Audubon Florida has released the 2012 Wading Bird Nesting in the Everglades Fact Sheet.
The South Florida Water Management District's annual South Florida Wading Bird Report provides an overview of wading bird nesting efforts across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. An indicator of ecosystem health, wading bird populations are a central component of evaluating Everglades restoration efforts. Numerous ecologists contribute data from all corners of the ecosystem, which is compiled to evaluate overall nesting effort with notes on long and short-term trends.
Our Fact Sheet outlines Audubon’s summary of a few report components, including a status of nesting Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay and Wood Storks at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary provided by Audubon scientists. January to December 2012 was the third consecutive year of relatively poor nesting effort across the Everglades, with success better in some regions and among certain species than others.
Restoration projects currently under construction or in the planning phase are urgently needed to reverse ecological declines in the Everglades and enable wading birds to return historical nesting locations and to nest in greater abundance.
