Asian Open-bill Stork

Description:

Large bird. There is a gap when the bills close. This gives them their name and an advantage when they crush snails.

Habitat:

This was taken on the premises of the Attohas temple. This temple is surrounded by many tall trees that serve as annual breeding/nesting sites. The trees were still festooned with last year's nests which I was told will NOT be reused. This year the storks were just about beginning to gather but actual nesting had not yet started.

Notes:

This temple is also refuge for a colony of fruit bats and I also saw a large Rat snake here.