Kissimmee
Watershed Environmental Conditions – 10/7/08:
·
Over the last
seven days, the upper
·
Water levels in
the upper basin lakes continue to closely follow their regulation schedules
except for Lakes Kissimmee, Hatchineha and
·
Discharge from
·
Floodplain depths
in the restored area continue to decrease and currently range from 0.5 to 1.5
ft in general.
·
Recent
observations revealed increased numbers of wading birds, waterfowl, migrant
shorebirds and migrant songbirds foraging in and around the floodplain in the
restoration area. The post-Fay drawdown is coinciding with peak migration
for many species.
o
Several flocks of
migrant blue-winged teal (50-100+ per flock) were observed. Black-bellied
whistling ducks and mottled ducks also were seen.
o
Well over 200
wood storks were mixed with great egrets, white ibis, snowy egrets, tricolored herons and little blue herons. At least
one roseate spoonbill and several juvenile wood storks were observed as well.
o
Migrant
shorebirds (mostly greater and lesser yellowlegs, least sandpipers, and spotted
sandpipers) were on the floodplain as well as on newly formed or enhanced
sandbars formed from TS Fay’s high flows.
o
Migrant songbirds
(mostly palm warblers, American redstarts, blue-grey gnatcatchers, and other
warblers) were abundant in mixed-species flocks in shrubby areas and along the
oak hammocks foraging on caterpillars.
·
From 9/30/08 to
10/7/08 dissolved oxygen concentrations in the