Wood Storks Spotted in Greenwood County

One of our Greenwood County landowners spotted these Wood Storks foraging in a wetland area of a conservation easement they donated 12 years ago, in the floodplain of Ninety Six Creek. It’s a treat to see them up here in the Piedmont. Listed as endangered in the U.S. in 1984 but down-listed to “threatened” in 2014, wood storks are indeed threatened by habitat loss and altered hydrology, particularly in south Florida, but thanks to protected wetlands in places like this, they have expanded both their breeding and foraging range northward, and now routinely nest in SC’s coastal wetlands. Keep your eyes out for them! More info here: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/…/spe…/Birds/WoodStork/index.html