3rin's View…

Headed out early on my kayak this morning. I launched from a new spot in Fort De Soto Park and paddled across Mullet Key Bayou over to Manatee Cove.

The first part of my trip was quiet; just me, some birds, and a few fishermen. Things livened up on my return when I heard a forceful exhale. I recognized it as a manatee but I was surprised to see that I had paddled near a mating herd of them!

I followed, at a careful distance, as they floated with the rising tide. I noted a satellite tracking device attached to one of the manatees. These are attached when rescued and rehabilitated manatees are released back into the wild so biologists can monitor the mammal’s health and movements.

After watching the group dynamics, I presume the tagged manatee was a female. The weeks long manatee mating ritual is intense, she will swim and feed normally while a group of up to 20 males trail alongside her.

It is a test of fitness because the males do not have time to feed during this process. Their entire focus is getting close to the female for when she finally gives the signal. As you can imagine, there’s constant jockeying for position, with males clambering over each other and some frustrated tail smacking (some of which I caught on video, see below).

I’ve wanted to explore this area for years and it did not disappoint!

I spotted this Dark Flower Scarab (Euphoria sepulcralis) crawling up the exterior of my shed the other day. Not sure where this native beetle was heading, they feed on pollen, nectar, and decaying fruit and I don’t have any of that in my shed.

Hopefully this beetle finds what it’s looking for!

It’s been noisier than usual out at the ol’ bird feeder lately. I have several fledglings hanging around. While they are grown enough to fend for themselves, they seem unwilling to do so (much to their parent’s chagrin).

The Common Grackle offspring screech and squawk until a parent shoves seeds in their mouths. At this point I think it’s more to shut them up than to actually feed them (and yes, I may be anthropomorphizing a bit). 🐦‍⬛

This morning a young Blue Jay also tried the begging routine but quickly gave up and started self-feeding once it realized it wasn’t going to work.

It’s fun watching their antics.

We’re in a drought down here in Florida. Sadly, the dearth of rainfall is quite evident in my yard. There’s not as much greenery (though to their credit all the native, drought-tolerant vegetation I planted is hanging in there without any supplemental water) and, most notably, the popularity of my bird baths has skyrocketed.

Between the front and backyard I have four different watering stations. They are all different sizes, depths, and heights to accommodate my various feathered and fuzzy friends. I’ve enjoyed watching them sip and splash.

When people ask about attracting wildlife or pollinators to their yards my first recommendation is native plants and my second is some kind of water source. Works like a charm every time!

I’ve been working in the yard today. Making a big mess and a bunch of noise, not exactly conducive for attracting wildlife.

So I was completely surprised when I glanced over and saw this beauty. It was intently hunting something in the Turks Cap (Malvaviscus penduliflorus) and paid me no mind as I snuck closer for a photo.

Definitely not a bird I ever figured I’d see in my front yard but I’m thrilled that it felt welcome in my little native habitat!

Yesterday morning I joined the St. Petersburg Audubon Society for a bird walk at Fort DeSoto. It is one of my favorite parks in the county and I’ve been there dozens of times, though I usually beeline for the beach.

We were hoping to spot some migratory birds before that season winds down. The group explored areas of the park that I had not previously visited which yielded some good birds, including two lifers for me.

They were both Anis, one Groove-billed and one Smooth-billed. Interestingly, they were hanging out together (almost literally in the same bush) even though neither one is really supposed to be here.

Roughly the same size as a Common Grackle but with a slightly disheveled appearance and sporting unmistakable bills these members of the cuckoo family spend most of their time on the ground, hunting for lizards and other tasty treats in the shrubbery.

Our group was quite fortunate that the birds flew up into the bushes and gave us great looks right after we arrived at the thicket. The folks who were there before us had been waiting over 30 minutes for them to pop up!

It was another wonderful visit to Fort DeSoto Park. The 1,100+ acre slice of paradise protects the southern end of the Pinellas Peninsula and humans and wildlife alike are so fortunate it exists!

Westley’s new favorite toy was overloved recently (he literally beat the stuffing out of it). This is one of the toys that I have to put in a drawer at bedtime, otherwise neither of us gets any sleep – him from incessantly playing and me from the noises he makes as he runs into furniture and walls during the chase. 😹

The mouse required minor surgery because of all the roughhousing. As you can see in the first photo, Westley was mightily concerned during the procedure. Thankfully, the patient had a paw-sitive outcome!

My relieved (and slightly impatient) cat grabbed it from me and immediately put it in play. Worth the little bit of effort to make him happy, though I wonder how long it will last this time…

While checking my bird feeder videos the other day I noticed a couple crows acting suspiciously. After zooming in, I watched one of them carefully select a flattened glass marble from my bee bath. The crow then flew over to a nearby bird bath and dropped it in the water.

I can’t imagine why the crow would do this, other than just goofing around. I thought I had noticed fewer glass marbles and now I’ve identified the culprit. I wonder if my neighbors have been finding random glass marbles in their yards?