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Posts by FeyGirl

May 1

20 Comments

A Calm Cormorant

At our protected Green Cay and Wakodahatchee Wetlands, where nesting and baby season remains in full swing (granted, the babies are growing, but there are some late-arrival nesters), some of the year-round residents don’t seem overly concerned with the consequent increase in human traffic. With more than 140 species of birds identified at Wakodahatchee, and the fact that it’s part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, the site is a birdwatcher’s and photographer’s paradise — especially now. I like to stroll towards the back of the boardwalk to admire some of the shyer inhabitants — and consequently avoid the chaos of the human visitors during this time of the year, when the wetlands’ newest residents are on display.

Anhinga Dries Its Wings

A noticeably calm cormorant — or “shag” (referring to the bird’s crest, which is lacking in the British forms of the Great Cormorant) — was preparing for a nap at the end of the boardwalk. These medium-to-large coastal (rather than oceanic) seabirds are plentiful in southeastern Florida, and can often be seen diving for fish or water snakes. After fishing, the cormorants dry their wings ashore in the sun or in the trees (similar to the cormorant-like anhingas), as their feathers don’t possess the waterproofing oil of other seabirds.

Humans have long used trained cormorants to fish the waters of China, Japan, and Macedonia. Trained by fishermen, a snare is tied near the base of the bird’s throat, allowing the bird to swallow only small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow larger fish, the snare doesn’t allow the fish to be swallowed, and it becomes stuck in the bird’s throat. The cormorant is forced to return to the fisherman’s boat, where he helps the bird regurgitate the fish, removing it from its throat. Traditional cormorant fishing isn’t as common a method today — with the development of more efficient fishing methods — but it remains a tourist draw. However, the method is still practiced in some Japanese regions, and has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years in Gifu City, in Gifu Prefecture.

Although both cormorants and anhingas are quite common in our area, I was struck by the serenity of this guy, and his beautiful teal eyes…. Their distinctive turquoise eyes fade quickly after the breeding / nesting season.

Lovely Teal Eyes of the Cormorant (Florida Wetlands)

Sharp Beak of the Cormorant (Florida Wetlands)

Dozing Cormorant in the Florida Wetlands

Apr 29

11 Comments

Safeguarding the Animals

Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. -Albert Einstein

Whenever I become forlorn at the state and plight of animals — be it habitat loss, animal cruelty, or negligence — I’m constantly reminded of the most amazing and bright souls who give so much of themselves to creatures in dire need:

  • Puss, One of Our Feline Rescues, Nabbed from a Field

    Volunteers who, in their precious spare moments away from family and work, run to the most absurd places to catch feral cats — TNRing them (trap-neuter-release) to control feline overpopulation

  • Those making regular excursions deep in the Everglades to rescue dogs and cats that have been heartlessly abandoned in the middle of the swamps (more on this wonderful, growing group — 100+ Abandoned Dogs of the Everglades Florida — later)

  • Blythe Spirit (formerly "Zero"), Our Sweet Rescue — Always With Us

    All the crucial, hardworking efforts of groups rescuing horses in the midst of the president’s and Congress’ recent restoration of the horse slaughter industry in this country (more on this later, from a personal horse rescue perspective)

  • Just Friday evening…. Nancy Grace highlighting the plight of NYC’s abused and overworked carriage horses (something I’ve long been tracking); profuse thanks for bringing this issue to the national stage
  • Late last week, “dungeon” chimpanzees, caged their entire lives in tiny cells for experimentation, freed and transported from the Coulston Foundation research facility in Alamogordo, NM to a sanctuary in Ft. Pierce, FL by the group Save the Chimps — and feeling grass for the first time in their long lives. Read more, and watch the touching CNN video here.

  • Teaching a Shelter Dog to Play: My Brother's 6-Yr-Old Rescue, a Retriever Finally Learning to Run and Retrieve...

    The countless individuals and organizations rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding homes or releasing animals of all varieties

  • And the list goes on…. Far too many inspiring people and groups to mention here, even in my region alone (I recently wrote about our trip to the Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary and Aviary of South Florida’s Flamingo Gardens — a site worth visiting)

A recent post by Pat Bean on her blog Pat Bean’s Blog provided yet another most amazing reminder of these profound efforts to help those with no voice. Read about Thomas Young and his small zoo and wildlife sanctuary — Queen Wilhelmina State Park — near Mena, Arkansas. Learn about the rescue and rehabilitation of thousands of bears, hawks, owls, eagles, and countless small mammals into the wild…. And how even the wild animals flock to him. Sadly in my efforts to find out more information about Mr. Young, his sanctuary had suffered at the hands of Mother Nature, and he himself was confined to a wheelchair with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (after a tick bite). Unfortunately I couldn’t find much else — save this site, which I believe is the sanctuary. This was 2009; one can only hope that Mr. Young has returned to his healthy self, and the sanctuary and resident animals have his love and expert help. May his work continue to inspire future wildlife rehabilitators.

Apr 28

38 Comments

The Greening of the Great Egret

As mentioned in my previous post, I had to save an image of one Great Egret for its own space. At the beginning of this year’s breeding season I was able to catch a lovely model, sporting a shocking green lore — the area between the bill and the eyes. During the breeding season, the lore may turn a vibrant green; the Great Egret will also display long, elegant plumes on its back (evident in the second picture, slightly blocked by the swamp vegetation), which are used in courtship displays. Like a peacock, the feathery plumes will spread out like a fan. Outside the breeding season, these long feathers disappear.

