Around here, this is the best time of the year to see these storks in full nesting mode. I am still not quite totally happy with my BIF skills and camera/lens settings but getting there. I hope you like the pictures; cheers!!!
Gallery: rodrigoshariff.smugmug.com/Bi...
And here is an excerpt from Wikipedia with interesting facts about this species.
The wood stork (Mycteria americana) is a large American wading bird in the family Ciconiidae (storks), the only member of the family to breed in North America. It was formerly called the "wood ibis", though it is not an ibis. It is found in subtropical and tropical habitats in the Americas, including the Caribbean.
Description
The adult wood stork is a large bird which stands 83 to 115 cm (33-45 in) tall with a wingspan of 140 to 180 cm (55-71 in). The male typically weighs 2.5 to 3.3 kg (5.5-7.3 lb), with a mean weight of 2.7 kg (6.0 lb); the female weighs 2.0 to 2.8 kg (4.4-6.2 lb), with a mean weight of 2.42 kg (5.3 lb). Another estimate puts the mean weight at 2.64 kg (5.8 lb). The head and neck of the adult are bare, and the scaly skin is a dark grey. The black downward-curved bill is long and very wide at the base. The plumage is mostly white, with the primaries, secondaries, and tail being black and having a greenish and purplish iridescence. The legs and feet are dark, and the flesh-coloured toes are pink during the breeding season. The sexes are similar.
Distribution
This is a subtropical and tropical species which breeds in much of South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The wood stork is the only stork that breeds in North America. In the United States there are small breeding populations in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In South America, it is found south to northern Argentina. Some populations in North America disperse after breeding, frequently to South America.
Behavior
Breeding
A resident breeder in lowland wetlands with trees, the wood stork builds a large stick nest in a tree. In freshwater habitats, it prefers to nest in trees that are larger in diameter. It nests colonially, with up to 25 nests in one tree. Breeding is initiated by a drop in the water level combined with an increased density of fish (with the former likely triggering the latter).
This is because a decrease in the water level and an increased density of fish allows for an adequate amount of food for the nestlings. This can occur anytime between November and August. After it starts, breeding takes about four months to complete. This bird lays one clutch of
three to five cream coloured eggs that are about 68 by 46 millimetres (2.7 by 1.8 in) in size.These eggs are usually laid one to two days apart and incubated for 27 to 32 days by both sexes. This incubation period starts when the first egg is laid. During the first week of incubation,
the parents do not go far from the colony, with the exception of the short trips to forage, drink, and collect nesting material carried out by the non-incubating bird. After the first week, the non-incubating bird spends less time in the colony, although the eggs are never left unattended
The chicks hatch altricial, unable to move, and weigh an average of 62 grams (2.2 oz).[17] They are brooded for the first week after hatching, and after that when it is raining and at night. The chicks are not left alone until at least three weeks of age, with one parent foraging while
the other guards the nest and chicks. They fledge 60 to 65 days after hatching, and reach sexual maturity at four years of age, although they usually do not successfully fledge chicks until their fifth year of age.
Feeding
During the dry season, the wood stork eats mostly fish, supplemented by insects. During the wet season, on the other hand, fish make up about half the diet, crabs make up about 30%, and insects and frogs make up the rest. The wood stork eats larger fish more often than smaller fish, even in some cases where the latter is more abundant. It is estimated that an adult wood stork needs about 520 grams (1.15 lb) per day to sustain itself. For a whole family,
it is estimated that about 200 kilograms (440 lb) are needed per breeding season.
Conservation and threats
Globally, the wood stork is considered least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its large range.
In the United States, this bird is considered to be threatened. This is a recovery from its former status as endangered, which it held from 1984 to 2014 because of a decline in its population[18] caused by habitat loss and drought.
Tricolored Heron / Garza Tricolor
Wood Stork / Cigüeña Cabeza-de-hueso
Canon EOS R6 samples
Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM