Today we saw the first hatchlings from last week (in nest #5 of Tree A) - they are about a week old. There are at least 5 other nests in the colony with crying hatchlings now, but they are still too small to see from our vantage point below the nests.

Today's count:

• Tree A: 43 Nests
• Tree B: 43 Nests
• Tree C: 1 Nest
• Tree D: 2 Nests

Although you can't see the chicks in this photo, this is a picture of a parent feeding the first hatchlings of the season, in Nest #5 of Tree A. We were able to see the chicks through the twigs with the aid of our binoculars.

Nest Building Underway - We observed these Storks building this nest from scratch over the course of 5 hours. It will likely be complete by next week. (Tree B)

The storks sit for long periods of time with their bills half open like this - we suppose it is a body temperature regulating mechanism, but are not certain.

The white film covering the nests is feces.

This wood stork is testing the weight of this branch for nesting material - although he didn't choose this one, they often pick pieces of wood that are much larger than one would expect.

This wood stork found a piece of nesting material under the duck weed on the pond beneath the colony.

The Jacksonville Zoo colony allows visitors the closest proximity to an Endangered Species Nest than anywhere else in Florida. The storks often perch on the boardwalk near visitors, allowing photographs like this.

This photograph illustrates the featherless head of an adult wood stork. Notice how the bill appears as if it is made of wood...

Unfortunately, not all eggs produce chicks. This one apparently fell out of a nest - there were 4 such eggs this day.

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