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Orlando Wetlands Park Newsletter

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Orlando Wetlands Park Newsletter Orlando Wetlands Park Newsletter A Publication of the Friends of the Orlando Wetlands and The Orlando Wetlands Park June—July 2015 Volume 3, Issue 3 Pipeline Repairs Impact Wetland Flows Approximately 15 million gallons per day of reclaimed water is pumped through a 17 mile long pipeline from the Iron Bridge Regional Water Reclamation Facility (IBRWRF) to the Orlando Wetlands Park. Along the pipeline, there is a series of air release Photo by Mark Pollitt valves (ARV) which allow air to escape. The pipes are then able to efficiently pump water at full volume capacity; thusly, resulting in the City using less electricity to operate the pumps. Recently, CE James Incorporated has been contracted by the City of Orlando to replace Inside this issue 31 ARVs along the pipeline. The pumps are shut off and the pipe is Around the Park ............. 2 drained, allowing crews to replace the valves. A series of planned 2-3 Macroinvertebrates ....... 3 day per week shut downs have been occurring since April. You may Volunteer Spotlight ........ 4 even see construction crews working Photo: Roy Schlegel on the side of the roads in east May Bird Count .............. 4 Orange County replacing the Feathered Friends .......... 5 valves. The impact of this can be Wildflower Corner ......... 6 seen throughout the Park with lower Butterfly Spotlight .......... 7 than typical water levels. Water Happenings .................... 8 that is not sent to the Wetlands will Park Information ............ 8 be used by reclaimed water customers in eastern Orange and Seminole Counties or discharged from the IBRWRF directly into the Little Econlockhatchee River. —Mark Sees Editor: Rachel Kessler Orlando Wetlands Park 25155 Wheeler Road Christmas, Florida 32709-1375 Phone 407.568.1706 Fax 407.568.1725 cityoforlando.net Around the Park Spring has sprung and a lot has been going on around Photo: Randy Snyder the park! Here are some of the highlights. A variety of turtle species, such as softshell (Apalone ferox) and the peninsula cooter (Pseudemys peninsu- laris), have been laying their eggs in sunny, sandy areas along the berms. These nests have become visible to guests due to them being disturbed by predators, such as the raccoon. The alligators are getting hot and bothered! Males and females have been heard bellowing and courting each other. Male alligators can be quite aggressive during this time as they defend their territory and vie for mates. After mating, a female alligator will construct a nest, lay her eggs and de- fend her nest from potential predators. Photo: Winston Russell Reduced water levels at the corner of Wetlands Blvd. Roseate Spoonbill and Osprey Blvd. have attracted flocks of wading Photo: Emily Heider birds. Some observations include: Woodstorks splashing and bathing in the shallows, Roseate Spoonbills shuffling their beaks back and forth while feeling for small fish and invertebrates to snap up, gallinules striding across vegetation to peck around for food and American coots squawking and jousting to claim prime feeding territory. All this activity--just within a few hundred feet of the parking lot! It’s nesting time at the Park. Killdeer have been seen guarding their speckled eggs in nests on the ground. Hungry Woodstork nestlings with insatiable appetites are growing rapidly in the safety of nests tucked within the trees. Downy gallinule chicks can be seen toddling after their parents to sift through vegetation for food. Woodstork -Rachel Kessler Photo: Mary Keim 2 Macroinvertebrates: Tiny Wonders One important component that influences the structure and function of the Wetland Park’s marshes are the macroinvertebrates. What is a macroinvertebrate? Simply put, they are organisms without backbones that are visible to the eye without the aid of a microscope. Aquatic macroinvertebrates are organisms that live on, under and around rocks, sediment and organic substrates at the bottoms of lakes, rivers and streams. The Wetlands Park is home to a wide diversity of macroinvertebrates. However, the dominant species with- in the Wetland’s marshes are benthic (bottom-dwelling) crustaceans called amphipods. These amphipods are called scuds or sideswimmers. They feed and scavenge on decomposing plant and animal parts. Amphipods provide a Photo: Emily Heider major food source for waterfowl. Macroinvertebrates Chironomid midges and mayflies are also dominant invertebrates at are a food source for the Park. The midges are non-biting insects that closely resemble waterfowl, such as mosquitoes. They are often called “blind mosquitoes”. Underwater, these Mottled Ducks. blind mosquitoes are in larval form and are often red, white or dark green in color. Mayflies are best known for emerging from the water in huge numbers. Mayfly Larvae Mayflies usually spend about 3-6 months underwater in the larval form. Underwater mayflies feed on algae, decomposing plant and animal parts. When they emerge from the water