Wood Stork Cleared to Land at the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida

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Wood Stork Cleared to Land at the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida
Wood Stork Cleared to Land at the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida

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Jan Nagalski and his lovely wife Felicia were in their annual birding visit to Florida. We had already tried our luck, with some success, at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge but were ready to expand our experience and decided to visit the nearby Wakodahatchee Wetlands. We didn’t know what to expect but were happily surprised. The created wetlands feature a three-quarter mile boardwalk that crosses between open water pond areas and islands with shrubs and snags to foster nesting and roosting. This site offers many opportunities to observe birds in their natural habitats, but during this time it is predominantly a home to a couple of hundred wood storks roosting on snags within easy reach of even the smallest telephoto lenses. In addition to the wood storks, over 178 bird species have been identified there, along with turtles, alligators, rabbits, fish, frogs and raccoons. Of some note are the invasive iguanas cohabitating with the storks. Each day, the Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated wastewater into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, which in turn acts as a percolation pond, returning billions of gallons of fresh water back into the water table.
The Wood Stork is a large American wading bird in the stork family. 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. In South America, it is resident, but in North America, it may disperse to as far as South America. Originally described by Carl Linneaus in 1758, this stork likely evolved in tropical regions. The head and neck are bare of feathers and dark grey in color. The plumage is mostly white, with the exception of the tail and some of the wing feathers, which are black with a greenish-purplish sheen. The juvenile differs from the adult, with the former having a feathered head and a yellow bill, compared to the black adult bill. The sexes are similar.
Info above was extracted from Wikipedia.

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Taken on: February 26, 2024
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Sets appears in:   • Flight    • Birds of Florida - Storks & Ibises   
Camera: Nikon D850, f/9.0, 0.001 sec (1/800) sec (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Nikon D850
Aperture: f/9.0
Exposure Time: 0.001 sec (1/800)
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