird #BirdsOfMastodon #FediBird #Homestead

Nice weather today. Mr. Stork was preening himself, but remains solo despite his efforts.

#Stork #StorkNest #Bird #BirdsOfMastodon #FediBird

Mr. Stork looks a bit grumpy on account of the rain. He hates wet feathers. Makes him look all spiky. Only beaks should look spiky, you see.

He's been borrowing some twigs from our garden to fix up the nest but despite it looking ready, no partner has showed up yet.

#Stork #StorkNest #Bird #BirdsOfMastodon #FediBird #Homestead #Dating

Look who's back from winter holidays. Welcome back!

Time to work! Fix up that nest, mow the grass that's grown there since you left, chase off contenders and bring some order* to the local birdlife.

I think it might be the same one as last year. They do not always return to the same nest, but this one is utterly used to me working in the yard and making fake clapper sounds with my tongue, which last year took some time.

It must be a male, because stork males always return first to do the work of rebuilding the nest.

* Nothing larger than a starling dares venture near an occupied stork nest, even crows only yell insults from a safe distance.

#Stork #StorkNest #Wildlife #Bird #BirdsOfMastodon #Fedibird

The most pointless thing we've bought here was two bags of grass seed.

Stuff grows everywhere, without seeding it, even up in the storks nest.

Time to come back and mow your nest, storks 😆

#Grass #Lawn #Stork #StorkNest #Homestead

#Storks! Knepp webcam highlights from 2025!
https://whitestorkproject.org/live-cam-feed/

#SolarPunkSunday #Knepp #StorkNest #ReWilding #BioDiversity

They're gone.

The young storks moved out a while ago and joined the first timer flock to the south. They need to go earlier, as the first migration is the hardest.

The parents stayed a little longer, enjoying their regained freedom and then left as well.

Our storks are most likely heading for the eastern route around the Mediterranean, across the Bosporus and the Suez canal.

Bon voyage!

I'm sure they'll come back next year, or whoever claims the nest. It's not like we can tell them apart :)

#Stork #Nest #StorkNest #Migration #Homestead #Bird #BirdsOfMastodon #FediBird

After the rain.

#Rainbow #StorkNest #Lithuania #Farm #Homestead

All three young storks are flying now 👍

This means the nest is sometimes empty most of the day, but they're not far, foraging in the meadow. At night they return to the safety of the nest.

Their beaks are starting to grow longer and turn orange.

High up in the sky, I've seen the first flock (mustering) of young storks, training for their long trip around the Mediterranean to Africa.

#Stork #StorkNest #Birds #FediBird #BirdsOfMastodon