by Rick O'Connor | Mar 6, 2015
This exotic snake was caught in a garage on Bayou Chico (Pensacola) – it did not belong to the homeowner. Photo courtesy of: Escambia County Animal Control
Now that we have completed National Invasive Species Awareness Week many readers have learned what NOT to do with their unwanted exotic pets… but what DO you do with them? Here are six simple suggestions for you to consider. Many professional herpetologists suggest similar options.
- Keep it This may sound a bit strange but it is actually an option. Many who purchase an exotic pet do so without the understanding of how large they may get, or expensive they are to maintain. However if the owner does a little homework you may be able to design, or purchase, a enclosure for your pet that will make them more comfortable, easier for you to handle, and less expensive to maintain.
- Find a new home This is the most popular option. Listing the animal on the internet or in the local paper may yield a person very interested in having and properly maintaining it… a win-win for all. Other options can include nature centers and schools where education on invasive species may find a place that needs and wants the animal. There are rescue groups for specific species which can be found on the internet.
- Return to the pet store Many pet stores will take pets they have sold back for resale. This is certainly a better option than releasing it but pet owners should understand that they will probably will not get their money back.
- Contact your local animal control office Our local animal control will not take exotic pets but some may, and most can, provide good advice as to local locations that may be interested in it.
- Contact your local state wildlife agency Most state wildlife agencies are very familiar with non-profits, nature centers, and other locations that will accept exotic animals. In Florida the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offer Amnesty Days where residents can bring their unwanted exotic pets to a central locations; FWC will then try to find them a new home. To find the nearest Amnesty Day to your home visit the FWC website at MyFWC.com.
- Euthanize Though for most pet homeowners this is not an option, for some it may be their only option. If you do plan to euthanize your pet you should do so only with a certified veterinarian.
Whichever option the pet owner chooses, releasing them into the wild is NOT a good option. In addition to being against the law it could be lethal for your pet or, if they do survive, economically or environmentally catastrophic for your community.
These ideas and suggestions were provided by Dr. Steve Johnson, University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology, and the Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. For more information on what to do with unwanted exotic pets please visit their websites.
Fight Panhandle invasive species by visiting our action articles.
An unwanted green iguana now resides at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center where others can learn about the issues of exotic pets. Photo: Molly O’Connor
by Rick O'Connor | Feb 20, 2015
The Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (ECISMA) is organizing a nonnative freshwater fishing tournament for Invasive Species Week.
Begins: 6:00 AM Saturday February 21, 2015
Ends: 12:00 AM Sunday March 1, 2015
OBJECTIVES FOR TOURNAMENT
- Document the distribution of freshwater nonnative fish in Florida
- Increase awareness of the problem with nonnative freshwater fish
- Encourage anglers to target nonnative species
RULES FOR TOURNAMENT
- All anglers must register on EDDMaps – this is easy… visit http://eddmaps.org/
- When recording on EDDMaps all data must complete with exact location (GPS preferred) and include a photo. Photos should have fish flat on a light colored background, in shade if possible, head facing left, and extend the fins as much as possible.
- The boundaries for the tournament are all legally fished freshwater bodies of water in Florida
- All fish must be caught within compliance with the State of Florida regulations. Visit MyFWC.com/fishing/freshwater/regulations or visit a local bait and tackle shop for these.
- Native species are not eligible
PRIZES FOR TOURNAMENT
Most Unusual Catch – Adult
- First Prize – $75 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Second Prize – $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Third Prize – $25 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
Most Species – Adult
- First Prize – $75 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Second Prize – $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Third Prize – $25 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
Most Unusual Catch – Youth
- First Prize – $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Second Prize – $25 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Third Prize – $15 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
Most Species – Youth
- First Prize – $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Second Prize – $25 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
- Third Prize – $15 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shop and Lionfish Be the Predator T-shirt
For a list of nonnative targets you can visit EDDMaps.com, MyFWC.com, or contact your local county Extension office. We encourage all participants to take and eat what you catch.
DISCLAIMER
It is expressly understood that participants in the 2015 Nonnative Fish Catch, Click, and Submit enter at their own risk and that Everglades CISMA and all participating organizations, Officers, Event Sponsors, and Committees, and all other persons connected directly or indirectly with the operation of said event, shall be exempt from any liability for liable, slander, loss, damage, negligence, harm, injury, or death suffered by any participant, entrant, vessel, and equipment, companions, and guests, boat captains, mates, or crew members, which may occur in conjunction with the 2015 Nonnative Fish Catch, Click, and Submit.
