Wood Stork with Nesting Material



Nesting Time
March brings the arrival of several bird activities in the southern USA – most notable of these are the migration north begins, and for the birds that stay put, nesting season gets underway.
We visited Pelican Island wilderness, across the river from our family home here in Sebastian, Florida, and witnessed the latter activity – wood storks gathering nesting material from the barrier island paralleling Florida’s coast, and flying into the islands in the middle of the Indian River, some of which comprise Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
On our trips this week to Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island (also part of the National Wildlife Refuge system), we saw eagles nesting, and also witnessed many ducks and other waterfowl beginning the long trip north for the summer. The US Refuges play a hugely important role for the waterfowl and other marsh dependent animals, as do the Canadian equivalent National Wildlife Areas, and the Ducks Unlimited projects and other privately funded waterfowl impoundments all of which are located in the breeding and wintering grounds of the waterfowl, plus their stopping grounds along the flyways.
Man has greatly disturbed the waterfowl, and we owe it to the birds and other animals to make things a bit better for them. I am very glad that at least some folks look forward, as I fervently hope these wonderful creatures will be around for our children and grandchildren.