Officials at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary say the next six weeks promise visitors the greatest show in years as thousands of adolescent wood storks begin fledging, and a host of adult storks, roseate spoonbills, egrets, night herons, ibis, and alligators take advantage of the low water levels to feed.
Water levels at the Corkscrew’s lettuce lakes, right off the boardwalk, have dropped into the optimal range for wood storks, and other wading birds, and depending on rainfall, scientists expect a frenzy of wildlife activity as spring approaches.
“The surface of the water is already boiling with millions of tiny fish,” which are prey for the wading birds and alligators, said Jason Lauritsen, Assistant Director of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. “And those little, fuzzy-headed, somewhat clumsy adolescent storks will be spending a lot of time figuring out how to fish and fly right here in stork paradise.”
