It all starts with someone feeding a few ibis. Seems innocent enough.
Next thing you know, a million birds and ducks are attacking you for food. This wood stork was getting his fill. He was bullying the ibis and stealing their food. At one point a duck was banging on the lady’s shoe until she fed him. Yes, you can feed the fowl at Lake Morton. All can be feed except the swans that are nesting or have babies. The ibis have some sort of radar. A few get fed and then hundreds of them fly in from all over Lakeland within minutes. I just wish they had signs up to feed them only seed or corn instead of bread. All that bread is not good for them. Some of the regulars do feed them corn but most of the people who stop on a rare occasion show up with a big bag of bread.
Our bread products are really not good for anyone; your photo series is really lovely.
That surprises me … didn’t realize it was Even allowed feed birds at all when we were there … Not that I would have. I wonder if it would help if real birders wrote to the Park manager about the bread issue and maybe they could change the signs? People just need to be re-educated. I used to think it was OK (years ago when our kids were little) until someone gave me a pamphlet to read.
I agree with Charlie’s comment, and have started eating only bread made from sprouted grains myself.
Your photos are super, as always, Dina. I would have been afraid of that ibis, and a whole herd of them would have terrified me. 🙂
Kay
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travels
I suppose the wood stork thinks he looks as pretty as the ibis, but he is a scary guy! 🙂 Aww…now I feel so bad for him. Glad he joined right in!
Great way to describe the interaction among the birds. First time I see photos of a wood stork.
I did not know that you can’t feed bread to birds in Florida??? If you want good bread go to NY it’s the water i’m told. Very nice pictures as usual Dina. Never saw a Wood Stork in my life, they are kind of ugly and have a neck like a vulture. Am I mistaken? Anyone.