Today was a sad morning - we got to the colony at 9AM to discover that a large limb from Tree A had broken off during the night, dumping 3 nests into the pond below. Based on previous counts, the nests contained a total of 9 chicks. Three chicks survived the fall and were sitting on the bank under the colony. These survivors were approximately 6-7 weeks old. The feature picture above is of Donna Bear-Hull (in kayak) and other zoo personnel surveying the damage.

Today's count:

• Tree A: 45 Nests (3 were lost when the limb broke), 42 of them with chicks (108 chicks total)
• Tree B: 53 Nests, 40 of them with chicks (100 chicks total)
• Tree C: 8 Nests, 1 with chicks (2 chicks total)
• Tree D: 2 Nests, both with chicks (3 chicks total)
• Tree E: 1 Nest, 0 chicks
• Totals: 109 nests, 213 chicks

The three survivors of the limb crash, standing on the remains of their nest. Billy Brooks of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service affectionately dubbed these guys Larry, Moe, and Curly.

One of the survivors.

One of the four 'satellite' birds in the colony. Notice the wire sticking out of the back. The bird is wearing a harness containing a solar powered GPS device, which transmits its location on a periodic basis.

Return to Main Wood Stork page