ORANGE SPRINGS - Birds are expected to flock to Rodman Reservoir in northeast Florida as officials lower the water level to help improve the ecosystem's health.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is lowering the level of the 9,500-acre reservoir to about 20 percent of its normal volume.
The reduction likely will provide a "moving feast" for birds, said Charles Lee, advocacy director of Audubon of Florida.
"Bird concentrations could be spectacular, particularly among those species which feel for food like fish and crustaceans in shallow water," Lee said.
The drawdown occurs about every three years. Officials will drop water levels from about 18 feet above sea level to about 11 feet this month. It will remain low until March 1, giving bird-watchers plenty of time to take in the sights.
The drawdowns are intended to enhance fish and wildlife habitat by exposing the lake bottom, which then hardens and can better support fish spawning and plant growth.
"You can hear all these happy sounds out there, all this grunting and nibbling and shuffling around," said Dave Bowman, operations consultant for DEP's Office of Greenways and Trails. "Everything from sandhill cranes down to gallinules. A lot of white ibis, glossy ibis, all the herons and egrets that are common to Florida are out here."
Rodman Reservoir is near Palatka, in Putnam County.
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