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Sarasota News Leader May 3, 2013 Page 91 optimal fishing. If they do not have the right conditions, they will not nest here. So, that is one thing they have going against them. The second, of course, is man's encroachment on the boundaries of their nesting sites. For example, when man dams up grasslands for agricultural use, these birds can no longer fish or nest nearby. When he builds an artificial body of water, it will be too deep for their fishing. The encouraging news is that through years of dedicated work by conservationists and cooperation from farmers, ranchers and developers, the number of breeding pairs has dramatically risen from 2,000 to 9,000. I have always found statistics a dry boring lot Photo courtesy of Rick Greenspun unless there is a story to accompany them. packages and gently deposits them in cradles. Here it is: This is the correct method, because adorable The presence of healthy birds and fish in our human babies are born Level 1a altricial (i.e., environment reflects upon the health and well even more helpless than ludicrously adorable being of the human inhabitants. Increased Eastern-Screech Owlets) and need very gentle sightings of the endangered Florida Wood handling. Also, because human babies display Stork attest to a fine balance here between sexual dimorphism, the Wood Stork thoughtnature and people, one that is vitally import- fully bundles them in blue for boys and pink ant to all. for girls. Charming! You see, Storks deliver bundles of joy to hu- Readers, please, the next time you count your man homes. Unlike the European white stork blessings, do not forget to count our very own (Ciconia ciconia), who simply drops babies Florida Wood Stork! down the chimney, the Florida Wood Stork Otus % carefully wraps babies in fluffy flannel blanket Take Your Time You Have All Week Enjoy The News Leader Anytime - Day or Night