Anyone out there ready to turn back the hands of time to the way things were in our youth? Our house pets were dogs and cats; they taught us responsibility, and were family members. There were also goldfish, a small turtle lagoon, caged parakeets or hamsters, and fluffy white “Blossom B Rabbit” who lived in a pen under the shade tree. Exotic creatures lived in zoos; venomous snakes, alligators and crocodiles were housed at the Miami Serpentarium until the late 70’s. . Soon people began buying a new kind of pet: the harmless looking baby snake, sitting on a rock under a heat lamp in a pet store terrarium without thinking that when mature, the creature would be 20 feet long, weigh 200 pounds, live more than 25 years, and must be fed with live mice, rats, and eventually rabbits. There were reports of pythons in the Everglades in the ’70’s and 80’s, most likely caused by people releasing their unwanted pets, to happily slither off into saw-grass marsh or cypress slough. Look out for snakes in the proverbial grass! If it were only that easy. For years Everglades park managers were convinced these invasive snakes were escapees, or former pets, not part of a breeding population. Florida offers virgin hunting grounds for pythons, who are carnivorous, but aren’t picky. Last year in N. Key Largo 40 pythons were captured. These captures were humanely euthanized, and then necropsied to examine their stomach contents, which revealed a diet of possums, raccoons, woodrats, and cotton mice. Pythons are biological vacuum cleaners, their jaws are fitted with sharp, inward-curving teeth to grab their prey, while they coil their body around it. Pythons are ambush predators, so they patiently wait for animals to go by for their next meal. The number of possums and raccoons in our area is fairly high; this may be because the Keys are fairly early in the python invasion, and/or because there are a lot of food resources available, so more young are born, and survive, Poor Henry the Westie, family member of Julie and Rob, who one day on his regular “potty break” was traumatized by a near fatal encounter with a large python lurking in his backyard. It was the quick thinking of his dad, who snatched him from within inches of the pythons head. Later on Julie got to wondering where had the raccoon gone that regularly visited her pool for a drink. She concluded it must have been nabbed by the python. She said there was a feeding station next door, and that may be why the python has chosen this area to hunt. Soon after hearing this, I began scanning my property for potential food sources that may attract pythons, and guarding my doors from my cat’s possible escape. The snakes have migrated to the Keys over land and by water, and are adapted to hiding underground, in the cracks and crevices of a geological ancient coral reef. There is whole subterranean world under our feet; a space where pythons have the ability to occupy and where man has an inability to detect, and they stay beyond reach in impenetrable mangrove swamps. So how many pythons are there? Too many! Some distrust the agencies putting out the data, and believe the numbers are exaggerated for whatever reason. I'm no scientist, but the fact is pythons never were in my neighborhood before and now they are. EDDMAPS is a website, that shows on a map, the actual places where pythons have been sighted or captured. The best thing people can do is be on the lookout for pythons. The most important thing to do if you see a python is take a photo. Document it, and then report it immediately. Percy the python sniffing dog is successful if it is a very recent sighting, a few hours or a day, but not more than that. If you see a python, call 1-888-IVEGOT1 As homeowners we should adopt cultural controls: things we can do to modify the habitat, without physically or chemically harming animals. We can eliminate food sources that attract small mammals such as rats, possums and raccoons to our homes. To prevent infestation of not only rats, but also pythons. we can close up crawl spaces under our homes, place mesh over vents that may be missing or cracked, and eliminate any holes big enough for critters and snakes to go through.
Indeed, things have changed since our youth. The night watchmen and security patrols have always had an eye out for suspicious human activity while on patrol; now their watch must be expanded to include the night creatures, If you were to drive on CR905 at night, you would potentially see pythons cruising the side of the road. Agencies must make it a condition of employment, and provide the training and incentive, to remove the python, not just drive right by it.
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On the way to her boat in the marina, my friend Denise and I we were stopped in our tracks by a large white bird standing motionless on the dock as it scanned for prey. It seemed un-phased by our approach. Even my movements to remove my camera from the bag did not ruffle it's feathers. The bird was watching us, since its eyes are on the side of its head, but also far enough forward, to peer into the water. When Denise began singing I was sure the bird would depart; she defended her actions by declaring “Do you know of any singing predators?” Despite the glare, the surface motion, the mix of seagrass and plastic on the water's surface, the bird knew that two feet below it's perch on the floating dock there were fish. Herons have binocular vision that gives them excellent depth perception, and their eyesight is about three times more detailed than that of man. Their visual field covers 180 degrees in the vertical; a bird standing with its bill horizontal can see fish swimming near its feet. Their stealthy, quick reactions and spear-like bill rewards them with fish which are swallowed whole. This familiar “crane”, which I later identified as the white form of the Great Blue Heron, known as the Great White Heron, or as the “experts” say “White Morph Blue”, is America's largest heron, measuring 46”, and is found along the coasts of southern Florida, the Yucatan Peninsula, and in the Caribbean. The other large white wading bird we see in the Keys is the Great Egret. It has a slightly smaller bill and always has black legs compared to the typical yellow/greenish/pink legs on the white morph blue. At distance with a scope the legs are the best field mark. There are Great Blue Herons in the Keys, and their range extends from Canada south to Mexico and Florida, and even as far as the Galapagos Islands. They are sometimes overlooked simply because they are not as conspicuous as the whites. There is another even less common form of heron, the Wurdemann morph. It’s also known as the intermediate morph where the dark and white forms overlap in Florida, They have the body of a Great Blue Heron, but the white head and neck of the Great White Heron. Many Great Blue Herons have lost their fear of humans, walking on lawns and expecting castoffs from fishermen. Fisherman should make sure they stay clear of the heron’s piercing bill, as well as be responsible for securing their fishing gear, lines, hooks, and lead sinkers. Injuries due to fishing line entanglement are very common in wild bird populations. as birds can get tangled up in that junk while wading and foraging. Broken wings, poisoning, electrical wires, and bald eagles can also cause injuries or death to these birds. So much so, that wildlife rehabilitation emerged as a profession in the late 1980’s. These organizations are made up of professionals, but most rehabbers are volunteers. Laura Quinn, the “Bird Lady” who founded the Wild Bird Center in Tavernier, is seen in these photos taken in 2009, along with philanthropists Barbara and Bob Gintel, releasing a Great White Heron on the edge of the mangroves in N. Key Largo. According to their website, “Our past, present, and future are the direct result of one woman embracing her passion and caring for the environment and wildlife in the Florida Keys.” As human populations grow and more wild habitat is lost, it becomes increasingly difficult to find adequate release sites.
