S t o r k s   a n d   B a b i e s

Most of us older persons remember when we were told about the stork when a new baby arrived at the house. When Mom went to the hospital to meet the stork naturally I missed her but I always waited for the stork to show up at home before Mom did. Three times I waited and three times I was disappointed.

The storks that prompted these legendary tales of babies being delivered into each household wrapped in a four-corned sheet actually live in Europe. These Great White Storks migrate to Africa for the winter and then back to Europe where they build their nests on the rooftops of houses. The parent storks raise their babies with such care that people have created many myths and legends about these birds. Many people consider it good fortune to have a stork nest on their roof and even provide for them a nesting place. It is interesting to note the people there don't mind the yearly clean up after the migration south. Most of these Great White Storks return to the same nest year after year. Now if these storks show up on a rooftop of a house where a newborn baby has just arrived, it does look a little suspicious doesn't it?

Storks were commonly seen in my neck of the woods, when I was young, in Florida but always down in the swamps. They were very quiet, secretive birds, wading in the dark, shadowy atmosphere of the soggy bottoms of the backwoods. We were only able to observe them at some distance in those days because they had so much wild habitat that contact with humans could be avoided. Not one time did I ever have one drop in to visit my house, that I was aware of.

This is not the situation with the Wood Storks today. Humans and storks live together in many areas in Florida but I don't know of any nesting on rooftops at this time though. Very often they come to the state parks along the coasts and help the fishermen clean their catch, or should I say clean up their mess after the catch is cleaned. In any event they can be seen competing with pelicans and Blue Herons for the fishy leftovers. This gives park visitors a close-up look at the only native stork in the United States. These storks also go by the name of Wood Ibis and are about 3 to 4 times larger than the Little White Ibis.

Wood Storks (Ibis) with all their grace and beauty while in flight, present a real contrast when one gets up close and personal. Their heads have wrinkles and scales and are mostly bald down to the neck. They have long legs with knobby knees used for wading and shuffling the mud for crabs, fish and other marsh dwelling food items. While in the air though, they can rise on air thermals like eagles and vultures and they are often seen soaring together. Their white plumage and black tipped wings make them unmistakable to identify. Strange that such a large bird that is so ungainly on the ground can be such a thing of beauty in the air. Often times I have watched them soar higher and higher till they were like little tiny white dots in sky. After reaching their desired altitude they level out and glide for many miles without flapping their wings at all on the way to their feeding grounds. These heavy billed birds, like vultures will also eat carrion of dead animals or dead fish.

During nesting season they like to be in a rookery with many other Wood Storks. Both parents do the honors of feeding the babies. Believe me though; we would not feed our babies what these parents feed theirs. Nests are very crudely made of sticks and moss and some soft pond grasses. The nests are built on low mangrove branches or high up in cypress or pine trees. Nests are near or even over water and because these are often poorly constructed many babies fall out and into the water or ground below. Each nesting season this provides a food source for gators or other predators waiting beneath. This seems very cruel and senseless but this is nature's plan as the world is today. The young that remain in the nest get more food and grow faster and are stronger. And in the realm of the natural world the strongest survive. This doesn't mean that humans can't help nature by providing areas for nesting and feeding grounds. They need all the help we can provide. So much of their habitat has been destroyed that we must step in now and then to alter certain trends that would lead to their extinction. These storks are now fighting for their survival in lower Florida due to the building of houses and drainage of their former feeding grounds.

As a Christian it is our duty to preserve the Earth's natural wonders as we are told to do in the Bible. Our Creator made all the animals, plants, and even the clouds in the sky for our enjoyment. Take some time to see what part you can play in the preservation of the wildlife around where you live.

Burney Tompkins

    - Uncle Burney