In my March 17 update from the Everglades, I was concerned that the recent wet weather might be causing problems for nesting wading birds. This week I surveyed the colonies again but unfortunately my worst fears were realized; only a handful of nests were still active.
Read MoreEarlier this week Jenny Staletovich from the Miami Herald wrote an interesting article about the changing fortunes of wood storks in south Florida. It's an accurate and well researched piece that covers a number of important issues, and it also included some fascinating titbits on their behavior (access it by clicking on the title/arrow above). My only concern is that it infers storks are doing rather well down here, which is certainly not the case, and so below I give the recent rebound in nest numbers more perspective.
Read MoreThis year has the potential to be a great nesting season for wading birds. That's because the Everglades has remained wet over large areas for quite some time now and wetland fish, the main prey for most wading bird species, clearly grow and breed best when the marsh doesn't dry too much....
Read More