by Rick O'Connor | Mar 11, 2022
The month of March is the last of winter. For todays hike we returned to Gulf Islands National Seashore/Ft. Pickens where it was 63°F, overcast with a strong breeze from the northwest. A cold front is coming through to remind us that winter is not over yet. It was not 44°F as it was on our February hike but with the wind and cloud cover, it was a bit cool and not ideal for most wildlife to be out. But the ospreys were…
Osprey perched.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
An osprey pair building a nest on the chimney of the ranger station at Ft. Pickens.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
Another osprey pair with a nest in a large pine.
Photo: Rick O’Connor
They were everywhere. Building nests in live pines, dead snags, platforms built just for this, and on the chimney of the ranger station. Their sounds were everywhere – it is breeding season for them. The great blue herons were still nesting, we saw them first in January, but there are still a few around. American egrets were out as were numerous mourning doves. As with the colder February day, it was primarily bird action right now. I did see evidence of armadillos, and would guess other mammals were on the move, but did not see evidence of any others. The reptiles and amphibians are still missing – but should not be for long.
The herons began nesting in January. Some are still there.
Evidence of armadillos digging.
The plant I know as beach heather, many call false rosemary, and has the scientific name Conradina, was in full bloom. After the hollies of the Christmas season, these are the plants I often see bloom first. Though I have seen bees around my home already, and wasps, I did not see/hear any insect movement this morning.
Beach heather (false rosemary) is one of the first plants to bloom on our islands.
The north beach (Pensacola Bay) was rough due to the northwest wind. It was difficult to see if anything was moving around in the shallows. There were a lot of shells on the shore. Two particularly caught my eye. The Florida Fighting Conch was pretty abundant, more than normal – and there were several scallops shells. There are two species locally, the calico scallop (often found in the Gulf) and the bay scallop (the estuarine version and the one of “scalloping” fame). Calcio scallops are often pinkish in color and often with spots. The bay scallop is usually gray in color. Those I saw this morning were all bleached white but, based on other variety of shells in the mix, I am thinking these were calcio scallops.
There were several Florida Fighting Conch shells on the beach this month.
There was very little marine debris today and no tracks of any kind seen. There was only one lone pelican spotted, maybe due to the high winds they settled somewhere else. Maybe they have moved off to smaller islands for breeding themselves, I am not sure.
We only saw this one lone pelican today.
Though the wildlife has been more restricted to birds at the moment, the birding is excellent right now and the beach has relatively few people – it is a great time to take a hike out there.
This large tanker awaits its turn to enter Pensacola Bay.
This skull found along the side of the side of the road is believed to be a raccoon.
Lichen is an organism that is a partnership between algae and fungus. They were a brilliant white-green this month.
Razor clam shells are quite common along the shoreline.
Sand dollars are not as common on the bay side of the island but there were several today.
The remains of a ghost crab.
Believe it or not, walking along the road is a great spot to find wildlife.
by Rick O'Connor | Mar 11, 2022
Snook… Wait did you say Snook in the Florida panhandle?
Yep… they are not common, but they have seen here.
For those who do not know the fish and do not understand why seeing them is strange, this is a more tropical species associated with tarpon. In the early years of tourism in Florida tarpon fishing was one of the main reasons people came. Though bonefish and snook fishing were not has popular as tarpon, they were good alternatives and today snook fishing is popular in central and south Florida… but not in the north.
This snook was captured near Cedar Key. These tropical fish are becoming more common in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Photo: UF IFAS
This fish is extremely sensitive to cold water, not liking anything under 60° F. They frequent the same habitats as tarpon, mangroves and marshes. They are euryhaline (having a wide tolerance for salinity) and can be found in freshwater rivers and springs. Actually, near river mouths is a place they frequent. The younger fish are more often found within the estuaries and adults have been found in the Gulf of Mexico. Again, this is a more tropical fish with records in Florida north of Tampa being rare. In the western Gulf the story is the same, almost all records are south of Galveston, Texas. Until recently…
Hoese and Moore1 cite a paper by Baughman (1943) that indicated the range of the fish had actually moved further south. One reason given was the loss of the much-needed salt marsh and mangrove habitats from human development. But in recent years there have more reports north of Tampa. Purtlebaugh (et al.)2 published a paper in 2020 indicating an increase in snook captured in the Cedar Key area of the Big Bend beginning in 2007. At first records only included adults, and the thought was these were “wayward” drifters in the region. But by 2018 they were capturing fish in all size classes and there was evidence of breeding going in the area. The range of the fish seemed to be moving north. The study suggests they still need warm water locations to over winter, and, like the manatees, springs seem to be working fine. But another piece of the explanation has been the reduction of hard freezes during winter in this part of the Gulf. Climate change may be playing a role here as well.
