Busy Wood Stork Nursery

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We’re fortunate to have an abundance of Wood Storks in our local wetlands.  “However, because Wood Storks occur only in a small portion of the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists them as federally threatened.” (All About Birds)932223D3-4423-4FFC-AE6A-646E557F862D_1_201_aOur breeding Wood Storks have been gathering in great numbers for several months now. 54A57CDE-2E56-4EA9-A9A0-A966017B6264_1_201_a Some Wood Stork nestlings are still pretty little, while others have grown much bigger already. They will fledge at about 10 weeks of age.2E134D4B-51C4-4656-B910-180B63108B19_1_201_aBut no matter how large and strong the babies are getting, their Wood Stork parents are still working hard all day to protect and care for their young.1B11F1F7-7E80-4F5A-92AA-5F38CE91D415_1_201_aMale and female Wood Storks both work to build the nest and take turns caring for the young and foraging for food. “An average nesting pair, with two fledglings, may eat over 400 pounds of fish during a single breeding season” (National Geographic)!!0992705C-1E70-47C5-8E83-85B67C725816_1_201_aThey make sure the nest is always arranged just right.37DDF7E5-666E-433F-8824-0268DAA7C717_1_201_aThey head to the woods to hunt for the perfect branches to bring back to line the nest.30FBE0C7-4432-4835-BF36-2814C2479911_1_201_aMale and female Wood Storks look very much alike so it’s hard to know who is flying off and who is staying home to watch the kids.☺️ Back to home base with this fluffy, leafy find!🌿3AD7A2F1-1D0F-49DF-AAA8-FE3FCE9CC5C6_1_201_aGreat excitement erupts upon the parent’s return . . . .but the babies probably think s/he is bringing a tasty fish or plump frog, not just nesting materials! 6DA88226-F675-4C74-840C-6A0D36917EAC_1_201_a Oh well, maybe there’ll be a treat on the next trip . . . 😉

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