I didn’t see this Wood Stork until he took off; he had been tucked up to the edge of the pond right in front of me. He was so close I didn’t get his full wingspan.
He didn’t go far, touching down at the edge of a channel.
He immediately started feeding.
The spot didn’t seem to satisfy him.
Pretty soon he took off for further down the pond.
Really interesting to see the wing feathers, and I was surprised how much green is in the dark part of the wings.
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That green is amazing and it more often looks black until you see it in the right light.
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I came across this yesterday, don’t know if you’ve already seen it Ellen but I found it interesting: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/how-birds-make-colorful-feathers/
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I had not seen this, Liz, thanks! It’s a fascinating read.
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His touchdown is very elegant, almost as if he’s a ballet dancer. Beautiful captures.
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Thank you, Greta. They are skilled flyers, despite their gangly looks 😀
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I love this series, Ellen, especially the touch-down wings, awesome!
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Thanks, Donna. That was rather unusual, or it least not the angle we usually see, with the wings so folded.
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Super flight shots of this beauty, Ellen! I’m also sometimes surprised by a bird that I never saw till he took off. But I’m rarely ever quick enough with my camera to get shots like this!
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Thanks! This one was mostly luck because I had previously seen Black-crowned Night-herons in this area and had my camera up. They, of course, were no where to be seen.
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