There seems to be other tropical species dispersing northward in a process some call “tropicalization” including the mangroves. There have been anecdotal reports of snook near Apalachicola where mangroves are becoming more common, and I know of two that were caught in Mobile Bay. There are mangroves growing on the Mississippi barrier islands as well. While explaining this during a presentation I was doing for a local group, a gentleman showed me a photo of a snook on his phone. I asked if he caught it in the Pensacola area. He replied yes. When I asked where, he just smiled… 😊 He was not going to share that. Cool.
There is no evidence that snook have established breeding populations are in our waters. Especially after this winter with multiple days with temperatures in the 30s, it is unlikely snook would be found here. But it is still interesting, and we encourage anyone who does catch one, to report it to us.
References
1 Hoese, H.D., Moore, R.H. 1977. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico; Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters. Texas A&M Press. College Station Tx. Pp 327.
2 Purtlebaugh CH, Martin CW, Allen MS (2020) Poleward expansion of common snook Centropomus undecimalis in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and future research needs. PLoS ONE 15(6): e0234083. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234083.
by Rick O'Connor | Mar 4, 2022
Nestled on the shore of the Choctawhatchee Bay across from Destin in Okaloosa County you will find 4-H Camp Timpoochee. Its private facilities, open spaces, waterfront view, and beautiful sunsets allow campers, students, and guests to play, learn, and work in a safe and relaxing environment. During a stay at Camp Timpoochee, you will experience memorable camp activities in a beautiful environment that will bring you back year after year. Camp Timpoochee provides modern conveniences, within the traditional camp setting, to combine a relaxed camp atmosphere with today’s camping needs.
If you have a child aged 6-16, you might want to consider sending them on a summer adventure at 4-H Camp Timpoochee located in Niceville, Florida. This camp allows campers first-hand experience with Florida’s marine and coastal environment above and below the waterline. Programs are designed to bring science to life in this living laboratory with the forest and bay providing classrooms for hands-on learning. Participants have an opportunity to learn while seining, cast netting, fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, going on a nature hike, or shooting archery.
These are Happy Campers!
Photo: Brian Estevez
4-H summer camping programs provide opportunities for youth to sense of safety and security within a new environment away from home. It can provide that first experience being away from family in a residential setting. Youth are building their independence by having cabin responsibilities, getting to and from scheduled events on time, and gaining exposure to working together as a team. Camp life provides some early opportunities for children to learn the concept of generosity. Helping others in need, whether it is a forgotten item, simply sharing your free time with someone new, or demonstrating care and concern to someone who is feeling left out are all character-building skills that are part of the camp learning environment.
Established in 1926, 4-H Camp Timpoochee is the oldest continually operating 4-H camp in Florida. It provides the perfect outdoor living classroom. With more than a third of a mile of shoreline, it has become the perfect escape from the hustle of the outside world offering a place to disconnect from technology and reconnect with people. Serving more than 800 campers each summer, 4-H Camp Timpoochee provides multiple opportunities for youth to experience new adventures, step outside their box and make life-long friends and memories.
Open year round, 4-H Camp Timpoochee is more than just a summer camp. It offers opportunities for rental groups to enjoy its tranquil and multi-purpose facility through retreats, weddings, reunions and more! Offering lodging spaces, meal service, and meeting spaces, it has quickly become a unique location for various youth and adult organizations far and wide to enjoy.
So, if you want your child to get outdoors and leave electronics behind, consider sending him/her to 4-H Camp Timpoochee to learn about the great outdoors and Florida marine life. 4-H is one of the nation’s most diverse organizations and includes people from all economic, racial, social, political, and geographic categories. There are no barriers to participation by any young person. Participants are given the opportunity to engage in activities that hold their personal interest, while being guided by adult volunteers.
For more information on 4-H Camp Timpoochee and their summer program for 2022, please visit https://florida4h.ifas.ufl.edu/camps/camp-timpoochee/summer-camps/.
by Rick O'Connor | Mar 4, 2022
During this week we have read about what an invasive species is, how they got here, which ones have been here awhile, which are new potential threats, and why we should even care about this. All important things to know when you are trying to understand invasive species. But what can you do about it? Is there anything that can be done from your side?
Yes… there is.
The first step in helping to manage invasive species is to learn which plants and animals in your landscape are invasive. Many of the animals are easy, but the plants not so much. I have already heard from a few of you about Mimosa – like me, we had no idea it was on the list. But we should know which plants are and are not. How do you learn this?
Unfortunately, Six Rivers CISMA’s new website is not live yet. It should be by April 1, 2022, and when it is there will be information for you there. Another way is to check EDDMapS (www.EDDMapS.org). You can search the distribution map at the tool bar, type in the name of the species you have a question about and see if there are records. If it is, this does not mean it is invasive in Florida, just that it is invasive somewhere, but it is a start. If it is a plant (and most have questions about plants more than animals) you can search the University of Florida IFAS Assessment (https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/). This database will give you the status of the plant in Florida. However, you will need to know the scientific name of the plant. You can find this by googling the common name and finding it that way. Of course, you can always contact your county extension office.
