For the past few weeks, I've been seeing giant soaring birds flying over I-10 every time I drive through the Crowley area. I don't know if other motorists notice them, but I can't imagine how they wouldn't: these birds dwarf the egrets we normally see flying around. Their slow, deliberate wingbeats and their ability to soar effortlessly also set them apart from our common waders. These giants are Wood Storks.
Wood Storks can be found in big flocks in rice country in summer, but I don't remember seeing any when I was young. It seems like they've invaded in a big way in the past couple of decades. I had a flock of over 300 storks mixed in with hundreds of egrets and herons south of Crowley a few days ago.
Wood Storks nest in south Florida and in Mexico. I've heard rumors of breeding in Louisiana, but I've never seen any proof. Flocks of storks seen heading south along the Texas coast during fall months probably mean that our summer visitors come from Mexico. We get a mix of old and young birds (these photos are of a young bird that hasn't acquired the naked gray head of adults).
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We saw some of these storks at the Jeff-Davis land fill and then fly over our farm property just east of Welsh, La.
I saw two of these perched in a big tree alongside the Cane River east of Natchitoches this morning (August 23, 2012). I am a bit surprised that they would be this far north.
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