Storks and Spoonbills

Saddle-billed Stork taking off from a river bed in Mashatu. The male has a yellow wattle under his chin and a black eye. The Saddle-bill is a vibrant red with a black stripe in the middle and a yellow frontal shield. The female has yellow eye rings and no wattle under her chin.mantle.and black

Yellow-billed stork coming in to land along the Chobe River.

Yellow-billed Stork landing at a roosting area just above the rapids in the Chobe River above where it meets the Zambesi River.

Yellow-billed Stork in flight.

A Yellow-billed Stork flying low over the water carrying nesting material back to its nesting colony just above the rapids in the Chobe River.

Open-billed Stork wading in shallow water in the Chobe River hunting for snails and other edibles.

It is always fun to capture the water trailing from an Open-billed Stork’s bill as it lifts its head out of the water.

A Open-billed Stork drying itself on an island in the Chobe River.

You will see plenty of Yellow-billed Storks along the Chobe River but you don’t often see them catching fish.

A pair of Saddle-billed Storks patrolling the water’s edge along the Chobe River.

Yellow-billed Stork hunting for food. Sometimes they even spread a wing to reduce the reflection to see into the water rather than just relying on their sensitive beaks.

Yellow-billed Stork landing along the Chobe River.

I was amazed that these two Yellow-billed Storks did not seem at all perturbed by this young croc. The one even moved right up to it no even a foot away. I was getting excited because I thought the croc would try to take the Stork but no such thing happened.

Spoonbill with its pinky-red bill which is horizontally flattened at the end.

A close up of a male Saddle-billed Stork. Black eye and yellow-wattle under the chin.

Female Saddle-billed Stork catching fish in a rapidly shrinking pool of water in the Mashatu Game Reserve.

The pair of Saddle-billed Storks were highly successful on this particular occasion. We must have seen them catch and eat at least seven reasonably sized fish each.

Like most Storks, the Saddle-bill kneels down to rest by bending its knee forwards not backwards like us. Those knees are thickened and are a pinky-red which makes them look sore.

We disturbed this pair of Saddle-billed Storks and after getting up off their knees a good stretch was in order.

Dr death, Marabou Storks can be seen at sunset sitting in the trees outside Sukuza in the Kruger Park. The hunched silhouettes make them appear like messengers of death. In the day they look hideous looking but can provide some real fun around a kill.