Wading Bird Nesting In Key U.S. Area Plummets 28 Percent

One of the nation’s largest and most important wading bird breeding areas—south Florida, which includes Everglades National Park—has seen wading bird nesting plummet 28 percent below 2013 levels and about 18 percent below the nine-year average for the area. According to the South Florida Wading Bird Report from the South Florida Water Management District, an estimated 34,714 wading bird nests were initiated in south Florida during the 2014 nesting season (December 2013–July 2014), a significant drop from last year’s estimate of 48,291 nests and well below the average of the last nine years—42,782 nests.

Source: The Chattanoogan, February 10, 2015
http://www.chattanoogan.com/2015/2/10/293776/Wading-Bird-Nesting-In-Key…