Sigulda Municipality (Grāfs and Grāfiene)

[Madli]

This female's legs and bill seem very pale...more pink than red. Her bill is dirty (?)
The camera lens is dusty or dirty..or is it the sun that is shining in a bad angle..plus it's windy and the nest is shaky and the image is blurry. I can't get any clear shots.

A bigger pic of the female in front. Sorry- it's blurry


From the other side..

[Madli]

17.54 Female started arranging twigs and arrange moss- looks like she has accepted the nest


17.56 Mating !! (1)


Both continue with preening- the usual courtship...

18.26 Mating (2)

18.52 Female is preening Grafs..she has a poop stain on her feather.

[Madli]

18.59 Female does a PS(very small)

19.02 Grafs in the nest, female on the balcony.


19.06 The female sneezes.

I also noticed that when there are big gusts of wind, she almost always bends her knees in a way like she's trying to find balance because the wind will blow her over...
Edit: Ok, even Grafs has trouble standing with the wind...so hopefully the female is also in good health, not weak.

What are the criteria to assume the stork to be in a good condition or in poor condition?
I almost get the feeling that the female is in a poor condition...but future days will show what will happen next.

[Madli]

19.13 Female leaves.
19.14 Grafs follows.

Hopefully the female gets something to eat...(her PS was very small)

19.16 Grafs is back, calling.
19.18 Female is also back.

19.22 Mating unsuccessful.
19.31 Female flies out.
Grafs starts calling for her.
19.33 Grafs also flies out.

19.34 Grafs is back again, calling.

[Madli]

VIDEO of the first mating by Amanda777:
https://youtu.be/iRdWn3EF5OA

[marika.solo]

... I almost get the feeling that the female is in a poor condition...but future days will show what will happen next.

feeling ...
Madli, what are these feelings of yours based on - what did you notice? what is different compared to females on the other nests?

thx for reporting and documenting

[Madli]

Madli, what are these feelings of yours based on - what did you notice? what is different compared to females on the other nests?

I can't be quite sure- that's why I also raised the question- what are the signs to tell if a stork is in a good condition or poor condition.

I have observed very little yet, but the first thing that I saw was that her legs and bill are very pale. Is that even normal? Or maybe it has something to do with the overall condition or the nutritional state. The female had a very small PS..but that was the only one I saw so far...that is a sign of poor feeding.

Tell me if I'm wrong...I have no clue about these things.

[Madli]

20.21 The female is back in the nest.


20.24 The female leaves.
20.28 Grafs follows, but is back already a moment later.
20.30 Grafs flies out again.
20.31 Both arrive back to the nest.

20.33 Mating (3)
20.41 Mating unsuccessful.

20.44 Female leaves. She lands on a nearby branch- you can her it, but out of camera view.

[marika.solo]

... her legs and bill are very pale. Is that even normal? Or maybe it has something to do with the overall condition or the nutritional state. The female had a very small PS ...

- the colour of their legs (and bill): it is related to food sources - what they eat, not how much they eat
- defecation: they eat mostly in the morning or early forenoon and than in the late afternoon or early evening, therefore the amount of excretion changes during the day, which you very probably have noticed in the observed nests

btw. sometimes they pooping before mating and then usually only small

if I still read something interesting in the "book" to this question, I will add information

[Madli]

20.48 Grafs flies out.

20.52 Both back in the nest now. And now the female seems to have very red legs and bill

even more red than Grafs...ooops For my excuse I think it was a bad camera lighting before when the sun shone directly to the camera...

20.54 Female out again.