The village wing of Fethiye Times now has a new form entertainment – stork watching.  After a couple of weeks of intermittent glimpses of a young pair of storks, including one amazing missed photo opportunity when the male landed on the minaret balcony of a local mosque (we were on a dolmus at the time and no-one could get their camera out before the bus moved on) the storks have actually built their nest just around the corner from the Fethiye Times residence.

What’s more they have constructed it on a pollarded tree a mere twelve foot off the ground and only a few yards from the dirt road we use for access.  The Turkish neighbour in whose garden this is taking place may even have pollarded the tree deliberately, but Fethiye Times has yet to ask him about that.

Anyway the storks are supposed to bring good luck – we’ll keep you informed on that score – and the Victorian myth of their bringing babies is said to have arisen from the storks’ routine of nest building around nine months after the summer solstice.  The latter being celebrated with abandon until comparatively recent times.

Stork bulletins shall appear intermittently from now on until the fledglings take flight.