The wildlife is returning even as huge pieces of earth-moving equipment continue to shuttle 32,000 cubic yards of dirt a day, filling in the channel as part of a massive project to return the river to its natural state. Huge flocks of teal, ibis, wood storks and other birds take to the air. Alligators slide from the banks.
Turtles drop off logs.
A peregrine falcon has been spotted in the river for the first time since channelization. Roseate spoonbill and a whooping crane have been observed. Since the project began last June, two miles of the channel have been filled. By the time the first phase of the project is completed, in January if all goes well, seven miles of canal will be filled, re-establishing 11 miles of original river channel and about 10,000 acres of marshes, Toth said. And that's just the start of what is being called the largest river restoration project ever attempted.