Quiet Afternoon at Orlando Wetlands
April 15, 2023 - The Wood Storks were still pretty active, flying in sticks on a regular basis.... You could hear the baby wood storks high up in their nests in the cypress trees.... Read more
Wood Stork
 | I’m an endangered bird, but our population is growing. We nest in colonies. Our adults are extremely ugly with our wrinkled faces. Most Likely Found: In a pond, In the marsh When: Year-Round Where I've photographed: Alligator Farm, Circle B Bar Reserve, Lake Apopka, Lake Morton, Oakland Nature Preserve, Orlando Wetlands, Polk Rookery, Viera Wetlands Read more: Wood Stork at Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ebird: Wood Stork eBird range |
I have written 55 posts including a photo of a Wood Stork
And the Winner of the Biggest Stick Competition Is…
April 4, 2023 - Wood Stork Second place goes to this Roseate Spoonbill whose stick was almost as wide as his wingspan.... Read more
How Many Beaks Can You Count? Roseate Spoonbill Nest
March 30, 2023 - The Wood Storks were active bringing in nesting material.... Read more
Sunrise at Orlando Wetlands
March 13, 2023 - Then this Wood Stork flew right in front of me.... Read more
New Boardwalk at Orlando Wetlands
February 20, 2023 - It's been a while since I've had a chance to photograph a Wood Stork.... Read more
Easter Sunrise at Orlando Wetlands
April 28, 2021 - Wood Storks were nesting in the tall trees behind me.... Read more
June Morning at Lake Morton
July 12, 2017 - It's not a morning at Lake Morton if you don't come across a Wood Stork standing in the grass.... Read more
A Morning of Possibilities at Lake Apopka
June 22, 2017 - A Wood Stork was quietly patrolling the canal area.... Read more
2016: Photographic Year in Review
December 31, 2016 - I've always agreed with Herman - the Wood Storks are some of the wisest-looking and most interesting birds!... Read more
Early April at Lake Morton
May 7, 2016 - Herman has always loved the "ugly" birds like Wood Storks and vultures.... After chatting with him, I spotted a Wood Stork standing quietly at the lake shore.... Read more
More Birding Fun at Viera
November 4, 2013 - I really liked the colors in this silhouette: The Wood Storks were having a good morning last Saturday.... Read more
Sunset at the Polk Rookery
April 8, 2013 - There are decent number of Wood Storks, and lots of White Ibis, but not nearly as many Tricolored Herons, Snowy Egrets, or Little Blue Herons as usual.... This is primarily a Wood Stork rookery, only accessible by boat.... Herman calls the Wood Storks the "wise old men" of the rookery.... Read more
Solemn Stare
October 5, 2012 - I found this Wood Stork last weekend on a pale foggy morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve.... Read more
Fussy Birds
October 3, 2012 - I looked up and saw this pair of Wood Storks fighting with each other at the top of a nearby tree.... Read more
The Ugliest Bird?
July 27, 2012 - I was going back through some of my old images and came across this Wood Stork, taken in January at the Circle B Bar Reserve.... Read more
Father’s Day at the Polk Rookery
June 20, 2012 - At the tops of the Brazilian Pepper stood many juvenile Wood Storks -- wise old watchers, as Herman put it. They stood watch over the rest of the necks, only breaking their solemn poses when breakfast was brought in by a parent.... Read more
More from Circle B Bar Reserve
May 21, 2012 - You would think that the big wood storks, quiet and ugly, would stay somewhat apart from their smaller heron and egret counterparts.... Read more
Sunrise Wings at Circle B Bar Reserve
May 20, 2012 - I got out there about 20 minutes before sunrise, to enjoy the pre-dawn light. There wasn't much wind, so I could get nice reflections of the birds in the water. Quite a few Wood Storks and Great Blue Herons were close to shore. I love the light purpley color the…... Read more
Mirror, Mirror, in the Lake…Who’s the Most Handsome Drake?