For more information contact ECISMA at http://evergladescisma.org/.
by Rick O'Connor | Feb 20, 2015
Making the Big Sabine hike on Santa Rosa Island in February was COLD! A front had pasted over the day before and temp was in the 30’s with a north wind. But the sky was a beautiful blue and the Gulf was calm and clear.
The Gulf is smooth and clear most winter mornings.
Wildlands Environmental High School from Wisconsin making a dune hike on a cold Florida morning.
Joining me on my hike this month was the Wildlands School from Wisconsin. They were visiting the Gulf Coast working on a variety of projects and wanted to learn more about coastal ecology… so I brought them along. Because of the drop in temperature we did not see much wildlife. In January I saw very little other than birds. In February we saw few birds… it was really cold. As we hiked from the Gulf to the Sound we discussed barrier island and dune formation and showed many of the plants common in the different dune fields we mentioned in our January issue. Most were brown in color but there were a few evergreens and we even had one secondary bush blooming! Beach Heather (Conradina canescens).
Beach heather (Conradina canescens) blooming early in the year on a cold morning.
We did see a few mammal tracks and had a chance to discuss “animal sign” with the students, but no live animals were seen. The kids from Wisconsin were introduced to cactus (literally… many had it on their shoes) as we walked through the maritime forest and I had a chance to explain the xeric conditions found on our barrier islands and how this favored particular plants and animals. While in the maritime forest we also came across an old aquaculture facility and this gave me a chance to discuss this industry as well. But for me the most interesting discovery in the maritime forest was a “drag-line” that I had found in January near one of the ponds. As we walked past this area again – it was there again and seemed to be “fresh” (recently made). I am not sure what makes these drag marks – have a few guesses – but am hoping to discover the source before the end of this series.
Strange drag marks we have seen each month so far. They are found near one of the ponds on the Sound side.
Despite the north wind the Sound was calm and clear. Most of the marine creatures had moved into deeper-warmer waters but we did find a dead cannonball jellyfish. The students from Wisconsin got a chance to hold the slimy creature and we discussed how the stinging cells (nematocyst) work. These small cells on the tentacles of jellyfish have a triggering mechanism that is actually discharged by the object that touches it… the jellyfish does not do this. Once the trigger is moved a dart with a drop of venom is discharged into whatever triggered it. Several of these firing at once is what causes the pain we feel, or the death of a small fish. They were also excited to discover a primitive camp site that locals use. I explained the correct protocol for doing this and hope that locals do the same.
I found this along the shore last winter. These are cannonball jellyfish.
Though there was not a lot of wildlife to view in February but the beach is absolutely beautiful this time of year. The sunrises and sunsets are amazing. I encourage local “panhandlers” to visit your local island and take a long walk. I think you will enjoy it.
by Rick O'Connor | Jan 30, 2015
Wood ducks are one of the most colorful ducks in North America. Breeding males showcase an unbelievable combination of colors including a red bill and eyes, a metallic purplish-green crested head, black cheeks with thick white stripes, a maroon chest and rump, black and blue wings, dark yellow sides, and a white belly. The drab grayish-brown females are most easily recognized by their white eye ring and crested head.
A brightly colored male wood duck. Photo: USFWS National Digital Library
A pair of wood ducks with the more drably colored female in the foreground. Photo: USFWS National Digital Library
Another distinguishing characteristic of wood ducks is their habit of nesting in Florida. Few species of ducks do this.
In Florida, wood ducks begin laying eggs in cavities during late January. They prefer cavities located within a half mile of permanent water bodies. They like cavities in large trees that have clear access to a large entry hole, and shrubs nearby to offer protection for newly-hatched ducklings.
In areas with few large cavity trees, nest boxes can provide alternative locations to nest. Nest boxes intended for wood ducks should be made of natural wood: cedar is a good option because it weathers well. Boxes should be mounted with the entrance hole 6 or more feet above the ground or the surface of the water (if placed over a pond or swamp). Nesting hens will appreciate you placing some cedar wood shavings in the bottom of the box to serve as nesting material. Adding a predator guard below the nest box will greatly increase the chances the hen and her eggs/ducklings don’t get eaten by snakes or raccoons.
