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A wide spectrum of wildlife, both local and migratory, depend on the rich, natural environment of the Florida Keys, but for most of us, their presence goes largely ignored. Small discoveries, usually while in the presence of “naturalist” friends, led to my interest in writing about nature and often I get alerts regarding wildlife from neighbors. Late February I got an email from a former photography student Mary Lou Krause: "Carol... there is a Great White Heron nesting on the island near our condo. At this time she has her babies. Might be a nice picture.”  Pumpkin Cay Island is ideal habitat for birds. A male returns in the late afternoon with food for his mate and three babies. The island Mary Lou was referring to is a native outcrop of mangroves next to protected mangrove forest. It lies a hundred yards offshore of Pumpkin Cay condominium complex. Though it has no official name. the neighbors call it “Pumpkin Cay Island” because of where it is located. Her condo is a great perch for viewing marine life such as bottlenose dolphin, sting-rays, turtles, brown pelican and this pair of Great White Herons and three babies in their nest.  Two babies climb higher in the nest and become more visible. A third baby hides low in the nest. Pumpkin Cay Island checks all the appropriate boxes for ideal nesting bird habitat; it has sturdy branches to build a nest made of sticks, and is surrounded by water, with a seagrass bottom full of fish and crustaceans. Nesting birds feel safe there because of the distance created by the channel between the mangrove island and the sea-walled shoreline. There is some human traffic… small boats tied to cleats, a few fishing stations. the occasional dog walker… but this doesn't seem to bother the herons. The tidal flow from the ocean through Pumpkin Creek provides clear clean water essential for wading birds, who very slowly forage in the shallow water, waiting for a fish to spear with their sharp bills. Herons will hunt during day or night, the most important factor is the varying tidal depth of the water.  A male heron and three babies in the nest at early morning. Both parents take turns feeding the babies. Mindful not to get too close, for fear of disturbing the birds, I set up my camera with long lens a hundred feet behind the seawall. There was one very large adult heron visible in the nest. It was late afternoon and the soft light lit up it’s feathers in contrast to the green mangroves. I didn’t see the babies right away, but soon noticed yellow beaks and black eyes popping up from beneath the adult’s long light yellow legs. First I saw one rather bold baby, climbing up to the rim of the stick nest, it’s fluff feathers lit by the sun, then a second came into view, and the finally a third, clearly the most elusive, occupied the lowest portion of nest.  This heron was printed life-size, and featured in a “Name the Bird” contest. It received the name “Pumpkin” since it lives at Pumpkin Creek For the next few days I visited the herons during morning and late afternoon, and was fortunate to get photographs of both adults, in their natural environment, going about their everyday duties. This Great Blue Heron (white morph) nest on Pumpkin Cay Island is in the northernmost range for these birds, exclusively found in the Florida Keys and the Everglades. One morning I could see momma heron patiently waiting on the nest for her partner to return with food, and get a break from tending the nest. Moments before he arrived, she rose up in the nest, stretching her long neck. Soon her mate swooped in and they stood close with necks and chest touching. After a little “mutual appreciation” time, the female flew over to the seawall. As she perched on the seawall, she turned her head in the direction of the camera, with one leg raised, outstretched claws, and looked straight at me, as if to say “Can’t I get a moment of peace?”  The female (at left) enthusiastically greets the male returning to the nest. I loved this photo so much that I printed it life-size, and placed it where I would frequently walk by it, make eye-contact and say “Hi!” This is the largest heron in North America, 39”- 52" tall with a wingspan of 5’10”. The heron made me smile, and it needed more of a name than “big bird.” What better way to get a name than display the heron at an event full of children and adults? I held a contest at the Eco Fair at Ocean Reef, where I was doing a book signing for “Critters in our Midst”.   The female heron leaving the nest. Heron wingspan can reach 5’10” From more than 50 entries, the winner was Katherine Yalamanchilli, age 10. The name suggested was “Pumpkin”, and the three babies: Casey, Lola and Trey. The entry name stood out because it referred to where the heron lives - Pumpkin Cay. Katherine has a room at home decorated with stuffed animals, and she is excited to read “Critters in our Midst”. Despite the vast changes made by man to modify and occupy the coastline, most species can live nicely in proximity to humans as long as their most basic ecological needs are met: food, shelter and nesting sites. Habitat loss accompanying human development poses a great threat to wildlife, and water quality degradation is harmful particularly for wading birds.  Katherine Yalamanchilli, age 10, named the heron “Pumpkin” and the babies Casey, Lola and Trey. Her prize… a signed copy of “Critters in our Midst.”
