All those info about White storks comes from a leaflet about them published by Hellenic Ornithological Society (the Greek society for birds) before some years (2004)...It is published on web too but it is only in Greek ...If you like you can use a translator (eg babel fish )

here is the link

http://www.ornithologiki.gr/ekdp/ciconia/gr/index.php

And here you can see two intersting nests from Greece

http://www.ornithologiki.gr/ekdp/ciconia/gr/pelargos/image717.htm

http://www.ornithologiki.gr/ekdp/ciconia/gr/pelargos/image719.htm

For those who watch webcams from Germany maybe you have noticed that the storks of Bornheim arrive late in february (although they start to breed in the middle of March) while the storks in Vetschau arrives early in April ...The reason is that the storks in Bornheim winter in south Spain or north Africa ...while the Vetschau's follows the east route ...and had to pass over two 'sea' passages (Sina- Vosporous) ...

By the way srorks can't travel over the sea for long distances and wait for long for the suitable conditions to pass over those places ...so they gather in big numbers and suddely they start to fly all together making a cloud of them !!! One of the best sighitngs for birdwatchers !!!!

Even so the storks who breeds in Italy fly over the sea immediately and reach to the opposite shore of Africa ...(see the map below)

Thank you Cerinthe ...great photos ...Thank you for sharing

About White Storks migration ..

in fact there are two routes . The west route is followed by  the storks of the west and central Europe ...they winter in south Spain, north Africa and reach till central Africa ..(including the storks from Belgium, Netherlands, france, Spain, Switcherland and the west part of germany). Becouse the route isn't too long ..your storks arrive earlier in spring ..in the middle of February They estimate that 137.000 storks follow this route

 The east route (575.000 storks)... is in fact a big chalenge ...the storks of the east Europe ..(including part of germany, Denmark, Austria, Polony, hungary and so on and balcan peninsula ) passes over Vosporus to the Asia ..then over Sina to the Africa and follows a south route to the southest tip of Africa ..Cape !!! They start their Journey late in August and some of them arrive at Cape  early in December ...Then amazingly they start again their trip to the north late January -early Febrauary and arrive in Europe in the middle of March !!!

Here is the link with the map (from the Helenic Ornithological Society )

http://www.ornithologiki.gr/ekdp/ciconia/gr/pelargos/image22.htm

All the area with the lines is the wintering places for White Storks ...As you can see only a part of them reaches till the southest tip of Africa ...maybe the most brave or those who breed in south parts ...I'm not sure ...But maybe some of them nest in greece

The green dots on this map are nests.

Breeding zone

It was march and they were clappering, displaying and mating all over.

See the size of the nest.

All along the road we saw nests.

a closer view

Last year I was on holiday with other birders in Spain and more specifically the area Coto Doñana. One day our trip went to an area where there is appr. 600 White Stork nests. I'll post a few pics, not all mine, but I have the permission of my friend Werner, his camera is just so much better.

Quite a number of times we saw these "bubbles" of storks, with a few hundred circling above us.

sorry for the small size, but that's just how it is.

Very interesting Fani, I did not realise this about White Storks, neither about their migration route. I thought "our" storks only migrated to south of Europe or north Africa. Or is it that our storks migrate to Spain or north Africa and those of Spain migrate as far as South Africa?

Somewhere you gave the link to the migration route, but I forgot where, can you post it again?

LOL Ice ...one of the many reasons I respect White Storks and choose them as an avatar years before is their wonderful migration trip

In fact it is a symbol for me ...They connect Europe and Africa ...my country and South Africa special ..I wish I could do this trip with them once

Second it is a bird who is friendly with humans but needs healthy ecosystems to survive ...So they connect towns and country ...human constructions and nature ..It is a symbol that we can live in harmony ...

Third ...it is on top of the food chain in one of my favourite and most threatened ecosystems ...wetlands so it is a symbol special in Europe to protect those places

Fourth ...they have a really interesting 'family' life in nests ...that it is very hard to explain in short ...and I discovered this part of their life watching webcams for years ...So it is a symbol for me about how many things someone can learn just watching for fun ...webcams and how they can increase the awarness about environment and nature ...

So ...White sorks are n't only a bird or a passion...In fact it is a symbol ... and I wish people think of all those above when they see them on my avatar