We recorded 4.5 inches of rainfall at the Sanctuary in April 2023, which is almost twice the monthly average for April. 

The water level remained below 0 even after four inches of rain fell on the Sanctuary. It is still extremely dry. 

On May 3 we conducted the sixth Wood Stork survey flight of the 2023 nesting season. This season, we observed nesting at three colony sites in Southwest Florida, with Wood Storks fledging from the Corkscrew colony by early April. Wood Stork nesting continues at two sites: BC-29 (west of SR-29, north of Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge), and Lenore Island (Caloosahatchee River west of I-75).

Chicks typically fledge eight weeks after hatching and must fledge before the onset of the rainy season to be successful. Wood Stork numbers were lower this month than last month at the two remaining colonies, a sign that storks have begun to fledge and leave the colonies. The final monitoring flight of the nesting season will be conducted in early June.