Madrigal de las Altas Torres Webcam – White Stork Nests

The Madrigal de las Altas Torres Webcam looks over a white stork nest on the bell tower of San Nicolas de Bari, in a small walled town on the plains of Avila province in central Spain. The camera peers over the rim of Nest 3, then drops across red tile roofs and runs out over flat farmland to a low horizon with grain silos and a water tower. Tabs above the player switch to two more cameras on the same tower, at Nest 1 and Nest 2. SEO/BirdLife, the Spanish Ornithological Society, runs the cameras with the town council. Spring brings eggs and chicks. In other months the nest can sit empty under a big sky.

About Madrigal de las Altas Torres

Madrigal de las Altas Torres is a farming town in La Morana, the flat district in the north of the province of Avila in Castile and Leon. It stands at 809 meters (2,654 feet) above sea level and had 1,281 residents in 2025. The town received its charter in 1017. Medieval walls once ran around it in a near-circular line. Stretches survive, mostly on the southwest side, along with four gates named after the towns their roads led to: Arevalo, Medina, Penaranda and Cantalapiedra. The historic center was given official heritage protection in September 2020.

San Nicolas de Bari, the church that carries the nests, is a Mudejar brick building begun between the late 13th and the 14th century. The town council and SEO/BirdLife both describe its bell tower as the tallest Mudejar church tower in the province. Isabella I of Castile was born in Madrigal on April 22, 1451, in the palace of King John II, and was baptized in this church.

White Storks on the San Nicolas Tower

Several pairs of white storks nest on the tower, and the cameras follow three nests. Nest 1 looks down on the town hall, with its clock and flags, and out to the old walls and the plain. Nest 2 has a motorized camera, aimed at its own nest but able to swing to the ledges between Nests 1 and 3, where the storks spend much of their time. Nest 3 was first built by the storks in 2022, and its camera was added with help from the local association Amigos de Madrigal. Many of Spain’s white storks now spend the winter in the country instead of crossing to Africa, while the storks of Poland and eastern Europe still make the long detour around the Mediterranean that is traced on our bird migration map.

The operator keeps a dated log for each nest in the video descriptions. In recent seasons the first eggs have appeared in the second half of March, in clutches of up to four, and chicks have hatched from late April into mid May, about five weeks later. Not every brood survives. SEO/BirdLife also lists lesser kestrels, jackdaws, swifts, peregrine falcons and several kinds of owl around the tower.

Weather and Climate in Madrigal de las Altas Torres

Madrigal sits high on the open plateau of central Spain, so winters are cold and summers hot and dry. Averages for 2015 to 2024 give January highs of about 9°C (48°F) and lows near 1°C (33°F), so frost on the roof tiles is likely on clear winter mornings. April averages 17°C (63°F) by day and 6°C (43°F) at night, and that is when the nests are busiest.

July is the hottest month, with highs around 31°C (88°F), and July and August together average only about 13 millimeters (0.5 inches) of rain. October cools to highs near 20°C (68°F) and is the wettest month, at about 60 millimeters (2.4 inches). The year brings only about 426 millimeters (17 inches), and it shows on camera: the plain is pale stubble in late summer and autumn and green with young cereal crops in spring.

Things to Do Near Madrigal de las Altas Torres

Inside the walls, the palace of John II, where Isabella was born, is now the convent of Nuestra Senora de Gracia, and its interior can be visited. San Nicolas de Bari is worth a look inside for its 16th century Mudejar coffered ceilings. The Royal Hospital of the Immaculate Conception was founded in 1443 by Maria of Aragon, and Santa Maria del Castillo is a second Mudejar church, with a single nave in a Latin cross plan. A walk around the outside of the walls passes the surviving gates, including the Puerta de Cantalapiedra.

Further out, the Castle of La Mota at Medina del Campo stands about 25 kilometers (16 miles) to the north. Arevalo is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) to the east, and the provincial capital, Avila, is about 54 kilometers (34 miles) to the southeast, both in a straight line.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More bird and stork cameras, from Castile and Leon to Germany:

• Merindades Bird Feeder Webcam
• Hungen Stork Webcam
• Pfreimd White Stork Nest Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Madrigal de las Altas Torres Webcam?

The main camera looks over the rim of Nest 3, a white stork nest on the tower of San Nicolas de Bari, and across the town’s tile roofs to flat farmland. The tabs switch to Nest 1, above the town hall and the old walls, and to the motorized Nest 2 camera.

Where is Madrigal de las Altas Torres?

It is in the La Morana district in the north of Avila province, in the Castile and Leon region of central Spain, about 54 kilometers (34 miles) northwest of the city of Avila in a straight line.

When do the storks lay eggs in Madrigal de las Altas Torres?

The nest logs show the first eggs in the second half of March in recent years, up to four per nest, with chicks hatching from late April into mid May.

Why is the nest empty on the Madrigal de las Altas Torres Webcam?

The cameras stream around the clock, but the storks are not on the nests all year. Outside the breeding season the nests can stand empty for long spells, or the birds rest on the tower ledges. The pairs come back to rebuild before laying, and in 2023 the Nest 1 female was back on her nest by February 10.

What is the weather like in Madrigal de las Altas Torres?

Winters are cold, with January highs of about 9°C (48°F) and frost on clear nights. Summers are hot and dry, with July highs around 31°C (88°F), and October is the wettest month.

Was Queen Isabella born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres?

Yes. Isabella I of Castile was born here on April 22, 1451, in the palace of King John II, now the convent of Nuestra Senora de Gracia, and was baptized in San Nicolas de Bari, the church whose tower carries the stork cameras.

What is there to see in Madrigal de las Altas Torres?

The surviving walls and gates, the palace-convent where Isabella was born, San Nicolas de Bari with its coffered ceilings, the Royal Hospital of 1443 and the church of Santa Maria del Castillo.

Source: SEO/BirdLife and Madrigal de las Altas Torres Town Council