Just to the west of Silves in the small village of Odelouca (where the river Odelouca merges with the Arade) there is a large gathering of White Storks. This is a sign of the Storks gathering for mass migration southerly to Africa, but how many will actually leave?
Not far from this location is a large rubbish dump where you will find hundreds of Storks sifting through the waste and they are quite happy with the food this provides. Could this be the real reason that some Storks decide to stay rather than another believed reason of global warming.
The nests in and around the town of Silves are empty, this is because the Storks only require the nests during the breeding season to raise their young, they do not require the nests once the young have fledged.
If you want some more information on White Storks, you can read my Algarve Resident article from February.