Stories

Imagine walking along a wooded trail and coming across what appears to be a group of very old men gathered around the muddy shoreline of a small pond. There are four of them. Bald, greyish, hunched over, standing around, looking at the ground, shuffling their feet…like they’re hanging around the burn barrel thinking up the next story to tell.

You slow your pace, walking quietly so as not to disturb them. A couple of white-tailed deer take a cautious drink from the far end of the pond. They hear you, and bolt off into the woods with a snort. But the group of odd-looking critters doesn’t flinch. As you get closer, you see they are some type of long legged bird, definitely not something that is normally seen around here. Grab your phone, take a few photos, then a short video to get this strange encounter on record.

These are wading birds of some sort. Tall ones…about 3 feet tall. Not the usual suspects for the Carolina Piedmont. Great Blue Heron is more solitary, larger, more colorful. They’re too far inland for the more coastal Tri-colored Heron and not the dramatic pink of the even more coastal Roseate Spoonbill. Not bright white enough to be Great Egret and no yellow bill. Too big to be Black-Crowned Night Heron, and are too tall and don’t have the Green Heron’s deep green plumage and orange legs. In addition to process of elimination, the best way to identify a bird is to understand a combination of its:

• size/shape/plumage…these guys are fairly tall, long legs and grey bill, greyish white feathers
• habitat…a muddy shoreline of a forested pond
• behavior…they’re walking along the water’s edge, feeding in a small group for amphibians, insects, fish
• sound…they are silent

After some quick research, these birds could only be one species –  Wood Storks.  These guys would not be here if they did not feel welcome…kind of the opposite of a canary in the coal mine. They are here because it’s the right kind of habitat and food, in a secluded spot away from human activity. In fact, when not breeding in colonies along the Southeast coast, Wood Storks have been expanding their range further inland in recent years, looking for places like this pond to feed.  When flying overhead, they are majestic birds with outstretched necks and legs, bright white with black flight feathers, often soaring on rising thermal air like hawks or vultures. We hope they keep coming back, and bring their family and friends.