The Schierstein Stork Photograph by Sarah Loft

The Schierstein Stork

by Sarah Loft

Canvas Print

$75

Framed Print

$93

Art Print

$28

Poster

$28

Metal Print

$81

Acrylic Print

$89

Wood Print

$61

Throw Pillow

$30

Duvet Cover

$110

Shower Curtain

$68

Tote Bag

$25

Greeting Card

$5.45

iPhone Case

$27

Title

The Schierstein Stork

Artist

Sarah Loft

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The huge nest on an abandoned chimney in Schierstein would be hard to miss. There are supposed to be a pair of them in residence, but I only ever saw one.

Per Wikipedia: Schierstein is a southwestern borough of Wiesbaden, capital of state of Hesse, Germany. First mentioned in historical records in 860, Schierstein was incorporated into Wiesbaden in 1926. Today the borough has about 10,000 residents. Situated on the Rhine River, Schierstein is known as the "Gateway to the Rheingau."

On K�ferstra�e, a well-known pair of white storks nests on an abandoned chimney. About 50 stork pairs breed in a nature conservation area on the grounds of the Rhine water treatment plant on the west side of Schierstein, between the borough and Walluf. The storks have been reintroduced by the Schiersteiner Storchengemeinschaft (�Schierstein Stork Association�) beginning in 1972. Since the reintroduction of the white stork in Schierstein, over 600 young storks have been born in Schierstein. Many of them now breed in other places in Germany and abroad.

Per Widipedia: Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families.
Storks dwell in many regions and tend to live in drier habitats than the closely related herons, spoonbills and ibises; they also lack the powder down that those groups use to clean off fish slime. Storks have no syrinx and are mute, giving no call; bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Many species are migratory. Most storks eat frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, small birds and small mammals. There are nineteen living species of storks in six genera.
rious terms are used to refer to groups of storks, two frequently used ones being a muster of storks and a phalanx of storks.
Storks tend to use soaring, gliding flight, which conserves energy. Soaring requires thermal air currents. Ottomar Ansch�tz's famous 1884 album of photographs of storks inspired the design of Otto Lilienthal's experimental gliders of the late nineteenth century. Storks are heavy, with wide wingspans: the marabou stork, with a wingspan of 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) and weight up to 8 kg (18 lbs), joins the Andean condor in having the widest wingspan of all living land birds.
Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow to over two metres (six feet) in diameter and about three metres (ten feet) in depth. Storks were once thought to be monogamous, but this is only partially true. They may change mates after migrations, and may migrate without a mate.
Storks' size, serial monogamy, and faithfulness to an established nesting site contribute to their prominence in mythology and culture.

Featured in the Images That Excite You group, July 2015.

Featured in the Artists Best Five Artwork group, August 2015.