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I love the change of seasons in Florida. There’s a freshness in the breeze, accompanying a slightly lower level of temperature and humidity. It's lovely when you can go outside in the evening without hearing the whir of the mosquito fog truck. It’s healthy to leave the TV, the couch and the air-conditioning and venture outside to lay in the hammock to be entertained by mockingbird melodies from the wire above.  The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a fixture in my yard. I recognize one in particular by unusual growths above it’s beak and beside it’s right claw. The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a fixture in my yard. I recognize one in particular by unusual growths above it’s beak and beside its right claw. My friendly greeting of “what's the matter birdie... how are you today? Are you finding the food you need? Are you happy? You're a pretty bird.” accompanies my arrival. The mockingbird sits calmly on its perch observing, allowing me to get close with my camera. (The bird must be thinking “get a life.”)  American beautyberry,is an excellent food source for birds. Northern Mockingbirds are common in backyards, but they don’t often visit feeders. I see them hopping around on the ground stopping every few feet to partly spread its wings. They can be found high on a strangler fig branch, or among the branches of my mango or papaya trees, probing for ripening fruit. Though by necessity I must be more vigilant and pick the fruit before it becomes riddled with their peck marks, the mockingbird is helpful in my yard because it usually feeds on insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, chinch bugs and caterpillars, as well as weed seeds.  Mockingbird perch on overhead power lines. Native plants like Simpson’s stopper, American beautyberry, wild coffee, and including fruit-bearing passion flower, wax myrtle and seagrape are excellent food sources for birds. Florida's state tree, the Sabal palm is a favorite source of fruit for mockingbirds, as are the fruits of the Washingtonian palm. From prior encounters, the mockingbird knows I am a regular in the yard, and I pose no threat to it or it’s nest. University of Florida researchers have found that mockingbirds can recognize individuals after only two 30-second encounters. On the large university campus researchers observed mockingbirds rapidly learning to assess the level of threat posed by different humans, and further enabling the bird to pick out the same individual even in a crowd. Pretty amazing! Mockingbirds have been known to dive-bomb humans who may have ventured too close to a nest, particularly during the spring. Joggers and dog-walkers beware of hit-and-run attacks to the back of the head as mockingbirds warn you to get away from their nest.  Wild coffee berries are a favorite food for birds. Both male and female mockingbirds sing. They begin singing at dawn and continue throughout the day and into evening. The males can be quite loud while singing to attract a mate, and possess impressive acrobatic skills, often leaping a few feet in the air and flapping his wings while singing.  A high perch in a wild tamarind tree. Thomas Jefferson’s favorite bird was the mockingbird because of its intelligence and ability to mimic. Jefferson kept a pet mockingbird named Dick in the White House, and boasted in his Notes on the State of Virginia that Great Britain’s birdlife had nothing to compare with this bird’s vocal abilities. From the mimic thrush family, their Latin name translates to "many-tongued thrush.” They mimic the songs of other birds, as well as different animals like frogs and squirrels, and devices such as car alarms and horns, while they repeat phrases three times per sequence. The mockingbird is widely distributed throughout Florida year-round, and is one of the best-known birds, found in urban areas, suburban areas, and parklands. For the casual observer the mockingbird is just another unremarkable bird with feathers in varying shades of white, to grey. It has a long tail and slender bill, and when in flight a broad white patch is visible on its darker grey wings. There is little coloration difference between males, females, juveniles or while mating.  Mockingbird recognizes me and sees I don’t pose a threat. The Florida Federation of Women's Clubs requested Florida schoolchildren to select a state bird; they chose the mockingbird and on April 23, 1927 the Florida legislature designated the mockingbird as the state bird, giving it protected status. According to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3, the "melody of its music has delighted the hearts of residents and visitors to Florida from the days of the rugged pioneers to the present comers.” Some argue that Florida should not share a state bird with other states. The mockingbird is also the state bird of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Suggestions for a new state bird are all over the map, but four main contenders have emerged: the Florida scrub jay, flamingo, osprey and roseate spoonbill. May I “mockingly” suggest Florida’s state bird should be the construction crane?  