You are here

Poor Everglades Nesting Season A Result Of Climate Change And Untimely Storms

Share
Roseate spoonbills and Wood storks/John Studwell

Roseate spoonbills and Wood storks/John Studwell

By Erika Zambello and Renee Wilson

Editor's note: This article is the third in a partnership series by Audubon Florida, connecting National Parks Traveler readers with avian stories from the Sunshine State's national park sites. 

Roseate Spoonbills and Wood Storks are two of Florida’s most iconic birds. Unfortunately, 2020 has proved to be a poor nesting year for both species in South Florida, including populations within Everglades National Park. As critical ecosystem indicators, the success of both spoonbills and storks speaks directly to the health of the Everglades as a whole.

2018: A Banner Year

Just a few years ago, wading birds across South Florida had one of the best nesting seasons in decades. As National Parks Traveler reported, the second half of 2017 proved to be wet, increasing prey populations. In the spring of 2018, a drydown concentrated the prey in small polls and ponds, making easy pickings for adult birds feeding ravenous chicks. A wet summer and fall, a gradual dry-down period, and a drier spring, created right conditions for a proliferation of over 112,000 wading bird nests.

Roseate Spoonbill/RJ Wiley

Roseate Spoonbill/RJ Wiley

2020: Not So Much

By contrast, rain came at inopportune times at the end of 2019 and into 2020.

Audubon Florida monitors water levels year-round as well as spoonbill breeding success each spring. In order for spoonbills to fledge their voracious young, water levels must fall far enough to trap prey in shallow water and/or small water bodies. 

“Unfortunately, water levels in South Florida only decreased below the necessary threshold to concentrate these prey species items nine days in the 2019-2020 nesting season — bad news for the Roseate Spoonbill," Audubon Florida reports in the summer edition of Naturalist magazine.

Exactly how bad the news is will be known later this year when the nesting census is finalized.

Moving into the future, this may become the norm. Sea level rise has increased water levels overall, with 2019-2020 marking one of the most extreme years in Taylor Slough, where the measurements are taken. 

According to Jerry Lorenz, Ph.D., Audubon’s Everglades Science Center Director, “When I started working on this project in the early 1990s, water levels remained below the stage where fish were concentrated for as long as four or five months, giving spoonbills plenty of time to raise their young and teach them to forage.”

Lorenz continues: “The good news is that spoonbills are finding new foraging grounds and being successful nesters elsewhere in the Everglades and throughout Florida. The bad news is that nest numbers continue to decline in Florida Bay, once the only nesting stronghold in the state.”

South Florida’s Wood Storks did not fare much better.

According to Shawn Clem, Ph.D., Director of Research at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the Western Everglades, this year’s Wood Stork nest failures were probably due to an unusual timing of rainfall in an ecosystem that is already stressed by development and habitat loss.

“Heavy rain in late December inundated wetlands early in the nesting season, delaying the birds’ reproduction and egg laying,” she said.

By March and April, water levels had dropped back down to favorable foraging conditions which triggered increased nesting, but this was too late. A late start to nesting often results in failure, as Wood Storks must have enough time to fledge their young during the dry season when fish prey are plentiful and can fill the chicks’ high energy demands. Once the rainy season begins, this year in mid-May, water levels rise quickly, fish disperse, and chicks that have not yet fledged are often left to starve as their parents can no longer catch enough fish to feed them.

Like spoonbills, Wood Stork populations are on the move. Wood Storks have demonstrated a shift in nesting locations over the past several decades, with more birds being reported in Georgia and farther north than ever before. According to Clem, while Wood Storks as a species may not be in jeopardy, their departure from historic nesting locations in Southwest Florida and across the Everglades is a strong indicator that the quality of the ecosystem has declined and these other places have become more favorable.

Erika Zambello, a Traveler board member, is the Audubon Florida communications director and Renee Wilson is the Audubon Florida communications associate. Some parts of this article have appeared in Audubon publications.

National Parks Traveler is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization that depends greatly on its readers and listeners. Please support Traveler with a donation so we can continue to bring you content on national parks and protected areas.

A copy of National Parks Traveler's financial statements may be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah 84098. National Parks Traveler was formed in the state of Utah for the purpose of informing and educating about national parks and protected areas.

Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below:

  • Florida: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER, (REGISTRATION NO. CH 51659), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 800-435-7352 OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
  • Georgia: A full and fair description of the programs and financial statement summary of National Parks Traveler is available upon request at the office and phone number indicated above.
  • Maryland: Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-974-5534).
  • North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 888-830-4989 or 919-807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State.
  • Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of National Parks Traveler may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
  • Virginia: Financial statements are available from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
  • Washington: National Parks Traveler is registered with Washington State’s Charities Program as required by law and additional information is available by calling 800-332-4483 or visiting www.sos.wa.gov/charities, or on file at Charities Division, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Washington, Olympia, WA 98504.
Featured Article

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.