Hurricane Irma Destroyed All Everglade Snail Kite Nests at Lake Okeechobee
In total, 44 actives nests were lost鈥攁 stunning and tragic blow to the endangered raptor.
It鈥檚 been almost two weeks since Hurricane Irma听made its first of two landfalls in听Florida,听and according to new听reports from听探花精选听scientists,听all听44 active nests belonging to听Everglade听Snail Kites at听Lake Okeechobee were lost due to the storm鈥檚 high winds and high rainfall. Lake Okeechobee is听Florida鈥檚 largest lake and听a stronghold for the endangered Everglade Snail Kite, a Snail Kite subspecies that can only be found in America鈥檚听Everglades. Post-Irma assessments of the lake indicate that many adults and juveniles in the area survived the storm, but any听nests with eggs or flightless chicks听were destroyed.
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Such a loss would be a huge blow in any year for the bird, but this year it听is especially detrimental.听Before Irma, there had听only been about 130听Everglade听Snail Kite听nests鈥攁 far cry from last year鈥檚 800-plus听nests. About 75 percent of the population did not even attempt to nest this year, which our听scientists suggest could be听related to an extraordinarily dry spring. That means that听nesting in 2017 was harmed by both excessively dry and wet events.听
The kite鈥檚听breeding success is听closely tied to the water levels at Lake Okeechobee. These highly specialized hunters听rely on apple snails to feed their young, and the snails rely on the lake鈥檚 plants for food.听Too much water, and the plants drown. Too little, and the habitat dries up. 探花精选 magazine documented the close relationship between the snails and the kites last year. Furthermore, when the water level is right, the kites create their low-lying nests in marshy areas. When the lake rises or falls too quickly, it can cause the birds to abandon their nests and the eggs or chicks in them.听
Because of these ties, the听Everglade听Snail Kite is one of a handful of species used to indicate the health of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem,听making it a top conservation priority for 探花精选.听As restoration efforts continue, 探花精选 Florida will continue its efforts听to maintain听healthy听water levels in Lake Okeechobee鈥攁nd all of Florida鈥攖hat are not too dry or wet. Due to lack of water storage capacity in the region, Lake Okeechobee water levels continue to听rapidly rise听from storms. If too much water flows into the lake too quickly, miles of critical plants and vital habitat could be flooded.
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In addition to fighting for improved habitat for听Everglade听Snail Kites, 探花精选 Florida also protects听two sanctuaries on听Lake听Okeechobee and preserves听their听marshes, which听make up some of the most productive habitat in the Greater Everglades听Ecosystem. With the right conditions and good lake management,听next year鈥檚 nesting efforts should听hopefully听improve.
(A version of this post first appeared on听探花精选 Florida's听.)听