they typically live for very short period of times ranging from a few minutes to a Photo by: Encyclopedia of Life, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario few days. During June and July, stop in the Park’s Education Center and learn a little more about some of the Park’s amazing macroinvertebrates. –Mark Sees 3 May Bird Count In the wee morning hours on May 24, volunteers led by FOW Karen Hamblett, gathered to conduct a bird sur- vey. They were especially impressed with the number of birds in the rookery! They observed Roseate Spoon- bills and Black Skimmers feeding in the area after day- break. A total of 4,383 birds were counted amidst the cypress dome, the rookery and Cell 17. Thank you to our volunteers for your continued dedication to the Daybreak at Oyler Overlook Photo: Karen Hamblett Orlando Wetlands Park! Black-bellied Whistling Duck 12 Tricolored Heron 127 Osprey 3 Mottled Duck 3 Cattle Egret 933 Bald Eagle 1 Woodstork 91 Green Heron 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Anhinga 169 Black-crowned Night Heron 15 Crested Caracara 1 Least Bittern 2 White Ibis 799 Limpkin 2 Great Blue Heron 21 Glossy Ibis 474 Black Skimmer 4 Great Egret 570 Roseate Spoonbill 2 Barred Owl 1 Snowy Egret 617 Black Vulture 425 Boat-tailed Grackle 1 Little Blue Heron 104 Turkey Vulture 0 Volunteer Spotlight: Mary Keim Mary has been with the Friends of the Orlando Wetlands since 1991, but considers herself a regular for the last 3-4 years. You can find her volunteer- ing with the “garden gang” on Wednesdays where she likes working with all the plants and animals. Some Friends of the projects Mary has worked on include: Orlando Wetlands writing brochures; assisting in the The Friends of the Orlando Wetlands creation of butterfly and wildflower (FOW) is a citizen support organiza- guide books (available in the tion for the City of Orlando's Orlando Education Center); producing butter- Photo: Randy Snyder Wetlands Park. Its mission is to assist fly and dragonfly videos for the Educa- the City of Orlando employees in providing educational opportunities tion Center; contributing photographic images. Mary was also to increase community awareness, recently elected Secretary of the FOW Board of Officers. She is a support and appreciation of the park member of the Native Plant Society and volunteers with Orange and its wildlife. Audubon as their Field Trip Chair. When not playing at the Wetlands Park, Mary works at Seminole State College teaching 4 Biology. Thanks Mary for all that you do for the Wetlands Park! Feathered Friends: Summer Birding Okay, so it isn’t really summer yet….according to the calendar. But to us Floridians, it is HOT and summer is definitely upon us. How- ever, I love the out-of-doors and have a need to get out and bird, regardless. Orlando Wetlands Park is an awesome place to bird and enjoy nature. I birded there quite a lot in May and decided also to hit the park the first day of June. There are still quite a lot of good birds in the park….and some rarities! While walking along the path Purple Gallinule Photo: Mary Keim near the outflow, I found a female American Redstart. This is a warbler, and definitely late for this region. She should have already flown North for breeding. Walking along this path, I also had a fly- over Barred Owl and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Back on the main trail, I saw the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, which I have seen report- ed, but not spotted myself. This was a great find for the park. Our other resident species were out and about. I saw Roseate Spoon- bills, many Wood Storks, and our usual other wading birds. There are still two Blue-winged Teal hanging out with American Coots and a Ring-necked Duck in Cell 9. Not sure why the ducks are still here, but they also should have already flown North. There are many Roseate Spoonbill Purple Martins and Barn Swallows flying high; and as you walk, you Photo: Emily Heider can hear them chattering above. For the cuteness factor, there are lots of babies around! Limpkin chicks and Common Gallinule babies abound! I am sure we will be seeing our Black-bellied Whistling ducklings anytime. I have been seeing the adults paired up for a while. While birding, you can also see some great wildlife. I encoun- tered a Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake and some Soft-shelled Turtles lay- ing their eggs. The prints of deer, raccoon and bobcat are up and down the main roads. So, it is HOT, but get outside and get some nature! –Brook Rohman Birding Resources FFWCC http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/birds/ Florida Audubon http://fl.audubon.org/ Barred Owl Cornell Lab http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ Photo: Winston Russell eBird http://ebird.org 5 Wildflower Corner: Water Hemlock Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) Black Swallowtail caterpillar on Water Hemlock Photo: Randy Snyder Photo: Randy Snyder As summer approaches, many wildflowers are blooming in Orlando Wetlands Park.
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