[Boudicca]

While playing golf at Belmont this afternoon (YES! beat the storms) I saw this very unusual (to me) wading bird.

[TheVillageChicken]

Probably resting after delivering a baby. I think it's a stork.

[Boudicca]

Stork LOL. My husband said, "as its a wood stork, it must deliver wooden babies, "Pinocchio" for example

[rayschic]

Beautiful. Looks like a Woodstork.

Wood Storks, Wood Stork Pictures, Wood Stork Facts - National Geographic

[pooh]

The wood stork or wood ibis is the only American stork. Pretty neat to see one!

There are so many interesting birds here in Florida and in The villages.

[SALYBOW]

I believethere are a couple of these at Mangrove also.

[BarryRX]

Definetly a wood stork. While you can see a bunch of them around The Villages, they were on the endangered list until just recently. Their status has been upgraded to "threatened".

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by shrandell

Stork LOL. My husband said, "as its a wood stork, it must deliver wooden babies, "Pinocchio" for example

That is funny, shrandell.

Thought I'd share this poem by Shel Silverstein:

You know the stork brings babies,
But did you also know
He comes and gets the older folks
When it's their time to go?

Zooms right down and scoops them up,
Then flaps back out the door
And flies them to the factory where
They all were made before.

And there their skin is tightened up,
Their muscles all are toned,
Their wrinkles all are ironed out,
They're given brand-new bones.

Ol' bent backs are straightened up,
New teeth are added too,
Tired hearts are all repaired
And made to work like new.

Their memories are all removed
And they're shrunk down, and then
The stork flies them back down to earth
As newborn babes again.

[jblum315]

I think that's lovely. I'm sure I've seen it before, a long time ago

[Boudicca]

BK, thanks for sharing the sweet poem. Aren't we blessed to be surrounded by such beauty and so many like minded people.

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by pooh

The wood stork or wood ibis is the only American stork. Pretty neat to see one!

There are so many interesting birds here in Florida and in The villages.

You are right about the interesting birds right here in The Villages. These two Sandhill Cranes caught a glimpse of the cat and started to bellow. She decided it was quieter inside.