BIRDS
New Colony Discovered During Annual Wood Stork Monitoring Survey
by Kacy Cook, Waterbird Biologist, and Brooke Callisto, Waterbird Technician
S ince Wood Storks were first reported nesting in North Carolina in 2005, eight nesting locations had been identified. This year, a new Wood Stork colony was discovered just southeast of Lake Waccamaw, raising the total colony locations used across the last two decades to nine. This newest site is in an impoundment with tall, mature, dead and dying cypress trees sur- rounded by open water. At the time of the survey, the colony was determined to have 35 active Wood Stork nests. The remainder of the annual Wood Stork survey yielded three other active colonies at known nesting sites. The location of colonies changes from year to year based on water availability, vegetation condition, and other factors. For the 2025 nesting season, 487 active Wood Stork nests were observed in the four active colo- nies identified.
KACY COOK/NCWRC
Survey of new Wood Stork colony southeast of Lake Waccamaw.
MISSY MCGAW/NCWRC
13 2025 WILDLIFE DIVERSITY PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT
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