WCA -
Rainfall:
Rainfall was light in the Greater
Everglades last week (see Raindar image and below)
but the regional pan evaporation of 1.49” (see srs pdf) produced continuing decreases in stage throughout the
Greater Everglades. Basin totals last week ranged from a trace in the
Park to 0.39” in WCA-3B:
Rain:
WCA-1: 0.31
in
WCA-3A: 0.17 in
WCA-2A: 0.03 in
WCA-3B: 0.39 in
WCA-2B: 0.08 in
ENP:
<0.01 in
Water Conservation Areas:
Recession rates have increased again, declining at rates
considered Good or Fair throughout the WCAs (see WCA Stages spreadsheet).
WCA-2A and Northeast Shark River Slough are experiencing especially high
recession rates, -0.31 and -0.33 ft, respectively, in one week:
Stage Change:
WCA-1: -0.11 ft
WCA-3A: - 0.10 ft
WCA-2A: -0.31 ft
WCA-3B: - 0.11 ft
WCA-2B: -0.17 ft
NESRS: - 0.33 ft
WCA-1 is still below its
regulation schedule (about -0.2 ft). WCA-2A canal stage (used from
February to May) has fallen again to about -0.21 ft below schedule. The
WCA-3A marsh is below about -0.5 ft the bottom of Zone E1 (see Reg schedule).
The declining water levels are again reflected in this
week’s water depths map (attached). Large portions of WCA-1, WCA-2B, and
WCA-3A are wet, but most of the rest of the Greater Everglades are dry.
Subsurface water depths continue to drop in the WCAs,
Holeyland, Rotenberger, and
in the Park, which has large areas with water levels once again below -2.5 ft
(as it was a month ago). The drying front continues to head southward
through northern WCA-3A, and nearly all of WCA-2A is dry. The northern
Refuge is now dry, and nearly the entire Park except the coast is dry.
Water tables in Big Cypress Preserve have continued to dry; areas that are
below -2.5 ft have expanded substantially from a month ago.
Wading bird feeding conditions are good in most of WCA-1,
WCA-2B, middle WCA-3A, and southern WCA-3B (see
Recession Index map), but water levels are below ground in WCA-2A,
northern WCA-3A, and in the Park. Recession rates are increasing with the
higher evapotranspiration rates that are typical of
this time of year.
The muck fire index (see attached map) indicates that most
of the Greater Everglades are still in the low to moderate risk categories,
except for parts of Holeyland, Rotenberger,
WCA-2A, and a small portion of ENP.
Only trace amounts of rain fell across ENP and
Stages continued to decline last week (see Stages pdf). Water level at the
Salinity remained steady or increased in
Please contact Kevin Cunniff (kcunniff@sfwmd.gov)
for questions about the ENP/Florida Bay report.
Fires:
No fires were reported by FIRMS (the Fire Information for
Resource Management System) in the WCAs or the Park
for the week.
Wildlife:
All primary wading bird colonies in the WCAs
were surveyed during the District’s monthly flight on 02 April.
2009 is shaping up to be a successful nesting year, at least in terms of
number of nest starts.
Large numbers of white ibis nests are evident at all the
major colonies, particularly New Colony 4 (WCA 1), Alley North (WCA 3a) and
Hidden Colony (WCA 3A). District staff visited New Colony 4 on Friday by boat
and many nests now have young nestlings (1-5 days old).
Wood stork nesting effort is also relatively high, probably
the largest number of nest starts since 2004, and are estimated to be
approximately 3000 nests throughout the WCAs and the Tamiami West colony. Many nests at southern colonies
have ‘ibis’ sized nestlings. Eggs in the refuge have not yet hatched.
Large mixed flocks were observed in eastern WCA 1 and
western and central WCA 3A. WCA 2A is now too dry for foraging birds.
There are currently approx. 41,000 nests in the WCAs and ENP (31000 W. Ibis, 3225 stork and 7000
great/snowy egrets). We do not count the small dark herons.
Below is a summary of the nest numbers for each colony.
Attached is a spreadsheet providing colony coordinates and a table for
comparing nest numbers from 2006 through this year.
Alley North Colony: Approximately 10,000 – 15,000
White Ibis nests 3000 Great Egret/Snowy Egrets nests
6th Bridge: 700 Great Egret/Snowy Egrets nests, 50
White Ibis nests, and 40 Spoonbill (roosting)
Crossover: 5 Wood Stork nests, 7 Great Egrets nests
Jetport: 900 Wood Stork nests
Hidden: 1000 Great Egret nests, 6000 White Ibis nests
Tamiami West: 900 Wood Stork
nests, 300 Great Egret nests, 800 White Ibis nests
Tamiami East: 40 Great Egret
nests
Heron Alley: No nests
3B Mud East: 90 Great Egret nests
Big
Colony 99: 1000 Great Egret/Snowy Egret nests, 3000
White Ibis nests
Colony 73: 55 Great Egret nests, 700 White Ibis nests
Colony 70: 0
Lox West: 500 Great Egret nests, 700 White Ibis nests
Colony 111: 0
New Colony 1: 0
New Colony 2: 400 Great Egret nests
New Colony 3: 0
New Colony 4: 800 Great Egret/Snowy Egret nests, 5000
White Ibis nests, 20 Wood Stork nests
Canal N: 0
Please contact Mark Cook (mcook@sfwmd.gov) with questions about the
wading bird survey.
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