Black Stork nest in Portugal

[Olga]

It's morning again. The 15th Aprill. The male Black stork is on the nest. The weather looks fine, it's calm, the river is like a mirror.

at 7:51

[Olga]

He is still on the nest, rolling eggs at 10:02

[garina do mar]

BS Diary
Good morning!
Everything was soaked in the morning as it rained a lot yesterday afternoon and during the night
She returned at 11:37.

He went a bit to the balcony to clean his feathers


and left at 11:40

And then he started the "moss running", coming with moss and branches at 11:42, 11:47, 11:49, 11:51, 11:53, 11:56, 11:58, 12:00, 12:03, 12:08, 12:11, 12:15 (a huge branch), 12:20, 12:25, 12:30
After staid for a while in the balcony and left at 12:40!
I have to leave now, I'll put some more pics in the afternoon

[Olga]

garina do mar told

..then he started the "moss running", coming withmoss and branches at 11:42, 11:47, 11:49, 11:51, 11:53, 11:56, 11:58, 12:00, 12:03, 12:08, 12:11, 12:15 (a huge branch), 12:20, 12:25, 12:30

[garina do mar]

garina do mar told

He knows what he is doing. It's he who spends most of the time in the nest

[garina do mar]

The moss rush:
He hits her, puts his feet over her, puts moss in front of her beak!! A totaly crazziness
11:42

11:56

12:01

12:11

12:15 the "tree"

[garina do mar]

Garina do mar, how interesting

Garina do mar said: The 2nd Aprill happened almost the same. The visitor laid on the platform too. It looked not at all to be a 'threatening' position.

This time was different because who laid on the platform was its "owner". On the 2nd April it was the visitor.
WHy they do that? I've no idea

[Olga]

This time was different because who laid on the platform was its "owner". On the 2nd April it was the visitor.
WHy they do that? I've no idea

I can't understand neither know why. But what comes in my minds is that the owner tried to calm the intruder by bending down and 'sayng': '' Look. I am not threatehing you, so you have no reason to be scared and then perhaps to threaten me, my mate and our eggs" .

What if they make those expessions just to say: let's cam down (!). Please, do nothing so nothing bad will happen to anyone, I don't want fight, it's dangerous'?

Is it among dogs and wolves too, that they bend down their head when knowing they can loose figth, and they even strech their neck 'ready to be bitten', and then the attacker just can't attack anymore! well, these are mammals, birds are birds..

[macdoum]

He knows what he is doing. It's he who spends most of the time in the nest

Isn't it strange he is continuing the nest-building ?
I would have thought that once the eggs are laid and incubating he would be satisfied ?
Not that I know much about the subject.!! ??
Thank you both for all the info.

[garina do mar]

Isn't it strange he is continuing the nest-building ?
I would have thought that once the eggs are laid and incubating he would be satisfied ?
Not that I know much about the subject.!! ??
Thank you both for all the info.

~
Hi Macdoum
It´s not anymore nest building.
He brings lots of moss both to have a more confortable nest and to protect the eggs.

[garina do mar]

I can't understand neither know why. But what comes in my minds is that the owner tried to calm the intruder by bending down and 'sayng': '' Look. I am not threatehing you, so you have no reason to be scared and then perhaps to threaten me, my mate and our eggs" .

What if they make those expessions just to say: let's cam down (!). Please, do nothing so nothing bad will happen to anyone, I don't want fight, it's dangerous'?

Is it among dogs and wolves too, that they bend down their head when knowing they can loose figth, and they even strech their neck 'ready to be bitten', and then the attacker just can't attack anymore! well, these are mammals, birds are birds..

I understand your idea, but if this time was the "owner" who laid down, the other time was the "visitor". That's what I don't understand.

[Olga]

garina do mar

Code: Select all

I understand your idea, but if this time was the "owner" who laid down, the other time was the "visitor". That's what I don't understand.

I suppose that for the owner it was even more important to show that they want maintain piece, and that's why the owner as if gave up before any threatening expressions was made by any side. The owner had no possibility to escape, be cause the eggs would be in bigger danger. And the eggs had been in danger if they had only fighted.

That was why I thought the owner, who did not want any kind of collicion, laid down first. Of ourse it could have defended the eggs by fighting, in case that the expression 'to make believe' to give up in front of the visitor had not helped to save the piece.

To avoid harming the eggs by all means could be the owner's motivation to behave in that strange way.. well. I don't know.. it's my speculations..