Here is one for the SCUBA divers out there. I met with a couple of experts a year ago or so to discuss a list of 20 potential nonnative fish threats to the Florida Keys. We discussed which of these could become threats in the northern Gulf, could tolerate our climate. It was decided that we should tell divers if they see any fish that looks out of place, never been here before sort of thing, get a photo and contact us at the extension office. We will go from there.
Survey your yard
The second step is to conduct a survey of your yard or business. You probably know your yard already, but most have crews handle the landscaping for their businesses. You can conduct the search for plants but let your landscaping crew know your interest in any unusual animals they may see. You can also participate in community surveys with the county extension office. As COVID restrictions begin to lift, we will be conducting more of these in public areas in the coming months. Check our website calendar.
Be aware of what you are buying and bringing home this spring during gardening time. Not just the plant that you are buying, but who might be hitchhiking on it. Many of the ornamental plants people purchase are grown in large nurseries in central and south Florida. We believe this is how the Brown Anole, and now, the Cuban Treefrog are getting here. Slugs, lizards, frogs, all sorts of creatures can hitchhike on your plants. Just give it a good look over and if you think you have a potential invasive, call us.
Cuban Anole. Photo credit: Dr. Steve A. Johnson, University of Florida
Photo by: Dr. Steve Johnson
The third step is to report them. As you saw in the numbers, and I did not post the Dirty Dozen numbers, but all of them are under reported. Having the public report these to EDDMapS gives managers a better idea of the extent of the problem. Note: You are not allowed to report an invasive species on private property without their permission, please get this first.
How do you report to EDDMapS?
There are two options.
One, go to their website (www.EDDMapS.org). You will see “report a sighting” on their tool bar. Report here. It will ask for a password, so you will need to set up an account. It will ask for area covered; estimating is fine. It will ask for Latitude and Longitude, most phones can give you this. Note: input longitude as a negative number or it will post the location in the eastern hemisphere. It will want a photograph so that it can be verified. This is important. Many are nervous reporting because they are not sure they have identified it correctly. No worries. All records sent in are verified before they are posted. A good photograph will allow the verifiers to do this. Send the record, if they believe it is incorrect, they will not post it.
The second option is to use the IveGotOne app. This app handles a lot of the needs for EDDMaps. You see the plant, aim the phone, take the picture, and tell it the area covered, send. Everything else is taken care of. REMEMBER, you must get permission to do this on private property. You can get this app from the EDDMapS website or your favorite app store.
The fourth step is to remove it. This is the hard part.
Hard in the sense that most can remove small weeds and vines and are happy to do so. It is harder when there is a large infestation or if it is an animal – it is not easy to euthanize an animal, for anyone. How do we handle those harder ones?
With plants, contact us at the extension office – or visit the Six Rivers CISMA website when it is live. There has been a lot of research conducted on different methods of removal that will be effective and little impact on the environment. Many do not want to use herbicides, and we get that, but in some cases that may be the only option. So, which herbicides are the safest to use and in what concentrations? Again, give us a call. Interestingly, I recently heard from a local contractor who removes aquatic plants from ponds. He said he could do the same for invasive species. We hope to find a lot of such contractors who might be able to help with large problems that you cannot do yourself. Stay tuned.
With animals it is even harder. Even though there are humane ways to do this, most people cannot just put animals to sleep. Most county animal control units do not deal with invasive species. Instead, you would call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They have a number you can call Monday – Friday during normal business hours – (888) 483-4681. If it is after hours, or on the weekend, call (888) 404-FWCC (3922). Either FWC, or a licensed contractor, will come to deal with it. I will let you know they are probably not coming for the Brown Anoles so many have in their yards at the moment. There are just too many of them. Note: it is illegal to transport an invasive species in Florida. If you have a problem please call, do not bring it in.
If you feel you could euthanize an invasive animal first make sure on the identification. Get a good photo and send to your county extension office. If it is, your extension office can give you information on how to humanely euthanize the animal.
Note that there is nothing illegal about having invasive species in your yard. You will not be cited for having such. It is just many do want to remove them.
We hope you have learned a lot this week about invasive species. If you have, email me at roc1@ufl.edu and let me know. And if you decide to report or remove a species, I would like to know this as well.
Hope all is well with everyone.
by Rick O'Connor | Mar 3, 2022
The name lets you know that these are probably not good. What we call the Dirty Dozen are those invasive species who are in the high part of the invasive species curve. The section to the right that is red. They are widespread and abundant. They are here and not going anywhere. We are not going to get rid of them. Which brings us back to our first article, why bother then?
