Tajo Internacional (Natalio/M and Zica/F)

[marika.solo]

16:23 птенцы напряжены / the chicks are tense

adult black stork must be nearby - they are begging/waiting for feeding

[marika.solo]

text prepared with help the AI - gemini chat

During the feeding (19:26 - Zica), the youngest chick persistently grabbed and pulled its older sibling's wing from the very first seconds, holding onto it for nearly a minute. While it might look like sibling aggression at first glance, it is highly likely a classic case of "feeding confusion" (the wing mistaken for food).

What exactly happened?
When the parent arrived and started regurgitating, the nest became packed and chaotic. In the feeding frenzy, the chicks dropped their heads down, completely driven by their intense feeding reflex.

In this state of total excitement, the youngest chick saw a moving black-and-white object right in front of its bill on the ground - the sibling's wing. Blinded by hunger and adrenaline, it clamped down and pulled hard, genuinely believing it had caught a large piece of prey (like a snake or a big fish) dropped by the parent.

Nature never ceases to amaze us with how blind and powerful the feeding reflex can be, even in chicks that are already nearly a month old!

[marika.solo]

[marika.solo]

[marika.solo]

the left wing - I hope nothing serious happened


the right wing


searching for leftovers

[marika.solo]

previous day (02.06) viewtopic.php?p=58819#p58819
next day (04.06

June 03
Hello everyone

instructions by Tajo International: viewtopic.php?p=53697#p53697 and again on 31.03: viewtopic.php?p=54834#p54834

CHICKS
- Chick 1: 30 days old, Chick 2: 29 days old, Chick 3: 27 days old
Egg 4: Laid 07 April - unhatched

Stork chicks grow exponentially. 90 days in the nest is like 18-21 years for humans. This means that 1 day in the nest is like almost 3 months for a human child. That is why their transformation is so amazing and fast.

female Zica - male Natalio

FEEDING

N:
Z:

Mating
-

Delivery
-

Events
-


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VIDEOS viewtopic.php?f=186&t=371
03.06
thx to our Maria Lewandovska

[marika.solo]

youtube chat info - thx to everyone

@Светлана-ни​​
- 10.23 - Наталио, кормление (@паніСвітланаК​​ малувато, ну хоть щось) / 10:23 - Natalio in, 1/ feeding (A little scarce, but at least something.) 10:23:03 - 10:23:25 (22 sec)

@Светлана-ни
- ​​11.29 - Зика, кормление / 11:29 Zica in, 2/ feeding; 11:29:36 - 11:29:58 (22 sec)
- 13.03 - Зика, крмление / 13:03 Zica in, 3/ feeding; 13:03:38 - 13:03:53 (15 sec)
​​- 14.51 - опять Зика / 14:51 Zica in, 4/ feeding; 14:51:02 - 14:51:19 (17 sec)

- 14.54 - Наталио, кормление 14:54 - Natalio in, 5/ feeding (@паніСвітланаК​ - ​щось мало / something few);14:54:28 - 14:54:39 (11 sec)

​​17:06:59 Zica in - 6/ feeding - 17:07:13 Zica out (14 sec)

[marika.solo]

text prepared with help the AI - gemini chat

Every season, as the summer heat sets in, natural concerns arise for our Spanish black storklets. After all, this nest is quite different from the others - while the rest are hidden deep in the forests, this one sits on an open rock ledge in a former quarry. However, we would like to reassure you and share some fascinating facts that help us look at the situation with more optimism.

The Miracle Rock Wall: In previous seasons, local experts explained to us that the massive rock face acts as an excellent temperature regulator. Although the sun shines directly on the nest in the morning, beneficial shade follows in the afternoon. Furthermore, the rock itself retains a cooling effect. If you watch the stream closely, you can see the chicks pressing their foreheads against the stone or leaning their entire bodies against it. They instinctively use the coolness radiated by the rock to lower their temperature.

The Water Below: The large body of water directly beneath the nest (the quarry lake) helps humidify the air and creates a unique microclimate that protects the nest from scorching heat.

Water Delivery and Feeding: It is true that feeding here does not always look ideal, and we see the parents bringing water less frequently (this season, they have only done so intensively and repeatedly on one single day so far). However, the parents know exactly what they are doing and adapt beautifully to the quarry conditions.

The most important takeaway: Although this nest looks harsh and inhospitable at first glance, the statistics speak for themselves - in all previous seasons, the chicks have always successfully fledged right on schedule.

Nature has a clever way of handling things, and these storklets are incredibly resilient. Let’s keep watching over them with trust!

[marika.solo]

[marika.solo]

wing flapping (maybe the middle)