Upon a Pole

Taken by the road on the way from Serpa to Beja, and then up to Évora, where we left the hire car, and got the bus to Lisbon. Now installed in the flat of an Australian lecturer, who is busy in the kitchen making a chocolate cake and other food for a big gathering of ECMers tomorrow.

These storks (ciconia ciconia) have increased greatly (by 50% just in the last ten years) in Portugal since 1984, when they were in danger of disappearing - they counted 11,694 nests last year. They reckon the main reason is not all the campaigns mounted to protect them, but the increase in rubbish tips which has meant they have so much food that they don't need to migrate to Africa anymore - a journey many did not survive. One problem is that the nests can weigh up to 800 kg, so it's not any post or tree that can support them.