Here is analogy that many of you may relate to. There is a native green vine with thorns that grows in the Florida panhandle known as green briar (Smilax). It can be a horrible plant. Vines growing everywhere, thorns tearing at your skin and cutting your clothes. I have seen it growing next to my house literally overtake a large pine tree. It grows over shrubbery, landscape lattice, just a real pain. We do not like it. I cannot get rid of it, it is here to stay, so – why don’t I just walk away and let it grow?
Smilax, green briar, is a nuisance native plant.
Well, we know what will happen. It will overtake our landscape a create a ball of briars and thorns. I ran into such a place while hiking on Pensacola Beach recently. It was absolute hell trying to get through and I will always walk around such a mess again. Yes… we will manage it in our yard. We will not let it go. And so goes the Dirty Dozen. We should not ignore.
The Dirty Dozen are the top 12 problematic established invasive species within the Six Rivers CISMA selected by its members. A lot of species could be on the list, but the members felt they were having the toughest time with these twelve. Let’s meet them… (these are in no particular order).
- Callery (Bradford) Pear. Yes… this was listed as an EDRR yesterday. I am not sure where this fits. It is either a large EDRR issue, or a small Dirty Dozen (D-12) problem. There are 174 records of this plant in the Florida panhandle and most records come from the Blackwater Forest area. I think this is because they have an aggressive invasive species management program and do an excellent job reporting. It is probably quite common everywhere.
- Chinese Privet. Interestingly, in my mind, this is a north Florida problem. During my travels in south Florida, I never see it, but along I-10 you see it everywhere. It is sort of our Brazilian pepper (a major south Florida problem). And it is everywhere. There are very few places, urban or natural areas, where I have not seen it. Many may not even know what it is.
- Chinese Tallow. This is the famous popcorn tree and yes, its everywhere. One thing I have noticed about this plant is that it seems to move into disturbed areas. Along roadsides and trails, housing developments and agricultural lands. I have seen one grove take over a retention pond, this plant does not seem to have a problem with wetland habitats. This is also the one that beekeepers say make great honey. It is toxic to livestock and wildlife.
- Cogongrass. This invasive plant appears to have entered the U.S. on pallets entering the Port of Mobile. It quickly spread from there across south Alabama, Mississippi, and covers much of Florida. It is easily transported by mowing vehicles that try and mow it down. Many land managers have now learned this and have adopted better practices. It has leaves with serrated edges and silica. Livestock and wildlife do not eat it. It is considered a federal noxious weed and one of the worst invasive species we deal with by many land managers and biologists.
- Feral Hogs. Wild pigs, or feral hogs, are a problem. They destroy large tracks of habitats digging for food. They are very resilient to management efforts and are a real problem for private and public landowners.
- Japanese Climbing Fern. This is the north Florida cousin to south Florida’s Old World Climbing Fern. Both are bad news completely overtaking the landscape as green briar does. Managing it is difficult and it spreads easily by spores. Sometimes managing it can enhance its dispersal.
- Japanese Honeysuckle. My experience with this plant is that it is not as abundant as Japanese Climbing Fern, but where it is found it is aggressive and most be managed.
- Kudzu. Enough said… This could be the poster child (and often is) for invasive species problems. It is a much larger problem in Alabama and Georgia, but north Florida certainly has its problems with it. Like so many of these D-12, it is difficult to manage.
- Mimosa. I grew up with this tree in our landscape and had no idea it was (a) nonnative and (b) an invasive plant. It falls into that category of invasive species that is pretty and people enjoy having it in their landscape. The problem associated with it is that it out competes native species. There is the threat of decrease biodiversity and so, it is listed as invasive. For those trying to manage it in our area, they consider it one of the D-12.
- Red Fire Ant. No one likes this creature. Well, maybe Dr. E.O. Wilson did, but everyone else does not like this animal. We are all too familiar with how aggressive this animal can be and how painful their bites are. They can be found in a variety of landscapes and spread quickly. Their impacts are huge and, as many of you probably know, their management difficult.
- Red Lionfish. This is one that most know about now. This has been reported as being one of the worst invasions of all invasive species ever. Producing an average of 30,000 fertilized eggs/female/week and the fact that they can live to depths of 1000 feet makes management very difficult. However, there has been some success in depths less than 200 feet, and, like all D-12 species, you just have to keep at it. Don’t let the “green briar” overtake.
- Those who know this grass know how hard it is to manage and how quickly it spreads. The team with Gulf Islands National Seashore has been battling it for awhile now. It likes to grow along the waters edge and can be submerged for a short period of time. Those who do not know it, may have it along their waterfront.
Again, these are invasive species we let get to point where management is almost a full-time job and the cost of doing so it quite high. This is why it is so important to manage the EDRR species and avoid this problem. It begins with education of the issue, which we hope you are getting.
Tomorrow is the last day of NISAW 2022, and we will finish with a discussion on what you can do to help manage this problem.
