In a quiet corner of southwest Phoenix, a rare visitor rested his wings.
Earlier this month, birders marveled at a surprise appearance by a wood stork, a bird that is almost never seen in Arizona. Photos of the wading bird, with its white feathers, spindly legs and long, orange beak, made the rounds on social media.
The stork was spotted at Tres Rios Wetlands in Phoenix, a unique 700-acre section of wet, marshy habitat created with cleaned-up discharge from a nearby wastewater treatment plant. The city of Phoenix says the area is home to more than 150 different species of birds and animals like muskrats, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, bobcats and beavers…