They’re so sensitive, small disturbances can cause them to abandon their babies.
The sighting of a stubby-legged nomad with a beak full of thatch has mobilized a cadre of scientists, elated Palm Beach County environmental managers, and shuttered a scenic canoe trail for at least two months.
Endangered snail kites – crook-beaked raptors native to the Everglades – have found their way to the Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area, triggering a flurry of research and precautions, including closing the newly debuted paddle trail for fear traffic on the path would unsettle the sensitive bird.
"You don’t want to cause any disturbance because, if that happens, they will abandon their nest," said Melissa Tolbert, senior environmental analyst for the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management or ERM.
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Tolbert said environmental management employees noticed a breeding pair of birds in the natural area off PGA Boulevard and west of Florida’s Turnpike. The male had nesting materials. The couple was followed to a cypress tree where a nest was under construction.
"We’ve identified multiple nests now and even though we can’t do the intensive monitoring, we can do the groundwork that cuts down on survey time," Tolbert said.
The University of Florida oversees monitoring of snail kite activity – a vital task for a bird that has struggled for decades with habitat loss and water pollution. The snail kite was on the first list of animals given federal protection under the 1967 Endangered Species Conservation Act.
In 2010, the number of successful snail kite nests statewide through March totaled 45, according to information provided to the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board earlier this year.
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Since then, nesting has fluctuated during the same time period with 2018 reaching a high point of more than 200 nests statewide. Last year just 53 nests were counted.
A nest was found July 9 at Grassy Waters Preserve in West Palm Beach, but it had failed by the time it was checked again on July 22.
"Snail kites are not very good at nesting and have about a 50 percent failure rate," said Benjamin Studt, public outreach program supervisor for ERM.
That’s why their reproduction is monitored so closely. This year is not looking promising for the red-eyed raptor.
According to the water management district presentation, just six nests were counted through March statewide. Although researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and University of Florida have found nests since then, 2020 is still considered the worst nesting season in a decade.
No nests have been seen on Lake Okeechobee since 2018 after lake levels fell below 12 feet the past two years.
At that level, underwater plants like eel grass are able to make a comeback, but the raggedy marshes on the fringe of the lake are too dry for the snail kites to find apple snails, which make up the bulk of their diet.
"We are having a very slow start in nesting, the slowest since 2010, and it’s really due to the dry conditions," said Lawrence Glenn, the district’s division director for water resources, during the April snail kite presentation. "When it is very dry, birds are looking to maintain their energy for their own survival. They are not going to invest that into young."
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But water levels can’t be too deep either. Snail kites have short legs that allow them to only grab snails in shallow water, or when the snails come to the surface to breathe or lay eggs.
"They go where the water levels are right to hunt snails," Studt said.
Snail kites in recent years have been aided by an invasive species of snail that is larger, heartier and lays more eggs than the apple snail. Apple snails are also vulnerable to high levels of nutrients in water, such as fertilizer and septic tank runoff, whereas the exotic snail can endure higher levels of nutrients.
The exotic snail, a freshwater gastropod called commonly the "island" or "channeled" apple snail, was likely brought to the U.S. for fish tank adornment.
Studt said the Loxahatchee Slough has both types of snails, with the exotic thriving in the C-18 canal, which cuts through the nearly 13,000 acre natural area.
"We’re going to have a very clear picture in about two months about what level of effort was put into the nests and what level of success happened," Studt said. "We’re keeping our fingers crossed."
Kmiller@pbpost.com
@Kmillerweather
The Link LonkJuly 26, 2020 at 01:47AM
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200725/dry-lake-o-may-have-pushed-endangered-bird-into-new-territory
Dry Lake O may have pushed endangered bird into new territory - Palm Beach Post
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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