Linear view vs. Masonry View

Tag Archive for ‘wildlife’

Who Goes There?

Grainy Screenshot from the Video Below

The camera in my front yard recorded a furtive animal a couple months ago. I delayed sharing the video because I had hoped to get species confirmation from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

I used a process of elimination to narrow down the list of possible species. Based on the darting, somewhat secretive behavior, lean body, long snout, and short legs of the animal, I’ve ruled out raccoon, opossum, and stray cat. Which really only leaves members of the mustelid family.

Since FWC is collecting data on mustelid sightings to better understand their prevalence, I sent over my information but I have yet to get a response. Presuming that this animal was not an escaped or released exotic pet, there are three members of the weasel family native to the state to consider: North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis), American Mink (Neogale vison), and Long-tailed Weasel (Neogale frenata).

While I do live across the street from a small waterway where otters have been spotted, the smallish size of this animal leads me to believe it’s not an otter. Since it’s not as small and narrow as a weasel, I’m fairly certain it’s an American Mink, a species that also lives along waterways. A cool, new species for my yard!
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Mrs. Hernbrode

While pulling weeds in my front yard yesterday I was pleased to discover this odd little lump. The roughly 2” long bundle of fur and bones immediately transported me back to 3rd grade…

We were learning about Great Horned Owls as part of our science and biology curriculum. Unlike raptors that tear their meals apart, big owls tend to swallow their food whole.

In order to learn about their place in the ecosystem, my teacher, Mrs. Hernbrode, brought in owl pellets for us to dissect (cast pellets are little balls of non-digestible parts that the owls cough up after eating).

Our task was to gently extricate all the bones and carefully reassemble the skeleton so we could identify the prey animal. Most of the girls in my class were grossed out, but the guys and I dug right in (newsflash, I was a bit of a tomboy – riding horses, climbing trees, and playing in the dirt were my main hobbies). In other words, I was an eager pellet detective!

I had always been fascinated by nature and wildlife, but I credit Mrs. H for encouraging my curiosity. That curiosity guided me through college and has led me to some incredible places over the years. For that, and other reasons, Mrs. H remains my absolute favorite elementary school teacher.

So imagine my excitement when we crossed paths again, some 30 years later. She had moved to Portal, a small town nestled in the heart of the Chiricahua Mountains of Southern Arizona (where my parents had moved decades earlier). I recognized her immediately and was touched when she remembered me (out of all those students over the years).

Finding this pellet pleases me because it’s a sign that my yard is welcoming to wildlife. In her honor, I’m naming the pair of Great Horned Owls in my neighborhood the Hernbrodes. As for the pellet, I’m still debating whether or not to dissect it…
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Washed Up

Red Knots and Willets
Sea Liver
Sea Lettuce
Coconut
Sand Dollar
Stalked Sea Squirts
Manatee Turd
Manatee Footprint
Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes–caprae)

Last week I took advantage of a slightly overcast morning to wander the beach at nearby Fort De Soto Park. I hit the sand shortly after the park opened, so it was just me and the literal early birds out there.

My avian friends mainly consisted of Willets (Tringa semipalmata) and Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa). The former hang out here year-round while the latter are just stopping over on their migration from the circumpolar region to the southern tip of South America. That’s an epic 9,000 mile journey for a bird that’s only slightly larger than a robin with just a 22″ wingspan!

The scattered clouds put on quite a show up in the sky while the gulf left random treasures on the beach for me. In order of appearance: non-edible Sea Liver (Eudistoma hepaticum), edible Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca), coconut, sand dollar, piece of broken plastic hosting Stalked Sea Squirts (Styela clava) invasive stowaways, and a Tootsie Roll-shaped chunk of manatee scat (definitely not edible).

The scat looked fairly fresh so I scanned the water and was fortunate to spot a chubby mermaid just offshore. Unless they are part of a mating mob, manatees typically aren’t that active, preferring to just bob along feeding and farting (that’s how they control their buoyancy).

After they surface for a breather the natural oils on their skin leave behind just enough of residue to change the surface tension of the water which creates a tell-tale circular “footprint”. I may not get a good visual of the manatee but I know where it is. No matter what its always a treat to see them.

What a great way to start the day!
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)
Woodpecker Art
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)
Florida Applesnail (Pomacea paludosa)
Christmas Lichen (Cryptothecia rubrocincta)
Cardinal Air Plant (Tillandsia fasciculata)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Duck Potato (Sagittaria lancifolia)
Wet Prairie
Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor priapus)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)
Persistent Cypress
Green Anole, Brown Form (Anolis carolinensis)
Green Anole, Brown Form (Anolis carolinensis)
Territorial Dispute
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
Florida Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti)
Florida Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)
Barred Owlets (Strix varia)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)
Norther Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)
Respect for the Cypress
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

I wanted to take advantage of the last of our Spring weather (before it really heats up down here in Florida) so I headed over to explore Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The refuge’s name came from an early epithet for a nearby winding waterway, now known as the Imperial River.

The wetland sanctuary at the western edge of the Everglades, spans over 13,000 acres. Much of it first set aside in 1954, though protections for the heart of the property began much earlier. In a way, we can thank the fashion industry for that.

Ladies’ hats in the late 1800s were elaborate displays, featuring fancy feathers and floral elements. The feathers were sourced from wild birds, usually during breeding and nesting season when they were at their showiest.

Milliners were paying $32 an ounce for the feathers, which was more than the price of gold at the time. As a result, plume hunters around the world were killing over 5 million birds a year. By 1900, they had wiped out an estimated 95% of Florida’s shorebirds (primarily herons, egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, and Flamingoes).

Near the center of what is now the sanctuary was a massive rookery, which locals took upon themselves to hire protection for in 1900. Some fifty years later, the area again needed protection, this time from logging. Again, local residents fought to save the area. In 1954 the first section of land was set aside to protect a stand of ancient bald cypress trees.

During my stroll along the two mile boardwalk, I found the area to be absolutely teeming with wildlife. Sanctuary indeed!

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