Storks....

Mainly tedious and not much to write about, except for seeing storks....

So I was so surprised and happy to see so many on the journey. I read up about storks in Ukraine and I found this info...
The white stork is the national bird of Ukraine . The majestic white stork is a symbol of patriotism and loyalty. Thousands of white storks appear in the spring, migrating back from their wintering grounds in Africa, with some flying up from South Africa (more than 5,000 miles away!). Because they have such a large range and often nest near people’s homes, storks are a familiar bird to the Ukrainian people. People believe it is actually good luck to have white storks nesting on or near their home. 
White storks (Ciconia ciconia) are about 3 feet tall. Some can get as tall as 40 inches, which is a little taller than your average kitchen counter. Their long spindly legs and skinny sharp beak are a brilliant red. They have white feathers, with black tips on their wings and tails. It is an impressive sight to see a group of white storks flying overhead with wingspans of 5-7 feet!

It was thrilling for me to see pairs standing in their nests, which appear to be huge. The whole thing was capped when, as I was driving along, one flew by the side of the van for a good 100 metres, with twigs in it's beak. I don't think I will ever see the like again.
As I'm writing this the air siren has once more started. Just to remind me, following the pleasure of seeing the storks, that this is a country at war.
Finally flower sellers with baby in pram in Kyiv.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Third Christmas of the War.

Image
I remember when we first went to Ukraine, we thought we'd better hurry up and get over there to help before the war finished, and there'd be nothing for us to do. How naïve were we? The situation in Ukraine at present has got even worse, especially in the areas in close contact with the Russian forces, although with the constant Shahed and missile attacks nowhere is safe. Kherson has become particularly difficult, and delivering aid there is a direct threat to life. Any vehicle or person can be targeted by Russian small killer drones. This week, a vehicle that is used to deliver aid that we have sometimes used, was attacked and badly damaged beyond repair. Miraculously, the driver, a person I know survived but suffered injuries.  The occupants of a bus were not so fortunate. It was attacked, 3 people died and several more injured. It's really terrifying.  What's really sick is that the Russian's then post o...
Read more

The killing goes on.

Image
Time diminishes things. News cycles bring new, more pressing concerns. But the war here in Ukraine grinds on, with deaths a daily occurrence. The killing seems to have become more incideous and heartless.This weekend in Kherson, delivering aid, under the fairly constant sound of artillery and drone attacks, I heard and saw the inhumanity of this senseless war. There is now a real tangible fear about going out in your car in Kherson. Over the last few months, individual cars have been targeted by Russian drones. These carry small bombs or grenade type munitions. . A car is targeted. An initial bomb dropped. The man realises he's  being targeted and tries to drive away at high speed. He then stops suddenly, hoping to get away. Opens his door to run away, but about two metres away from the car a small bomb explodes. With the door open, nothing seems to happen, then as in slow motion, a man falls from the driver's seat onto the road. Dead. It...
Read more

Krakow to Lviv

Image
We left Krakow at 3am because we had heard that there have been up to 3 hour waits on the Poland-Ukraine border. The balance has changed to more people returning to Ukraine (to the relatively safe western Lviv region) than leaving Ukraine. As it happened, we drove through the fairly haphazard border controls with no hold up. The first thing we noticed on the Ukrainian side were miles (literally) of lorries lining the side of the highway, which was only 2 lanes so made for fairly scary driving. On the Polish side was an equally long line of parked cars, waiting to be sold. We also noticed more potholes on Ukrainian roads than even East Lancashire! The purpose of our visit to Ukraine is 2-fold: firstly, we drove our friend, Romana, home to Lviv (in her car) with her 4-year-old daughter, as she decided against coming to England in order to be with her husband and family. Secondly, w...
Read more