Sonja

Hehe... It does look a bit like a vulture in that pose =) Great catch!

David, I guess it was either pondering to fly off or more likely it was airing the laundry after a walk in a wet meadow or ditch. As one can see best in the clapping picture next in line, some storks came home soaked from snacking somewhere. Humans are for that bunch just some sort of mysterious two-legged cattle that stands about on the ground all day and regulary drops food into a certain area before high noon and before teatime. Bander are of course a different ballgame, but folks just walking around the barns of the old estate with a camera are of no concearn for them.

Fizgig, there was a time before pushing DNA since in taxonomy, when the short-necked new worls vultures where considered closer to storks than to raptors. It seems however a thing much like that with the succulent euphorbias and the cacti. Still, such a white stork has a lot of similar behaviours with a turkey vulture, easy to see when you know both species well. Still storks are considered to be charming by many more people than the poor turkey vulture who is such an interesting caracter too. Must be the unpractical fully feathered face the poor white stork is stuck with.

Not a pose to scaring off, here a blessing is given!

A stork priest.. interesting concept, Remmelt.

I like new world vultures actually better. Ther are not supposed to add to human population and have far more caracter in the faces showing. And they got so cute nostrils! ;o)

With "State-Vulture" or "State-Cormorant" we germans usually refer to modern angular and abstract renderings of a Golden Eagle standing around with open wings frontally and looking not like an eagle at all -- you know like the one german-issued euros got imprinted on the back for example. Other birds drying or sunning themselves in a somewhat awkward shape are in turn compared to those artworks, too. No matter if they are Gray Herons, White Storks, Goosander or Buzzards....