January 7, 2012 - They were Wood Storks!... At least thirty of them were roosting with the Wood Storks on the far end of the marsh.... All morning, Wood Storks from the big flock took off and flew towards my trail.... Read more
Soaring into the Sunrise
October 4, 2011 - ...Last Friday morning the sunrise at Circle B was very cloudy and not particularly interesting, so the Beast and I focused on the flying birds and making silhouettes. I tried to catch the birds as they had interesting wing angles and as they flew against the orangey colors of the sunrise. Then in Photoshop, I […] Read more
Productive Morning at the Viera Click Ponds
July 23, 2011 - Bird Species List: (36 total): American Avocet, American Coot, Anhinga, Black Vulture, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Black-necked Stilt, Boat-tailed Grackle, Cattle Egret, Common Moorhen, European Starling, Glossy Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Greater Yellowlegs, Green Heron, Killdeer, Least Bittern, Least Sandpiper, Least Tern, Lesser Yellowlegs, Limpkin, Mottled…... Read more
Nesting Season Winds Down at Polk Rookery
July 10, 2011 - ...Today Herman took Dyeyo and me for one last boat ride in the Polk Rookery. The nesting season has all but ended. Most of the birds have left, leaving the islands very empty looking. A few adults and fledglings were still perched at the top of the Brazilian Pepper, allowing for easier subject isolation. It […] Read more
Cute Babies at Viera Wetlands
July 9, 2011 - A couple of Wood Storks posed in the misty light. This one is a juvenile, probably recently fledged. His face hasn’t yet acquired the “ugly wrinkles” of the adult stork.... As I left the wetlands, the Black-bellied Whistling Duck family was back out, and of course I had to stop…... Read more
Father’s Day at the Polk Rookery
June 19, 2011 - Brown Pelican Black-Crowned Night Heron juveniles are all over the Brazilian Pepper in this rookery. At first Dyeyo was excited to see so many night herons, but after five trips with Herman, he's taken lots of pictures of them. He refused to take a single night heron picture today. I…... Read more
Birds and Babies Everywhere at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm
May 31, 2011 - Snowy Egret chicks The Wood Stork nests are high in the trees, and the best light angle would be in the afternoon. Nonetheless, when this guy sat there radiating cuteness, I dialed in some extra flash and shot anyway.... Wood Stork chick The Roseate Spoonbills are getting bigger. I did…... Read more
Spoon-Feeding at the Polk Rookery
May 29, 2011 - Herman took my dad and me out in his boat again this morning. The Polk Rookery has changed considerably since my last visit in March. Then the birds were building their nests, and Great Egrets, Wood Storks dominated the Brazilian Pepper. Today the rookery was filled with fledgling birds of…... Read more
Sunset Walk
April 13, 2011 - I enjoyed having my zoom lens along on our walk this evening. The light of the sunset reflected on the water of the Pebble Ridge pond, creating awesome ripples of color. Then Rich pointed out the Wood Stork about to fly in just over the pond! Score!... Wood Stork The…... Read more
Wood Storks in Varying Light (Goldilocks Photography)
April 11, 2011 - There have been around 10 Wood Storks hanging around Stoneybrook West for the past week or so. I've photographed them in varying lights, which will illustrate the "Goldilocks" photography principle (posted today in honor of Goldy's 9th birthday!) The first time I saw the storks, it was the middle of…... Read more
In Search of Babies at Circle B Bar Reserve
April 10, 2011 - Great Egret We decided to head around to Wading Bird Way trail to search for the rumored babies. As we ventured up to the Eagle Roost trail, we spotted this juvenile Wood Stork fly in with his breakfast.... Wood Stork with Breakfast The light out on the sand hill was…... Read more
First Trip of the Spring to the Alligator Farm Rookery
April 1, 2011 - Roseate Spoonbill in flight There were Spoonies all over the rookery this morning! The big oak tree played host to at least 10 of them. I think the spoonbills outnumbered the Wood Storks in that tree! They slept and slept and slept...I was quite ready for them to wake up…... Read more
March Photo Walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 26, 2011 - White White Off in the distance, our lone Wood Stork of the day flew in. Most of the Wood Storks have moved off to their favorite rookery to nest.... Wood Stork Again and again we tried to leave, but the birds kept posing and begging us to stay. A small…... Read more
Let’s Go Build a Nest! (Polk Rookery)
March 20, 2011 - Augustine Alligator Farm Rookery, this one is totally wild. There were hundreds of birds there, most of them sporting their breeding plumages. We saw Great Egrets, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Black-Crowned Night Herons, White Ibises, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, Double-Crested Cormorants, Anhingas,…... Read more
Bittern-ly Chilly Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
January 15, 2011 - From Heron Hideout, it seemed as if there were far fewer American White Pelicans and Wood Storks than usual.... American Coot Wood storks were easier to photograph in flight when the sun did come out.... Wood Stork I finally headed down Marsh Rabbit Run, where I stopped with everybody else…... Read more
Bitterns Saying Hello at Circle B Bar Reserve
January 7, 2011 - American Goldfinch I headed to the south end of Marsh Rabbit Run, where plenty of Wood Storks and American White Pelicans fly over the path every morning. It's a good place to practice flight photography. I'm still getting used to my new focal length with my 500mm lens and 1.4x…... Read more
