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.
That green is amazing and it more often looks black until you see it in the right light.
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/
I had not seen this, Liz, thanks! It’s a fascinating read.
His touchdown is very elegant, almost as if he’s a ballet dancer. Beautiful captures.
Thank you, Greta. They are skilled flyers, despite their gangly looks 😀
I love this series, Ellen, especially the touch-down wings, awesome!
Thanks, Donna. That was rather unusual, or it least not the angle we usually see, with the wings so folded.
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!
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.