There is some good, and some mixed news about the population of wood storks in Florida. These magnificent birds have been under threat from development, habitat loss, and wetland destruction. Wildlife officials have been encouraged by an increase in the number of federally protected wood storks counted in the southeastern US. On the other hand, biologists are concerned about a decline in the number of birds per nest.

In the 1930's there were more than 20,000 nesting pairs in the Everglades, but populations dropped as water flow changed and diminished due to pollution and development. By the 1980's, fewer than 5,000 nesting pairs remained. The birds were put on the endangered list in 1984 and came under federal protection.

This year, Florida observers counted more than 6,000 nesting pairs, and the number of nesting pairs in the southeastern US is nearing 9,000. Since the goal of the recovery plan is an average of 6,000 nesting pairs over a three-year period, the goals are being met.

However, the part of the recovery plan concerning productivity-i.e. how many birds are born each year-reveals troubling statistics. Nesting success varies widely across Florida, ranging from 0.12 chicks per nest to a high of 2.2. Biologists hope for a three-year average of 1.5. The largest area of concern is southeast Florida, where the metropolitan areas of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale have encroached on Everglades swampland.

The $8.4 billion plan to restore the Everglades may help restore some of the natural water flow, and thus bolster the wood stork population. But in the short term, the statistics are ominous. The largest wood stork-breeding preserve, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, reported a more than 75% drop in fledglings from a year ago. The preserve reported 2,400 nests producing at least one bird in 2002, but only had 462 successful nests in 2003. These numbers reflect a near average for the last ten years. It will be important to see if there is a trending pattern, and if that pattern suggests success or continued problems in the wood stork recovery program.