Bird Board
New Yard Bird
Late this afternoon, I was surprised to find six Wood Storks foraging along the lake that forms the northern border of my condo complex in Kendale Lakes. I've seen most of the wader species along this lake at one time or another, but never Wood Storks. Combine this with the 12/19 Miami-Dade CBC results, when more Wood Storks (by far) were counted than in any previous year for this CBC, and I'm wondering what's going on here. My guess is that it's just a short-term movement due to high water levels in their regular foraging areas, due to all the rain we're having this El Nino winter. It's also possible, though, that we're seeing the beginning of the urbanization of this species, similar to that of White Ibis. Is anyone else in suburban Miami-Dade seeing Wood Storks in their neighborhoods?
Comments
I live near Kendall Indian Hammocks and I have only had 1 fly over my home a couple of years ago. The closest I regularly see them are on Turnpike near Dolphin Mall at flooded swales. Hope they become more suburban as they are one of my favorite Florida birds.
Cutler Wetland gets a few from time to time, but the last few days there have been 20-30 maybe more. Didn't really think much about it, but since you made comment I realized there are way more than normal.
I received an e-mail today from Charles Slavens about the water quality at Loxahatchee NWR. He films fish under water there, some pretty amazing stuff. He has noted that since August the numbers of fish that come around his camera has gone from dozens in an hour to zero. He shows that the water is getting opaque and that plants are being covered with slime, where before there was clear water and green plants. Could the Storks be driven to suburbia by poor water quality in wild areas?
In a related story, the national news reported a major starvation event in Prince William Sound (AK), with up to 8000 dead murres on one beach.
I had at least 60 Wood Storks in Cutler Wetlands last week. None by my house so far. I did have a Limpkin foraging along the bank of the Snapper Creek Canal which runs through our neighborhood, two blocks away from my house.
-RJ
We get Wood Storks soaring over the house now and then.
I'll get wood storks fly by my area in Doral but I haven't seen them forage around the canals or lakes yet
There are a few in Hialeah, mostly by the canal on Red Road and by the canal/lake on 44 pl behind the Muvico.
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