Storks in Alsace

          Storks are a symbol of fertility and good luck in Alsace.  For centuries they spent their summers in Alsace where they mated and hatched their young, and in winter the family flew off to warmer climes in Africa.  The birds were on the brink of extinction by the 1970's.  They were electrocuted in the many new networks of power lines that were built after World War II along their migration routes.  They were poisoned when they ate insects that lived in fields treated with herbicides.  During periods of unrest in some African countries, they were killed for food by starving people.  In 1976, the Renaud family established the Center for the Reintroduction of Storks.  Today the birds are back in numbers high enough that conservationists can let nature take its course in most situations.  

Why do they stand on one leg?  I read an article about flamingos standing on one leg.  Flamingo anatomy is such that the stance is more relaxing than using both legs to stand.  Maybe it's the same for storks.  Storks do not vocalize.  They make sounds by clapping their bills.

Storks mate long term, and they return to the same nest every year.  The male comes first, and he performs repairs on the nest while he waits for the female.  When the female arrives, mating begins.  If the couple do not produce offspring during a summer season, they will usually find other partners by the next year.  

Sometimes the birds use these special platforms to set up housekeeping.  Other times they build on chimneys or directly on the roof top.  Nests weigh about 1,000 pounds.

The female usually lays four eggs.  The pair take turns incubating the eggs.  The eggs hatch in 33-34 days.  The young can leave the nest after 58-64 days.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_stork  

 

In the autumn, it's time to migrate.  The birds fly over land, circling the Mediterranean Sea, either traveling through Spain and across the Straight of Gibraltar or through Turkey and the Levant into Egypt.  They cannot cross the Mediterranean because there are no thermal updrafts to help them fly.  Many storks now winter in Spain instead of Africa.  The climate in Spain is favorable, and towns with dumpsters provide plenty of food.  BTW, storks are carnivores.