Wood Storks

July through September

 Wood Storks drift north from breeding sites in Mexico or Florida and arrive in Louisiana in the summer, sometimes numbering in the thousands. Where exactly these storks breed is not known. There are ongoing banding and radio telemetry studies to determine their migration patterns.

One of the state’s most impressive phenomena is the aggregations of wading birds at crawfish pond draw-downs. Large numbers of herons and ibis take advantage of stranded fish and crawfish when crawfish ponds are drained in the summer and early fall. Wood Storks join congregations of herons and ibises at drawn-down agricultural fields where wading birds may number in the hundreds. It is impossible to direct someone to an exact field due to constant rotation of crops. They can be found by driving the rice field country, especially northern Vermilion parish (Loop 4) and southern Acadia parish( Loop3). A recently fairly reliable site in July is South Farm at Sherburne Complex WMA (site 5-1) where Wood Stork can be found roosting.