Are they or aren’t they?

I was doing a job in South Norfolk on Friday and was travelling down the Acle Straight into Great Yarmouth. I’d been on this road earlier in the week and we’d chanced a look for the two reported White Storks and failed. On this occasion my luck was in; the birds were quite close to the road.

As I pulled up the closest of the two became aware of me. I cut the engine and remained still. It eventually started to feed again so I wound down the window and slowly lifted the camera from the passenger seat. I fired off a few frames before the bird took flight. This was encouraging. I had heard these birds were perhaps escapees and to have one so wary certainly didn’t support that. The remaining bird continued to feed for a time and I again fired off a number of shots. On the back of the camera I couldn’t see any rings on either Stork … they were wild birds. Had to be. That was until I got home and looked at the shots on the PC.

The first bird is ring free. The second had a rather unnoticeable faded yellow band above the joint on the left leg. That doesn’t mean it’s of captive origin; but it indicates it is! Either way … smart birds.