The adult Wood Stork didn’t move much, changing from left facing to right facing just once while I was watching.
The chick tried all kinds of positions from having his legs bended beneath him in the first image to upright…
… to the full tall stretch.
Their bodies are roughly the same size, but you can see the youngster doesn’t have the full tail or beak length yet.
Only sometimes it turns out to be a dud.
Just open your beak…
…and drop it back in the water.
A few Roseate Spoonbills had one corner of the pond to themselves.
The white birds seemed to be getting dirtier as they splashed around on a mud bar.
And there was a lot of coming and going, with birds dropping in from the trees on the left while others exited every which way.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
June 5, 2026
It’s a process
He started out with a couple of leaves that he quickly discarded.
Then he pulled on some vines that were firmly attached.
Hmm, lets take a break.
Trying this again…
More pulling and yanking did not provide a different result: the vines were staying put.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
An immature Wood Stork still sporting some fuzzy feathers on his head provided me with left and right profile views while a young White Ibis looked on.
Titusville Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, FL
February 25, 2026
Recently the image stabilization feature quit working on my long time Canon 18-200mm lens so I got another used one. We went to Magnolia Cemetery to test it out and I was delighted to get to use it on some Wood Storks perched just off the road.
The tree was a classic southern specimen with Resurrection Fern and Spanish Moss.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
October 19, 2025
Canon 18-200mm lens, replacement, used–first time out.
Wood Storks continuously joined the crowd, circling over head then dropping all around the area where others were feeding. This one was close enough and at a good angle for me to catch his landing.
Lodge Pond, Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 1, 2025
A few more images from September 1, when we saw several hundred wading birds, mostly Wood Storks with a big sprinkling of Roseate Spoonbills.
Normally this area is covered with 1 to 2 feet ( 0.5 meters) of water, too deep for these wading birds.
A few of the birds were still feeding, but most were just standing around at this point.
Or idly pacing around.
A wider view shows the stream that was left behind as the pond drained.
Lodge Pond, Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 1, 2025
This scene unfolded on the back side of Lodge Pond where a pool of water formed as the pond drained.
Wading birds follow the food, and they are not bothered by the presence of Alligators.
Although maybe the Snowy Egret center front should have been.
The Alligators were actually chewing on whatever they found in the water but I have seen them snap at and catch a bird.
All good for the Snowy, this time!
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 1, 2025
