White Storks fly all the way from Africa to nest in Greece, where this photograph was taken, Spain and Portugal during the summer. Their large, untidy nests are made of sticks and weigh as much as 50 kilograms. They can be easily seen on top of chimney pots, telegraph poles and church roofs, as well as in trees.

White Storks return to the same nest every year. Females lay a clutch of up to seven white eggs, which both parents take turns to incubate. They hatch after about four weeks. If you hear strange clacking sounds, look up and you might see a nest. When adults meet at the nest they greet each other by clattering their bills together. Young chicks will also click their bills while they are waiting to be fed.

These large birds can grow up to a metre in height, and are related to herons and flamingos. They are white with black wing feathers, long red legs, webbed feet and pointed, red bills. They feed on frogs, small reptiles, insects and molluscs.

White storks look very impressive as they soar overhead. They rarely flap their wings, but rely instead on thermal air currents to keep them airborne. In winter they return to Africa, usually travelling via Gibraltar or Istanbul, as their soaring flight makes it difficult for storks to travel long distances over the sea.

There has been a severe decline in numbers in Europe since the Second World War. However, they are generally well protected given the reputation they have for being a lucky bird. The myth about storks bringing babies probably arose because they arrived back in Europe on fairly predictable dates and almost exactly 9 months after the previous mid-summer.