It’s best to have nest boxes in place before egg laying begins, which is right about now: late January. However, it’s never too late in the year to put up a new nest box. A box put out later in the year may be useful for a late-nesting hen. Many females have more than one brood during the long nesting long season which won’t end until late summer, so opportunities exist for a nest box installed later in the year to get used.
Wood ducks were given their name because they spend much of their time in wooded swamps, ponds, creeks, rivers, and freshwater wetlands. They prefer bodies of water that have 25-50% open water with 50-75% vegetative cover (a mix of shrubs, emergent plants, and trees) where they can hide and feed.
Wood ducks are sometimes called the “acorn duck” because of their fondness for these treats that fall from oak trees. They have a special preference for acorns from water oaks, laurel oaks, and shumard oaks. They also enjoy duck weed, smartweed, waterlily, seeds from many sedges, rushes, and grasses, as well as fruits from native trees and shrubs and occasionally invertebrates (spiders, insects, snails, crawfish).
Several adaptations differentiate wood ducks from other waterfowl and equip them for life in both woods and water. Well-developed toes and claws allow them to grab onto tree branches while perching. The placement of their legs near the center of their bodies allows them to walk on land more gracefully than most other ducks. Their broad wings and long wide tail increase maneuverability while flying to their cavity nest.
To learn more about wood ducks and what you can do to provide habitat for them, see this publication from UF/IFAS Extension.
Author: Holly Ober – holly.ober@ufl.edu
I am an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. My research covers wildlife ecology, habitat management, and identifying creative ways to cope with nuisance wildlife.
by Rick O'Connor | Jan 16, 2015
Beginning this month we will be posting a series of natural resource articles high lighting Florida’s Panhandle. The photographs and hikes presented in this series are from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties but the same natural places can be found anywhere between the Perdido and Apalachicola Rivers. We hope our readers will visit these places and DISCOVER FLORIDA’S PANHANDLE on their own. This year we will begin at the Gulf of Mexico and visit our BARRIER ISLANDS. We will visit the same location on Santa Rosa Island in Escambia County each month over the course of a year. During this series we should see how things change each season and learn more about our natural places.
The Gulf of Mexico at sunrise. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Here is the Gulf of Mexico. The northern Gulf is primary sand but their are areas of hard bottom that provide habitat for many of our commercial important fisheries. 450 feet off the shore from this photo is an artificial reef placed by Escambia County for residents and visitors alike to explore. These reefs attract a variety of reef fish and sea turtles and are great for wildlife viewing. Notice how low the sun is in the sky on this winter morning. The shortest day of the year was December 21 (when the sun was it’s lowest) and will be “climbing” as this series continues. Many beach residents use this as their clock!
Our barrier islands are considered the “world’s whitest beaches” and this is because of the high amount of quartz deposited here. In this photograph you can see the water is farther from shore than usual. This is due to the strong north winds blowing water offshore; this happens every winter – but provides feeding opportunities for shorebirds. The sand fencing is used by many of our counties to “kick start” dune restoration.
Primary dune line with sand fencing. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Beyond the primary dune on this portion of the island you will find low areas known as swales. These “depressions” will fill with water during rain events and provide much needed freshwater for the organisms who live out here. Barrier islands are xeric environments (meaning “desert like”) and freshwater habitats are very important for many creatures. Some of these ponds are ephemeral (meaning non-permanent) and dry up during some periods of the year.
Swale with dead cattails. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Small pines on the edge of a swale. Photo: Rick O’Connor
The water in most swales is freshwater. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Where the primary dune and swales end the secondary dune fields begin. Because of the primary dunes there is less wind and salt spray which allows different species to take root. The secondary dunes are often identified by their small round shrubs – such as goldenrod and beach heather. These larger plants will trap larger amounts of sand producing larger dunes. On the secondary dunes I usually find lots of tracks. Identifying tracks is difficult (especially in soft sand) but fun. Most of what I saw this winter day were mammals. Raccoons, opossums, and armadillos are very common. Skunks were once common but have been scarce since the hurricane years. Below are tracks of a canine. Many people bring their dogs to the beach but coyote and fox are also found here. These tracks measured about 3.5″ and more round than triangle shaped; suggesting this is a dog.
