Georgia Wildlife Resources Division
2070 U.S. Hwy. 278, SE, Social Circle, GA 30025
Despite a dip in nest totals, wood stork nesting continued strong in Georgia this spring and summer, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Wildlife biologist Tim Keyes, wood stork survey leader for DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, said nesting was down at some of the larger colonies these endangered birds form in south Georgia. But ample spring rains filled temporary wetlands across the region, spurring smaller wood stork colonies.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty good year,” said Keyes, who works with the division’s Nongame Conservation Section office in Brunswick.
Aerial and ground surveys by the Nongame Conservation Section and conservation partners such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated 1,873 wood stork nests across 11 counties from Long to Mitchell in May. That’s down from 1,903 nests last year and 2,136 in 2011. The 2,696 nests counted in 2010 marked the most since surveys by air began in the 1990s. Annual nest fluctuations are normal.
Keyes will use follow-up surveys, including flights last month, to estimate the number of young.
The federal recovery plan for wood storks targets an average of 1.5 chicks per nest.
Wood storks, America’s only true stork, are tall, bald-headed wading birds that nest over water and depend on wetlands for food. The birds feed by running their opened beak through the water and snapping it shut when it touches prey, a technique known as tacto-location.
The species was listed as endangered when the number of breeding pairs in the Southeast slid to about 5,000 in the late 1970s. The decline was blamed on wetland habitat loss and alteration in Florida. Many wood storks now nest in Georgia, which has about 20 percent of the U.S. nesting population.
In 2012, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed down-listing the storks to threatened, citing population data and restoration efforts. The reclassification would not change protection or conservation measures.
Last year, drought in early spring followed by heavy rains late in the season undercut Georgia’s wood stork nesting and productivity. This spring, cool weather spread out the start of nesting. Storms claimed some nests, and more rains filling wetlands can make it harder for wood storks to catch fish.
However, Keyes said, the up side is that fewer wood storks have abandoned chicks or entire colonies.
Georgia DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section works to conserve wood storks and Georgia’s other rare and endangered animals and native plants. Yet the agency receives no state general funds, depending instead on fundraisers, grants and donations.
Help by purchasing the new nongame wildlife license plate – a bald eagle in flight! – or renew your older eagle or ruby-throated hummingbird plates. Also, contribute directly to the Georgia Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund. These programs support conservation of wildlife not legally fished for, hunted or collected. Details: www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/support.