Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Bud Doyle's Beach Beat:: Scallops and River Otters
On that recent blow two weeks ago, I found hundreds of bay scallop shells on North Jetty Beach. Normally, I am able to find a number of calico scallop shells and a few bay scallops. However, on this occasion, there were only a few calicos and, as I mentioned, humdreds of bay scallop shells. I have been unable to find any answers to the above.
One more interesting note, as we were hiking the coastal forest behind Caspersen Beach we came upon a river otter swimming along in the Intracoastal Waterway. It turns out that they have been coming on to the beach from Red Lake to feed on ghost crabs. So the otters are enjoying crabs for breakfast at Caspersen Beach while I am eating cheerios on Albee Rd. in Nokomis - what's wrong with this picture??
Friday, December 16, 2011
Bud Doyle's Beach Beat : SEA GRAPES
For the past 7 years, groups on my nature walks have enjoyed tasting sea grapes on the North Jetty walks. There have always been hundreds, no thousands of grapes that we enjoyed from October into January. However, this year there are none to be found.
Last year's sea grape.
(Ed. Note:
On the second and third Thursdays from now until April, Bud will conduct guided nature walks at North Jetty Beach Park on the north side of Venice Inlet. Give Bud a call if you want to join him: Bud Doyle at 941 488-4158 )
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Quiet Water Kayak Trips: Jan 5, 2012 - Feb 29, 2012
*Jan 5 Waterways of Nokomis 10am - 1pm
Jan 7 Myakka State Park 10:30am - 1:30pm
* Jan 11 Caspersen Beach Park/Lemon Bay 1pm - 4pm
* Jan 19 Don Pedro State Park/Englewood 10am - 1:30pm $25 mem, $30 non- mem
* Jan 21 Little Sarasota Bay/Palmer Pt Park 1pm – 4pm
* Jan 22 Bird Key/South Lido Park 1pm – 4pm
* Jan 28 Blackburn Pt/Oscar Scherer State Park 11am – 2:30pm
* Jan 29 Little Sarasota Bay/Palmer Pt Park 10am – 1pm
* Jan 31 Palma Sola Bay/Robinson Preserve 10am – 2pm $30 mem, $35 non-mem
* Feb 2 Apollo Beach/Kitchen Preserve warm water sanctuary 10am – 2pm
$30 mem, $35 non-mem + $5 private boat launch fee
Feb 4 Myakka River State Park 10:30am – 1:30pm
* Feb 5 Little Sarasota Bay/Palmer Pt Park 11am – 2pm
* Feb 8 Waterway7s of Nokomis 11am – 2pm
Feb 10 Myakka State Park 10:30am – 1:30pm
* Feb 12 Shell Key Preserve/Pinellas County 10am – 2pm $30 mem, $35 non-mem
* Feb 15 Historic Cortez/Kitchen Preserve 10am – 1pm $25 mem, $30 non-mem
* Feb 23 Edwards Island/Roberts Bay Bird Rookery 10am – 1:30pm $25 mem, $30 non-mem
* Feb 25 Little Sarasota Bay/Palmer Pt Park 10am – 1pm
* Feb 26 Bird Key/South Lido Park 10am – 1pm
* Feb 29 Apollo Beach – see Feb 2 above
Hooded Mergansers
The "snow birds" are here in Sarasota for the Winter. They come down from swamps and wooded ponds of the northern half of the United States and southern Canada. Mergansers are occasionally seen on Sarasota Bay. The visitors pictured were cruising in The Meadows Community pond. Check out the Celery Fields for a possible sighting.
The single bird above is a male. He is seen with 2 females in the top photo.
AJAJA
What an interesting genus name for Roseate Spoonbills! These birds breed on the gulf coasts of the United States. Peg Conklin phographed this flock at an inland site near Sarasotaon a cool day.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wild Cotton
| Wild cotton is related to commercial cotton, The USDA attempted to wipe this plant out in Florida in the early 1900s due to the fact that it is a potential host to the boll weevil. This specimen was growing at the Orman House State Historical Park in Apalachicola. |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Service Park: on the Gulf south of Venice, FL
Service Club Park, south of Venice, has a coastal oak/scrub and pine forest found nowhere else on the west coast below Pinellas County. This park is next to the old Loran coast guard station which shares the same habitats plus isolated wetlands.
Note: LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver. -- Wikipedia.com
Photos by John Sarkozy
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Family Days at Bay Preserve in Osprey
Chuck Idleberger and John Sarkozy from the Southeast American Littoral Society helped out at the Bay Preserve fundraiser. Chuck led invited kids in seining activities.
Wildflower Arrangement
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tampa Bay, Sunshine State Parkway Rest Stop
We always stop at the rest area on the north end of the Sunshine State Parkway to stretch our legs. There are picnic tables, restrooms, bay views and a couple of memorials to those who have died in shipwrecks on the Bay.. Those exotic Australian Pines provide welcome shade and large rocks have been brought in to prevent shore erosion.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
American Littoral Society News
COASTAL REPORTER November 2011
NJ Supreme Court rejects attempts to gut clean water regulations, but fight not over: The NJ Supreme Court has rejected a request from the developer's lobby to overturn a lower court decision upholding New Jersey regulations preventing sewers in environmentally sensitive areas. The American Littoral Society participated in the lawsuit as a friend of the court in defending the clean water regulations. The ink had not dried on the high court's rejection of the developer's request before the New Jersey legislature introduced a proposal to do what the developers wanted. The Littoral Society will continue its fight to prevent development in environmentally sensitive areas and will oppose this bill. Read proposed bill
Society Fights Plan to Dump Toxic Chemicals into Jamaica Bay: JFK International Airport has proposed a plan to increase the amount of toxic plane de-icing and other chemicals it dumps into Jamaica Bay. Don Riepe, Northeaset Chapter Director and Jamaica Bay Guardian opposed this plan at a recent meeting of the Jamaica Bay Task Force. To learn more
NJ Fertilizer Law Takes Effect: Help spread the word, not the fertilizer! As of November 15, NJ residents cannot apply fertilizers to their lawns until next spring. Commercial applicators of fertilizer have until December 1 to complete their customer service cycle of late Fall fertilization. Fertilizers cannot be applied onto lawns again until March 1st. NJ's Fertilizer Law was established as part of the Governor's 10-point action plan to restore and protect Barnegat Bay and is one of the most stringent fertilizer laws in the country. The Society played a key role in passing this law. To learn more
Restoring Shrewsbury Island: Earlier this month, Society staff and members joined forces with volunteers from the J. M. Huber Corporation to remove marine debris from a dredge spoil island in the Shrewsbury-Navesink estuary, a few miles south of Sandy Hook. Call for Proposals: 6th National Conference on Coastal & Estuarine Habitat Restoration: The Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) National Program Committee is accepting proposals for dedicated sessions, presentations, & posters for this conference, which we co-host. To learn more...
Celebrating 50 Years of Caring for the Coast
Sandpiper at Casperson Beach
It's not easy to tell the sandpipers apart. Above is either a semipalmated sandpiper or a western sandpiper. Black bills and feet, dark mottled back, and streaked breast, both are about the same size. The books say that some "cherp" and some "cheep". (My parakeet "cheeps".)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)