Singing predators? My friend Denise is correct in her theory that man is not a concern for a direct assault, unless in the rare case some idiot decides to shoot a bird. It is the unintended consequences of our actions that pose a threat, Consider the wedding event hosted on a spit of land, formerly mangrove habitat, surrounded by water on three sides. The sounds of singing, and music fill the air, drowning out the bird’s ability to hear a potential predator, and at the same time plastic utensils and wrappers, cups and party balloons are dancing into the sea. Reality check: the plastic junk floating in the water does not come from offshore; it comes directly from the island we live on. Wildlife rehabilitators know the health of our wildlife is a barometer on the health of the environment. Policy makers as well as merry makers, need to consider how their actions may impact wildlife, including pollution of the environment and habitat loss. If you need to report an injured bird in the Upper Keys, 24/7 BIRDGENCY-ONLY HOTLINE (305) 852 - 4486 ext. 1 In the late 1880s and early 1900s, crocodiles were hunted to near extinction for their hides to satisfy the demand for purses, wallets, shoes, and belts. There were sportsmen drawn to the excitement of the chase, A live crocodile captured in the coastal mangrove forests of the Upper Keys. would be strapped to an open boat, and transported to Planter, where the reptile could be shipped to Key West to connect with a steamer to New York, and would end up on exhibit in the New York Zoo. In 1901 Florida passed a bird protection act and Dade County passed a wildlife protection act, prohibiting the killing, capturing or shooting of deer, crocodile, and any wild bird. The camera became the only method for legally capturing these creatures. A photograph taken in 1900 depicts a crocodile or an alligator enjoying the primarily fresh water of the Miami Rapids. This was a popular spot for family picnics at the turn of the 20th century. In 1909, the Everglades Drainage District dynamited the rapids to make way for draining the Everglades. In the late 1930s as people moved into South Florida, the croc’s coastal mangrove habitat was further reduced by development and roadkills due to increased motor vehicle traffic. My parents were transplanted New Yorkers who discovered Ft. Lauderdale in the 1950s. Our family was typical mid-century modern adventurers; on weekends we’d pile in the family car, and take a “safari” to the nearby "lands" and “jungles,” the so called wildlife theme parks, housing monkeys, and parrots, reptiles and sea creatures… lions, tigers and bears oh my! A Miami “Jungle Cruise” brochure circa 1950, describes “after leaving the Musa Isle Seminole Indian Village, we view the State Drainage Canal, one of the five great waterways that drain the Everglades.” If you ever took an airboat ride in the Everglades, chances are at some point you would have been in the ditch, one of the man-made canals intended for draining the swamp. By the 1960’s, developers began buying up the coastal mangrove and adjacent uplands in North Key Largo. They dredged the mangroves and piled the spoils to create waterfront homesites and marinas. In 1975, with numbers reduced to only two or three hundred individuals, the crocodile was placed on the endangered species list. Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Preserve was established in 1980. Ironically development, responsible for destroying historical crocodile nesting sites, in some ways made it more hospitable for them. The crocodile has adapted, Several hundred crocodiles are thriving in the 168-miles of man-made canals surrounding the Turkey Point nuclear plant. They look for areas to lay nests that are adjacent to the waters edge, but also high enough in elevation they don't flood. They don’t spend much time on land; only to nest or to bask in the sun. The Keys attract those who come in search of a new beginning or perhaps a meaningful overnight relationship. Northerners come to escape the harsh winters, and find themselves in paradise, lounging under a tiki, on their perfect man-made beach, margarita in hand… or some other “Croc-tail”? Can you blame the crocodile for wanting to try to nest in someone's perfect beach they've created? There is tremendous turnover of population in our area, Landmark birthdays cause some to ponder life, and what’s been missing, so many come to the Keys to go fishing. Unfortunately this newbie angler catches his limit of mahi every day, cleans them and throws the scraps into the canal, and all of a sudden a crocodile shows up. The croc’s diet consists of primarily seafood. The scraps from the fishing station, which drains directly into the water, eventually disperses throughout the canal, to the vicinity of a neighbor who likes to swim in the canal, who gets upset and calls the FWC to have the crocodile removed. The crocodile, who is territorial, is relocated, only to eventually return to the same spot a short time later. There are now about 2,000 American Crocodiles living in South Florida, perhaps more than ever existed here prior to their discovery. The amount of wild lands is shrinking ever so much every year, so there is not as much wild land out there for these crocodiles to live on. The clear message is we share this neighborhood. So if you are doing an action that upsets your neighbors, both humans and wildlife, maybe you shouldn't do it. |
CAROL ELLIS
This photographic website provides me the opportunity for self-expression, for sharing Archives
May 2024
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