Frosty Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 29, 2010 - Heron Hideout (east side) Heron Hideout (west side) Very few birds were in the water when I arrived. Maybe the birdbrains are a little smarter than I thought! That water must have been cold. I watched a group of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks wake up, and one brave duck was the…... Read more
Skies Full of American White Pelicans at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 23, 2010 - The marshes were full of roosting birds at sunrise. We moved quickly to the south end of Heron Hideout (beyond Marsh Rabbit Run) to see hundreds of Wood Storks and Sandhill Cranes sleeping in a group. They almost reminded me of the pelicans -- there were that many birds!... Black-bellied…... Read more
Beautiful Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 22, 2010 - It was a gorgeous morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We arrived at 7:00, just before sunrise, and the birds put on an amazing wake-up show. The hundreds of Wood Storks and Sand Hill Cranes that roost in the marsh overnight all woke up and flew away, nicely illuminated…... Read more
Wood Stork at Dusk
December 9, 2010 - I finally got a decent shot of our neighborhood Wood Stork.... Wood Stork... Read more
Skies Filled with Birds at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 28, 2010 - Black-Bellied Whistling Duck The Wood Storks were flying overhead all morning.... I was pretty excited when I saw this tack-sharp flight shot: Wood Stork Palm Warblers and Savannah Sparrows love to hop around in the bushes at the edge of the Marsh Rabbit Run and Wading Bird Way trails.... Turkey…... Read more
More Winter Birds Have Arrived at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 12, 2010 - Roseate Spoonbills A lone Wood Stork stood in the midst of the action.... Wood Stork It can be hard to get good reflection shots.... Species list: Anhinga, American Coot, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-Winged Teal, Common Moorhen, Common Yellowthroat, Double-Crested Cormorant, Eastern Phoebe, Glossy Ibis,…... Read more
Windy Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 7, 2010 - Eastern Phoebe As we neared the end of Marsh Rabbit Run and turned onto Wading Bird Way, there were a bunch of Wood Storks that flew overhead.... As Dyeyo says, it's a shame that God gave these birds such ugly heads, when the rest of their bodies are actually quite…... Read more
Happy Hallo-wren at the Circle B Bar Reserve
November 1, 2010 - A Wood Stork was very obligingly posed for us.... Wood Stork There were Common Yellowthroats hopping along the path all the way down Marsh Rabbit Run.... Baby Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks Species list: Anhinga, American Coot, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-Winged Teal, Boat-Tailed Grackle, Cardinal, Common…... Read more
The Coots have Returned to the Circle B Bar Reserve
October 17, 2010 - The backlighting made for an interesting effect, though: White Ibis Then a couple of Wood Storks flew in.... I had been having issues with my off-camera flash cord and bracket, and unfortunately my flash took a little tumble off the tripod (it's fine) -- but I was glad that I…... Read more
Activity Starting to Pick up at the Circle B Bar Reserve
September 12, 2010 - Tree Swallows Double-Crested Cormorants and Wood Storks were roosting in the trees in the middle of the marsh again this week.... At one point I looked up and saw a flock of about 20 Wood Storks flying overhead.... Species list: Anhinga, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck,…... Read more
There are warblers at the Circle B Bar Reserve…if you know where to look!
September 5, 2010 - White Ibis There wasn't much activity on the Alligator Alley trail. We did see a Barred Owl flying around high in the branches of his usual tree (by the dock), but he was too high for decent pictures. Then we came across this Green Heron posing on one of the…... Read more
More Migrants at the Circle B Bar Reserve
August 29, 2010 - This juvenile Little Blue Heron watched me watching him by Lake Hancock. I had to use some fill flash. It's fun to apply the techniques that I'm learning as I read Arthur Morris's books on bird photography. Juvenile Little Blue Heron I stood for a few minutes watching the fly-bys…... Read more
Migrants Making their Way to Circle B
August 28, 2010 - Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron As we turned onto Alligator Alley, determined to brave the mosquitoes in hopes of seeing Wood Storks, we were rewarded by seeing our first warbles of the season! First we heard a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, then we spied him hopping around in the top of a tree....…... Read more
Black-Bellied Whistling Ducklings at the Circle B Bar Reserve!
August 15, 2010 - I had hoped to see a few migrant shorebirds. At one point I thought I saw a Caspian Tern in flight, but I didn't get a picture. The birds that we did see on Wading Bird Way were mostly Common Moorhens - adults, juveniles, and babies. Some of the juveniles'…... Read more
Rainy Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
August 8, 2010 - Barred Owl There were Wood Storks everywhere! As the Alligator Alley trail turned away from Lake Hancock, there were trees out in the marsh covered in birds, including herons, egrets, osprey, and storks. It was fun to see the number of juvenile Wood Storks. I took this picture during one…... Read more
Another Hot Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
July 31, 2010 - Circle B Sunrise The trees along the Alligator Alley trail were full of birds. I've never seen it this active before. Along the shoreline, the herons and egrets were startled by our presence and they flew off squawking. Overhead, a Carolina Wren fussed his little head off. (I guess we…... Read more