Woody Makes A Brief Appearance

Yesterday afternoon I was surprised to see this one lone wood stork fishing in the marsh pond all by itself. Normally the wood storks are here in Summer months, and normally in groups rather then alone. He was right in front of me and very close when I went over to grab a few shots, but very suddenly he burst up out of the water and took off!

The wood stork did one quick loop around overhead before flying out across the salt marsh. I wonder if I’ll be seeing this unusual winter visitor again any time soon?

34 thoughts on “Woody Makes A Brief Appearance”

acuriousgal on January 10, 2014 at 3:06 pm said:

Never seen this bird before, very cool…..looks prehistoric!! Great captures!!

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 3:51 pm said:
  
  Wow glad I was able to show you a new bird! Also glad you liked these pics!
  
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  - acuriousgal on January 10, 2014 at 4:15 pm said:
    
    You’re my birding guru, Phil
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:08 pm said:
      
      I’m always happy to be of assistance. 🙂
      
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Gunta on January 10, 2014 at 3:37 pm said:

Nice close look at that prehistoric head!

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 3:53 pm said:
  
  Well they kind of have a face only a mother could love, and yeah sort of a dinosaur look as well. 😯
  
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HansHB on January 10, 2014 at 4:53 pm said:

Awesome serie, – love it!

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:16 pm said:
  
  Thank you Hans I’m happy you liked these!
  
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Patrizia M. on January 10, 2014 at 5:11 pm said:

Le foto sono bellissime, ma l’uccello un po’ meno, diciamo che la sua testa non è proprio carina 🙂
Ciao, Pat

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- Phil Lanoue on January 16, 2014 at 9:58 am said:
  
  Ha Ha 😆 Il suo volto è uno che solo una madre potrebbe amare.
  
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kerlund74 on January 10, 2014 at 5:14 pm said:

Cool bird and absolutely amazing photos, great work”

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:18 pm said:
  
  Well thanks very much for that! The wood stork may be a little rough to look at but they are interesting birds.
  
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Dave_TX on January 10, 2014 at 5:19 pm said:

Looking at these photos it is easy to see that storks and vultures are related.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:20 pm said:
  
  Yes indeed these guys have a vulture look to them for sure. Wood storks are quite elegant flyers though. 🙂
  
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Round River Reflections on January 10, 2014 at 5:22 pm said:

good ol iron head!

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:21 pm said:
  
  That head takes a little bit getting used to. Heh heh
  
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pviette on January 10, 2014 at 6:42 pm said:

No, not good-looking at all; still, in the second photo it looks almost cute.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:23 pm said:
  
  Probably good looking to another wood stork. 🙂 I’m kind of fond of them for some odd reason.
  
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  - pviette on January 11, 2014 at 10:54 am said:
    
    I know what you mean : they’re so ugly it makes me smile.
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on January 11, 2014 at 5:38 pm said:
      
      Yeah you kind of have to love them. 🙂
      
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The Dancing Rider on January 10, 2014 at 6:45 pm said:

Vaguely turkey vulture-like head! I have an instant affinity for him, because he’s odd! Between his head, his bill, and his feet…. Beautiful colors on the his body in the fly off.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:26 pm said:
  
  Ha! That’s exactly it! That’s why I like them so much as well, because they are just so darn odd. 🙂
  Glad you liked these photos!
  
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Ellen and Elbert(Corky) Cutright on January 10, 2014 at 7:23 pm said:

Great Shots!—Sure hope they have a successful nesting season.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 10, 2014 at 8:28 pm said:
  
  Thanks much! Glad to know you enjoyed these shots of Woody!
  I’m sure we will see large of them this coming summer!
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on January 10, 2014 at 11:53 pm said:

They look really prehistoric, like what might have flown in dinosaur times. A bit homely like our turkey vultures, although really interesting looking. But I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I bet the nestlings are really funny looking. I know as beautiful as cockatoos are, the babies are not so adorable. Beautiful captures and it looks like you had a perfect position.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 15, 2014 at 9:51 pm said:
  
  Yes these birds do indeed give us a bit of a glimpse into a prehistoric era. They are not much to look at up close but they are quite elegant flyers.
  
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Andrew on January 11, 2014 at 6:03 am said:

What a handsome brute. I wish we had a visitor like that occasionally.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 11, 2014 at 5:43 pm said:
  
  He is quite the looker for sure and a fun guy to have around!
  
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foxleylady on January 11, 2014 at 6:33 am said:

What great action pictures, Phil! Do they migrate and, if so, could something have occurred, or the bird been too young, to go with the others? I hope it doesn’t spend all winter on its own!

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- Phil Lanoue on January 15, 2014 at 9:49 pm said:
  
  They do migrate so we won’t see the large numbers we see in summer but it’s possible to see an isolated individual at any time of year.
  
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Alison Martin on January 11, 2014 at 8:07 am said:

Thanks for letting me see the wood stork up close. I never saw one in such detail. Not really a pretty fellow, but still very interesting. Love the shot in flight with the legs stretched out straight behind.

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- Phil Lanoue on January 11, 2014 at 5:45 pm said:
  
  Thanks Alison, glad you liked seeing old Woody! They are interesting birds but sometimes a little rough to look at.
  
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TheForagingPhotographer on January 11, 2014 at 8:16 am said:

Are they called wood storks because they look as though their necks are make of wood, Phil? 😀

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- Phil Lanoue on January 11, 2014 at 5:39 pm said:
  
  I believe that is the case Lucy. At least that’s what I always assumed.
  
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