The mockingbird sits calmly on its perch observing, allowing me to get close with my camera. I admit it. It was an innocent mistake, your Honor. I plead guilty of feeding the wildlife. It’s just my spoiled indoor cats refused to eat the little crunchies of kibble left in the bottom of the bowl. It was no more than a tablespoon worth, but I tossed it onto the ground. I’m sorry. I realized my error when upon return to the scene of my transgression, a giant raccoon was scratching the ground where I had thrown the kibble. This Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) looked pretty healthy. Its fur was bushy and there were no obvious scratches. I stood in the shadows of the garage and watched from a safe distance as I didn't want the critter to take offense and come after me. It turned its head toward me. With brown eyes with black fur surrounding its eyes, the raccoon looked like a burglar caught in the act of stealing, in broad daylight no less.  A group of raccoons on the edge of the woods. This black and white photo is vey much how a raccoon would perceive the world since their vision is rendered in greyscale. Urban wildlife is not rare, it’s only difficult to see. Animals stay hidden during the day in nearby natural habitat or in quiet crevices around the home, then come out at night to forage. That’s why we call them night critters. Proof of their work can be seen in the morning as shown by overturned garbage cans and contents strewn across the driveway. My yard is a pretty happy, nutritious place for critters to live. There are lots of native plants and fruit trees, a pond with frogs, crawly insects, small lizards, snakes and nesting birds that all reside there.  This baby raccoon was seen high in a tree, it’s fur was still wet from days of tropical rains.  The base of a hollowed out tree provides a suitable place for a raccoon den. It is best to let wildlife forage naturally, but the crafty raccoon has adapted to begging for food in urban areas. Perhaps this raccoon’s well-nourished state is courtesy of the resort’s kitchen dumpster. My suspicion was confirmed as a result of research conducted at Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, to see how human activities relating to unsecured trash and feral cat feeding stations, influence the movements of raccoons and possums. They trapped local possums and raccoons, fit them with radio collars and released them in the area where they were captured. Researchers found out a number of these animals with collars would go up to Ocean Reef and eat each night.  Nimble paws and a keen sense of touch helps the raccoon find its food. The raccoon’s scientific name is Procyon lotor, when translated means “washing bear.” When a raccoon wets its paws, the water stimulates the nerve endings and heightens their sense of touch. Researchers had a serendipitous discovery when in September 2022, a GPS collar attached to a possum gave off a mortality signal, which is emitted when an animal goes several hours without moving when it should be active. The signal began moving, and it continued to stop and then move again over the period of a few days. The researchers discovered that a Burmese python was responsible, as it ate the possum and the radio collar was now inside the snake. They changed the focus of the collared raccoon and possum research toward tracking python.  This collared raccoon was known as “Fighter” - he was covered with scars and a truly wild raccoon who never went into people-occupied areas, such as neighborhoods or the waste transfer station. There aren’t many raccoons like him anywhere in the world. Photo by: Mike Cove Since 1995 when the Burmese python arrived in the Everglades, there has been a decline of 85% to 100% of the population of medium sized furry animals such as raccoons and rabbits due to the python. When the python swam 25 miles south to their new hunting grounds in North Key Largo, small furry creatures such as the Key Largo woodrat began disappearing. Camera traps placed inside woodrat nests provided evidence when a python preying on a woodrat was caught on video. Raccoons have few natural enemies other than man, and automobiles kill more raccoon than anything. Luckily for the raccoon urban food resources do allow these mesopredators - medium sized carnivorous animals such as raccoon and possum - to occur at much higher densities than the natural environment supports, which could indirectly help them sustain some of the python pressure compared to that in the Everglades.  An x-ray image of a python taken by researchers in Key Largo shows a GPS collar that had been fitted on a local opossum. Photo by: Kelly Crandall Animal survival success depends on how well they adapt to life with humans. The greatest concern with raccoons is the diseases and parasites they carry. Canine distemper and rabies will kill raccoons, and raccoon diseases can affect unvaccinated pets. The risk of rabies is small. The Monroe County Health Department, whose records go back to 2012, reports there have been no cases of rabies in Monroe County.   Seeing a raccoon out during the day does not mean it is rabid or dangerous. If it is quiet, and few people or dogs are around, it may come out to forage for food. According to the April/May 1988 editions of The Ocean Reef News:
“The fourth case of rabies in two months occurred in Key Largo March 4th, 1988. Two confirmed cases determine whether an epidemic rating is issued. Rabies, or neurotropic rhabdo virus, has been documented in raccoons at mile markers 101, 99 and two cases at mile marker 94, Key Largo. In each case raccoons approached humans during daytime hours acting erratically. Soon after, the animals were found dead and diagnosed in post-mortem as having rabies.” “Monroe County health professionals warn county residents to avoid all wild or unvaccinated animals and this, unfortunately includes squirrels. While many residents possess great affection toward squirrels and their antics, the very treat you present to a squirrel may act as an invitation to less desirable animals. |
CAROL ELLIS
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