This photograph perfectly illustrates what I mean, although there’s more story behind it than meets the eye. Actually, this empty stork nest is a byproduct of another photograph that I never got to take. While exploring the area, I spotted an intriguing abandoned industrial structure in the distance, so I decided to park my car in a small pine grove nearby to consider capturing a possible shot. As I entered the grove, I stumbled upon this small abandoned nest perched atop a dilapidated electricity pole. Its precarious, fragile, and somewhat intimate image instantly stole the spotlight from the industrial structure.
I’m in love with Ponferrada, or rather, with its surroundings, its neighboring villages, routes, and scenic landscapes. It’s an area filled with hidden spots, charming corners, breathtaking viewpoints, and all kinds of old structures, many of them abandoned, so I feel like a bee drawn to honey.
In truth, both elements share a common theme: they’re abandoned places that once brimmed with activity and life. The nest is no emptier than the factory, nor has time been kinder to one than the other. The primary difference is that the nest will probably be reoccupied in the future, whereas the industry has definitively halted production, likely due to greater profit margins in cheaper manufacturing regions. If only our industrial heritage were like storks, returning to life after periods of abandonment.
