One of our #WhiteStorks has some unusual neighbours… 😬
Right below its nest, we found an invasive Egyptian goose nest with 8 eggs! Egyptian geese are very loud and aggressive - not the best neighbours... So fingers crossed for a peaceful breeding season for our stork!
#ornithology
A warm welcome to our new team member, João Paulino!
João worked with birds in rice fields during his PhD (including #WhiteStorks) and is now joining our field efforts to monitor and track storks across southern Portugal! 🪶
#ornithology
Two white stork hatchlings, two intact eggs and one broken egg and egg shells, on a white stork's nest.
Our first chicks have hatched! 🐣
Last week we welcomed the first hatchlings of the season. We’re looking forward to following their growth and seeing them fledge in a couple of months!
#ornithology #ecology 🌍🧪
Photo: @anna-thompson.bsky.social
Have you seen the size of Infante’s nest?! 😮
#WhiteStorks add new nest material every year, and nests can become HUGE! Comparing Infante’s nest with the one on the left (which fell in 2025 and is still being rebuilt) really puts it into perspective.
New team member in the field! 🐦
This week we're welcoming PhD candidate @anna-thompson.bsky.social to the field! Anna is now monitoring #WhiteStork nests, collecting data for her PhD on individual determinants of variability in migratory behaviour.
#ornithology @ueaenv.bsky.social
In Southern Portugal
New #WhiteStork couple in town this year! 💕
Neville (RK+), 5-year-old female, is pairing up with T7+, a 3-year-old male.
#ornithology
Meet the majestic White Stork!🕊️
From grasslands to pastures, this migratory bird flies across a range of open habitats.
They flock in the hundreds and thousands when travelling along the African-Eurasian Flyway, using thermal updrafts to soar.🌍
Learn more👉 datazone.birdlife.org/species/fact...
The start of the field season also means seeing old friends again!
This is Odiaxere (73+), an adult female we tracked with a GPS from 2018–2022, that is resident in southern Portugal. So good to see you again, Odiaxere!
#WhiteStorks #ornithology #ecology 🌍🧪
What a patriotic stork!
#WhiteStorks are known to bring human-made items to their nests (often with negative consequences – see our paper: tinyurl.com/58rupn7t).
But this one brought a Portuguese flag! These chicks will get their first geography lesson as soon as they hatch!
#ornithology
To mark the start of our new research project “Wings of Change: Unravelling the ontogeny of bird migratory behaviour in a changing world” we have a new logo for our Stork Research Group!
The logo was beautifully designed by the talented Renata Reynaud.
Here we go again! 😍
Our team is back on the field to monitor our #WhiteStork colonies! Despite the heavy rains in Portugal, our storks have been busy re-building the nests and some already have near full clutches!
#ornithology 🌍🧪
You still have a bit more than a week to submit your expression of interest!
#PhD #birdmigration #Ornithology #Ecology 🌍🌱
📢📢PhD opportunity!
We are looking for enthusiastic researchers to develop a project looking at the ontogeny of migratory behaviour!
Deadline for expression of interest: 8 February 2026
👉Check details here: drive.google.com/file/d/1wow2...
#migration #ornithology #GPStracking
In our new paper led by Ursula Heize, we show that >90% of #WhiteStork nests have anthropogenic materials (plastics, paper, etc). Ropes are particularly dangerous: ~12% of the chicks became entangled on ropes, particularly on baler twine!
Check out the paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Our baby #WhiteStorks are growing fast! We use a telecopic pole with a camera to monitor the storks' nest and assess breeding success!
#ornithology
The breeding season is moving along nicely, and most #WhiteStork eggs have already hatched!
Here is 5Y+, a 9-year-old male ringed as a chick in 2016, with his three hatchlings and two remaining eggs.
#Ornithology
Storks are amazing birds. Tracking them for many years enabled us to find some cool stuff!
Every year, fewer #WhiteStorks cross the Straits of Gibraltar on their annual migratory journey. In this paper, we unveil the mechanisms driving the recent and rapid loss of their migratory behaviour.
👉besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-265...
On the 27th of March, we welcomed our first #WhiteStork hatchlings! And one was still struggling to get out of the egg when we arrived!
It's pouring rain - we can't recall ever seeing this much water around our #WhiteStork nests! But they remain strong, and many clutches are now complete. Let's hope they can protect their eggs as more storms sweep across Portugal 🤞!
The white-stork 2025 field season just started! Some nests already with eggs despite the heavy rains and cold weather across Portugal. Looking forward to another breeding season!