While watching the wood storks I learned fish, larger than I expected, swam in the stormwater drainage system.
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These wood storks are searching for breakfast.
[Five wood storks standing in the water. Four have their beaks in the water.]

These wood storks walk through the water with their beaks open and when a fish swims in the opening the beaks snap shut.
[Wood stork is bent down so its open beak is halfway submerged in the water.]

This wood stork stands in the drainage system. I think it's using its wings for balance as it fishes in this deep water.
[The wood stork's legs are completely submerged in the water. Its wings are open directly above its back as it leans forward in the water. The black flight feathers are clearly visible.]

Both wood storks sensed the fish and go for it.
[Two wood storks in the foreground have their wings spread and their beaks open as they splash the water. A third wood stork is in the wter behind them searching for its food.]

The successful bird from the prior photo.
[A close head-on view of a wood stork standing with a four-inch(estimate) long fish in its beak.]

Had I not photographed this myself, I'm not sure I would have believed there were fish this large swimming in the stormwater runoff channels.
[A head-on view of a wood stork walking from the water with a nine-inch(estimate) long fish in its beak.]

Same bird from the prior photo swallowing its catch.
[Side view as the bird flipped the fish head first into its mouth. The throat is stretched to handle the fish and not much more than the tail is sticking out of the throat of the open-mouthed bird.]

No chewing before swallowing for this bird.
[The same bird is now closing its beak as the fish is completely in the throat area.]

This is a different section of the stormwater drainage system and it appears wood storks were here scouting for food.
[Most of the image is mud with three-pronged foot tracks all over it. The wood stork's feet are only partially webbed so only the toes leave an impression on the ground. There is a bit of water visible at the top of the image.]

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All photos © S. M. Garver