{"id":1476,"date":"2010-11-26T06:25:05","date_gmt":"2010-11-26T12:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=1476"},"modified":"2025-09-21T05:39:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T10:39:34","slug":"wood-stork-portrait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/11\/26\/wood-stork-portrait\/","title":{"rendered":"Wood Stork Portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WoodWood Stork portrait –\u00a0 D200, handheld, f7.1, 1\/640, ISO 160, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light, a little noise reduction was applied to the background<\/span><\/p>\n

It is my opinion that Wood Storks do not get nearly the same\u00a0exposure as other big white wading birds and even far less than the pink Roseate Spoonbill.<\/p>\n

On avian critique forums you will see the Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White Ibis and the white morph of the Reddish Egret posted over & over again. Not so with the Wood Storks.<\/p>\n

The number of views and comments on the aforementioned big white birds on those critique forums; even when they are technically flawed, will often be double or triple of the views for a perfectly executed Wood Stork photo.<\/p>\n

I can not begin to fathom why. It might be the “bald” head of the Wood Stork family but the far more popular mature Roseate Spoonbill has a “bald” head too so I think the fascination with them specifically has to do with the cotton candy pink plumage they sport.<\/p>\n

Wood Storks are only member of the stork family and the largest wading bird we have in North America. They are graceful on the ground and in flight and I find the wood-like patina of the bill very intriguing.<\/p>\n

It is their unique appearance that draws me to them and inspires me to photograph the storks to the best of my skills and abilities.<\/p>\n

This particular Wood Stork allowed me opportunities to photograph it in flight as it landed in a lagoon, while it fed ,and because I sat very still in the water, it approached me closely enough to take some close up images.<\/p>\n

For my tastes… bald can be beautiful.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Wood Stork photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is my opinion that Wood Storks do not get nearly the same exposure as other big white wading birds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":157200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,353],"tags":[4004,215,4021,4083,950,4035,4046,4001,4032,4441],"class_list":["post-1476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-wood-storks","tag-adult","tag-bird-id","tag-bird-photography","tag-birding","tag-mycteria-americana","tag-nature-photography","tag-portrait","tag-wading-bird","tag-wildlife-photography","tag-wood-stork"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wood-stork-mia-mcpherson-portrait-florida-5379.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-nO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2880,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/08\/10\/wood-storks-diffuse-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":1476,"position":0},"title":"Wood Storks – Diffuse light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"There were high thin clouds and that worked in my favor to photograph these large white birds without blowing out the whites.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hunting Wood Stork, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wood-stork-mia-mcpherson-3688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wood-stork-mia-mcpherson-3688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wood-stork-mia-mcpherson-3688.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wood-stork-mia-mcpherson-3688.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5858,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/08\/06\/landing-wood-stork\/","url_meta":{"origin":1476,"position":1},"title":"Landing Wood Stork","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Wood Storks (Mycetaria americana) are the largest wading bird in North America and the only stork that breeds in the U.S.. Wood Storks are considered endangered primarily due to loss of habitat.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Landing Wood Stork, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wood-stork-landing-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wood-stork-landing-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wood-stork-landing-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wood-stork-landing-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As the Wood Stork foraged for it breakfast it kept an eye on me as I sat low and very still in the lagoon.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wood Stork in a dark lagoon, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-stork-feeding-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-3837.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-stork-feeding-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-3837.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-stork-feeding-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-3837.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Six years ago this morning I was photographing birds at Fort De Soto County Park and I wanted to share a few images and memories of that day.","rel":"","context":"In "American Oystercatchers"","block_context":{"text":"American Oystercatchers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-oystercatchers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile American Oystercatcher in stormy light on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/american-oystercatcher-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-8658.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/american-oystercatcher-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-8658.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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