[garina do mar]

BS Diary
This night he spent the night in the nest.
He arrived yesterday at 19:30 and she didn't left, so we thought first that it could be a "visitor".


But "he" didn't appear to defend/guard the nest and sometime later, at 20:14, we could confirm that the new arrival had a ring which the visitor doesn't have.

He stayed on the balcony and on the platform all night

and left very early in the morning, at 06:33.

She stayed on the nest all the time (more than 24h) and finally he returned and they changed shifts at 13:00.

He went to the nest immediatly

[garina do mar]

BS Diary
Yesterday he was alone for the night in the nest and she arrived at 09:20
Then he started the "moss rush" and brought moss at 09:22, 09:24, 09:26, 09:29, 09:32 (moss and a feather), 09:34, 09:35, 09:38 (lots of branches), 09:39 (a bush), 09:44 (moss again).
Then he went to the balcony and at 09:46 he flew away.
She stayed on the nest fitting the moss and everything stayed calm until the night, with lots of rain in the afternoon.
She slept alone on the nest.

Today, he arrived at 10:44, she left immediatly and nothing else happened.

It's funny because it's only him that collects moss for the nest. We only saw her doing that once.

She didn't return yet so probably will onlly return tomorrow.

[garina do mar]

Hello all
Yesterday's BS diary
He arrived near 10:10 (nobody saw, as the cam was making a tour).
He brought more moss several times: 10:12, 10:14, 10:17, 10:19, 10:21, 10:24 (with pine tree needles), 10:26.
Then he went to the balcony and stayed there until 10:40, making himself prettier.

During the morning she was very restless, all the time getting up and rolling the eggs. In the afternoon she calmed down.

Then, at 18:02 he arrived and they were very nervous on the nest. We didn't saw what happened but he laid down on the platform.

Some minutes after, more calm, went to the balcony and flew at 18:06.
Close to the night, at 20:27, he returned again and spent the night on the balcony.

[garina do mar]

Yesterday, between 13:01 and 13:06 the Ruppel's vulture also visited his nest. He is a really beautiful bird.

[garina do mar]

Today's BS Diary
He left very early as usual, before 7:00 and returned for shift change at 07:56.

She left right away but diferent than usual returned at 08:03 with moss and made him get up to put the moss where she wanted it to be! It was funny

And then left.
It was a quiet day on the nest, with him incubating and rolling the eggs

In this one the ring is very visible

She returned at 18:10 and he left immediatly. She is still alone on the nest.

[macdoum]

Thank you Garina for all those pics and info;
And the thing with the moss sounds very funny.....Like "The Pricess and the pea "..!!!
I am sorry I missed it but we are so concentrated on Padis that I rarely stay on this cam as usually it seems soooo quiet.

[garina do mar]

BS Diary from the 21st

He arrived at 08:44 but it seemed that she didn't want to leave the nest.
She left one minute later but, against the usual she came back at 08:49 with moss. And this time it was her that did the "moss rush":
08:52 a small branch
08:54 moss
08:56 moss and a small branch
08:59 some branches
09:03 and 09:07 2 enormous branches that she put on the out part of the nest
09:11, 09:15, 9:20 more moss
and she left
She arrived again at 14:32 and he went to the balcony where he stayed cleanning and stretching his wings until 15:22 and then left.
At 15:55 she looked very suspicious but nothing (neither anybody) was seen.
But at 16:05 he came with some moss and went to the balcony like he was guarding the nest. At 16:09 they were both at the nest very nervous, then he went to the platform and left at 16:13.
He arrived again at 20:24 and slept on the balcony.

[garina do mar]

BS diary from the 22nd
Today several strange things happened
He left at 06:44.
At 08:42 a BS arrived on the balcony and stayed there until 08:53. It was not possible to see if it was him but it didn't seem.
At 09:00 again a BS arrived that approached the nest and stayed there until 09:30 when another BS landed on a platform nearby. This time it was possible to see that the BS that was near the nest didn't had a ring, so it was a "visitor".
"She" stayed all the time on the nest protecting the eggs, very quiet but with her feathers stretched.
The "visitor" arrived again at 09:50 and left 4 minutes later.
At 10:11 "he" landed on the nest, they "talked" a little and he left again.
At 19:13 he arrived again and she left.
But she returned at 19:59 and went to the nest. And he left 2 minutes later.
She stayed alone on the nest for the night.

So she was on the nest for almost 29 h and then left for 45 minutes and went again to the nest
And this "visitor" came several times without being chased
Strange isn't it?

I don't have many pics from today but have some from yesterday, I'll try to post them later