Any time there is bird feeding going on there are always a few characters that would rather steal than catch their own.
This Wood Stork was one of them, and notice that the fish the Great Egret has in its beak is hardly a great prize.
The Great Egret wasn’t giving it up…
…decided on an exit strategy…
… then a quick swallow and the Great Egret re-located down the pond.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 30, 2023
While watching a group of wading birds feed I kept hearing a clacking or crunching noise. I checked the Alligators, as I’ve seen them catch dinner plate sized blue crabs in this pond then crunch-crunch them…
Then I spotted it: the two right hand birds in this group of Wood Storks was doing some beak clacking or snapping. I couldn’t tell if it was all beak on beak, or if the individuals were also clapping their own beaks. Either was it was a pretty dramatic sound effect.
The behavior didn’t appear to be aggressive and I don’t know if it had some breeding implication.
A couple of the others just went on with their preening, the two on the right had a long look at the sky, then it was over.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 2, 2023
These wading birds were feeding in a newly lowered pond. This results in the fish becoming concentrated in a smaller and smaller amount of water and easy feeding for a wading bird. It’s fascinating to watch the feeding but can be difficult to get images of individual birds.
Eventually some of the birds got sated and flew off. A few more moved to the outer edge of the feeding, allowing for some isolated images.
There was a little breeze so the reflections weren’t perfect.
The Alligators didn’t appear to be hungry as at least a dozen of them were just floating around in between the birds.
If I couldn’t have dead calm for reflections I’d have been happier with a stiff breeze as the gnats were out in force that morning.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 2, 2023
A roosting Black Vulture was joined by a Wood Stork.
The Vulture was pretty much unfazed, even with all that flapping going on.
Settle down, look around…we’re at the top of the world!
The angle between these birds and my position created an optical illusion that these two birds are close in height. The Wood Stork actually is longer, weighs more, and has a slightly wider wing span.
Black Vulture:
Wood Stork:
From The Cornell Lab, All About Birds
St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL
January 20, 2023
To get to the other side?
Didn’t want to scare the rabbit–further down by the puddle?
Didn’t feel like flying?
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 14, 2022
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 26, 2022
Wood Storks, just hanging around on what was the bottom of the pond before the water was let out.
If you’ve read in previous posts about the cattails and cane that are clogging this pond, this stand behind the storks is part of what will get burned.
A different group, one kneeling and one laying down–always looks funny but that’s how they do it.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 12, 2022
Earlier this fall I mentioned that the water was being drained from the big rice field pond at Magnolia in preparation for burning the invasive cattails. Conditions to start the fire didn’t come together before the approach of a late season hurricane and with the potential for damage to the dikes from a storm management decided to let the water back in.
This past week they decided to try again. One of the staff told me they hope to burn by the end of December. In the mean time, wading birds have gathered to take advantage of easy feeding in the shallow water.
The alligator ramp in the upper right in the next photo would normally have water up to the lower end.
The Great Egret in the center caught a tiny fish, and a leaf.
It was a grey day so I didn’t get much contrast with all the white birds, but it was a fun show.
Perry Pond, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston SC
December 4, 2022
This Wood Stork wasn’t going very far so he stayed low giving me a nice view and an almost perfect reflection.
The sunlight was perfect to highlight the iridescent greens on his wing tips.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 24, 2022
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 24, 2022
