White Stork

These pictures are courtesy Mr. Jan-Henk Temmink of The Netherlands.
He says, “These are large white birds with black patches on their wings. They have long red legs and red beaks and can be found in open wet lands or pastures, feeding on frogs, salamanders, insects and fish.

“They are widely seen in Netherlands during the summer and breed in Europe, migrating to the sunny climes of Africa for the winter. The birds normally stay in couples and return every year to the same nest built on single high buildings, in the vicinity of wet lands or grasslands. 

"In this case they were together probably for traveling and it is rare to see them like this together. At least, it was the first time I saw so many together. Early in the morning it were about 15 and later when I returned with the camera about 7 remained in the field. 

"According to a legend in the Netherlands, these are the birds that bring new babies. Meaning; when little children ask their parents where babies come from, they are told that the stork brings the new babies to their homes”.