Great Egrets are striking to spy in the swamp — their ethereal beauty, graceful stalking, and quiet strength is captivating. But the brilliant green lore and feathery plumes add yet more stunning display to an already magical scene.

Great Egret with Green Lore in the Florida Wetlands (Close-Up)

Great Egret with Green Lore in the Florida Wetlands


Apr 27

26 Comments

The Great Egret

It’s hard not to be captivated by this bird; they’re the epitome of ethereal beauty, grace and strength, stalking and flying through our swamps and wetlands.

Great Egrets, also known as the Great White Egret, the American Egret, the Large Egret or Common Egret, are a common sight in our wild spaces — even our neighborhoods. They’re the largest egret in the Old World — thus the GREAT of their title. In the New World however, Great Blue Herons win the size competition. Great Egrets are large egrets boasting brilliant all-white plumage, and are found across much of the world, from southern Canada to Argentina, and in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Standing approximately 3 feet tall, great egrets have graceful necks, long black legs, and black feet. Their bills are straight, pointed, and yellow.

These egrets feed by stalking, wading in the shallow water, patiently waiting for fish — then grabbing or stabbing their hapless meal with sharp bills. I’ve also seen them dine on amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals.

Great Egret Stalking and Catching Fish… Got It!

They fly with their necks pulled back in an S-curve, like so:

Great Egret in Flight

Great Egret in Flight at the Protected Wetlands, Dusk

The Great Egrets in our wetlands nest in colonies with other egrets and herons. The nest is constructed of sticks and covered with vegetation, and located in trees or shrubs — or on tree-island rookeries. Not all egret hatchlings survive the nestling period — aggression is common, with the larger chicks often killing the smaller or weaker siblings. The oldest known wild Great Egret lived nearly 23 years.

The feathers of the Great Egret are stunning, almost unreal; sadly, these beautiful birds were hunted mercilessly — nearly to the point of extinction, their numbers decimated by 95 percent — towards the end of the 19th century. Their breeding plumage was especially prized, and their treasured feathers were used in hats across the globe. With conservation measures enacted, their numbers grew throughout the 20th century. While wetland habitat loss is once again threatening their existence, these birds have a high adaptability to human habitation. Of course, the loss of wetland ecosystems remains another issue altogether….

Great Egret Coming in for a Landing

In 1953 the Great Egret was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, the environmental organization formed to protect birds.

Logo — The Great Egret in Flight (Courtesy of The National Audubon Society)

During the breeding season, the Great Egret displays long, elegant plumes on its back, which are used in courtship displays. Like a peacock, the feathery plumes spread out like a fan. (Outside the breeding season, these long feathers disappear.) During this time, the lore (the area between the bill and the eyes) may turn vibrant green. Nature’s colors are brilliant, and this picture deserves its own (upcoming) post….

Great Egret Takes a Break While Stalking His Meal

Apr 25

16 Comments

Alligator Babies

Alligator and Duckweed in the Green Cay Wetlands

Twenty million years as a resident of planet Earth, and counting…. Scientists believe that the American alligator resembles animals that inhabited our planet as long as 100-150 million years ago — and that they may be linked to creatures dating 50-65 million years ago, managing to avoid the extinction that killed off their prehistoric contemporaries, the dinosaurs. A member of the crocodilian family, there are two alligator species living in the world today: the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis).

Once Nearly Extinct

Sadly, American alligator populations suffered tremendously throughout the 20th century, when they were hunted to near-extinction for their hides. Since the Endangered Species Act of 1973 however, these amazing creatures’ populations continue to grow, and illegal poaching is not the issue that it once was. Before this hunting was controlled, an estimated 10 million alligators were killed for their skins. Twenty million years on planet Earth, and we nearly managed to wipe them out for handbags.

Nesting and the Young

Alligator Mound / Nest

After an elaborate courtship female alligators construct their nests, which are comprised of vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud and located in a sheltered spot in or near the water. She lays 20-50 eggs, and covers them under more vegetation, which heats as it decays, serving to incubate the eggs. The female will remain near the nest throughout the 65-day incubation period, protecting it. If a mother alligator is killed or removed, she can’t protect her nest or young — and the hatchlings are doomed. *Leave wildlife alone.*

Hatchlings are 6-8 inches long, and are near-replicas of their parents, save for a series of yellow and black stripes which camouflage beautifully with the surrounding marsh roots. For five months, they’ll remain with the mother before finding their own ways. We typically see 5-10 baby alligators survive in our local protected wetlands. Perhaps less. Common predators that prey upon the juvenile alligators include snapping turtles, snakes, raccoons, bobcats, raptors, and even larger alligators. But when we find them? Oh my; the adorableness level is ridiculously high.

During a recent trip, I was lucky to have witnessed a mating pair of alligators — while I believe the actual mating had already occurred (as evidenced by the babies on the nearby bank), their  affinity for each other was obvious…. Alligator Love: A Courtship offers opportune images of the event.

Flower

Big Like You

I Blend

A few more over there...

Peek-a-Boo

Nom Nom Nom

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