Wood Storks Shift Nesting Sites as Southwest Florida Water Changes

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary once hosted the largest Wood Stork nesting colony in North America. As development continues to impact the Southwest Florida landscape, Wood Storks have moved their nesting sites to inland islands that offer more protection from predators. Audubon scientists think these new sites suggest that if we restore water Wood Storks might return to the Sanctuary.

Wood Storks nest in colonies, typically in treetops. They prefer nest sites that are surrounded by water and hold alligators, as the alligators reduce predators like raccoons. Until fairly recently, the cypress trees of the historic colony at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary were island-like, standing high above a marsh that filled with water throughout the nesting season. Although nest numbers at Corkscrew decreased since the 1960s and 70s, Wood Storks continued to nest there nearly every year until about 2006.

Around this time, Audubon biologists began monitoring two new Southwest Florida colonies known as BC-29 and Lenore Island. Wood Storks consistently make 500-700 combined nests each year at these two colonies, while nesting infrequently and in very small numbers at Corkscrew.

“The core foraging areas of these two new colonies overlap with the core foraging area of the historic Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary colony,” explains Director of Conservation Shawn Clem, PhD. “This means they’re using the same food resources, so I believe that if we can improve nesting conditions at the Sanctuary, these Wood Storks may come back to nest here.”

Audubon staff are partnering with agencies, local governments, organizations, and community members across Southwest Florida to do just that. Launched in 2024, the Corkscrew Watershed Initiative is a new collaborative planning study by the South Florida Water Management District dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida, encompassing northern Collier and southern Lee counties.

Key components of the initiative include habitat restoration, which aims to extend the length of time that water remains on the surface of the land, and restoring natural flows of water. A primary focus is identifying projects that will increase the region’s resilience to flooding, wildfire, and climate change. 

Wood Storks currently nesting in Southwest Florida represent only a fraction of the birds that once nested here, as development has driven a loss of foraging habitat across the region. Restoration projects at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, together with projects designed through the new initiative, aim to bring back habitat and water flows, creating a more resilient future for both Wood Storks and people.

This article was published in the State of the Everglades Report/Spring 2025 edition