Small secondary dune with small pine trees.
This secondary dune supports a saw palmetto. Many forms of wildlife depending on these shrub areas.
These unidentified canine tracks are probably of a dog; though coyotes are on our islands
Beyond the secondary dunes are the largest dunes on the island, some measuring over 50′, these are the tertiary dunes. With the secondary dunes blocking wind and salt spray larger plants still are allowed to grow. Here we find actually trees; pine, live oak, magnolia to name a few. With the loss of primary and secondary dunes the tertiary dunes are exposed to the wind and salt spray of the Gulf side, which puts them at risk. This is why sea oats and primary dunes are protected in most counties.
The face of a tertiary dune. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Tertiary dunes are the largest dunes on the island; some reaching over 50′.
Tertiary dunes support trees such as this magnolia and yaupon holly.
The large field of tertiary dunes blocks enough wind that forests and salt marshes can establish themselves on the back side of the island. Here the diversity and abundance of wildlife increases. We have found not only the mammals already mentioned but snakes, freshwater turtles and terrapins, and a variety of birds. This winter day I found several small woodland and mocking birds. Some of our islands have deer and alligators.
From atop a tertiary dune you can view the maritime forest, salt marsh, and sound beyond. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Within the maritime forest you will find a variety of plants and animals.
Holly’s are famous for having the bright red berries around Christmas time. Here in January the berries are still found on some of them.
Between the maritime forest and the salt marsh you may find freshwater ponds. Like the swale ponds, these places are great places to find wildlife. Though I have not seen them in many years I have found alligators in this area. These ponds support populations of amphibians and small fishes.
This freshwater pond has bull minnows, amphibians, snakes, and – in the past – alligators. Photo: Rick O’Connor
With the dunes blocking offshore winds trees can grow much larger on the back side of the island; like this live oak.
This pond supports a stand of green algae which supports many of the aquatic animals that visit here.
On this winter day I primarily saw bird life. The air temperature was 39 F and the wind was out of the north. Many of the mammals move at night and the reptiles, being cold blooded, were hibernating somewhere; the bird life however was pretty active. Many woodlands birds were out feeding on seeds and berries, herons and egrets were in the marsh hunting fish in the shallow waters, and shorebirds were picking through the beach wrack and some were diving.
This pelican is searching over Santa Rosa Sound for a fish to feed on. Photo: Rick O’Connor
This unusual drag was found between the salt marsh and the sound side shoreline. It looks like a turtle crawl but at his time of year more probable something being dragged by something.
Armadillo tracks can be identified by their “tail drags”.
Salt marshes are one of the most productive systems on earth; and the target for another FLORIDA’S PANHANDLE series. Crabs, shrimp, mollusk, worms, terrapins, fish, and birds are some of the wildlife that call this place home – and maybe we will find some as this series continues into the warmer months. Today I found pelicans, herons, and egrets here eating.
A finger of a salt marsh on Santa Rosa Island. The water here is saline, particularly during high tide. Photo: Rick O’Connor
The muck of a salt marsh. This rich organic mud is very loose and the hiker can quickly sink! Notice the tracks of a predator.
Notice the low water levels typical of winter. This congregates fish into smaller pools and makes it easier for birds and mammals to catch them.
The Sound side of the island has wind but less wind than the Gulf side. The wave energy here is also lower supporting seagrass and oyster communities. Like the marsh these places are very productive; though all I really saw moving on this cold winter morning were the birds. There are two species of seagrass common to our sounds; turtle grass and shoal grass. However there have been reports of more tropical species appearing. We may find some when the water warms up. These waters support at least 100 species of fish and many invertebrates we enjoy eating.
The darker areas in the water are seagrasses. Photo: Rick O’Connor
I found this along the shore last winter. These are cannonball jellyfish.
This is a sea nettle. This species of jellyfish has a more painful sting. I only saw one of these today but saw several cannonballs.
People find this “sea foam” frequently when they visit the beach. It is formed when the winds pick up and there are nutrients in the water. It was up and down the beach today.
It is not uncommon to find dead fish along the shore after a hard freeze as we have had in recent weeks. When it warms these dead fish will attract scavengers including cottonmouths. Maybe we will see one later in the year.
There was very little trash on the island today but it was there. These pieces of debris can cause serious problems for coastal wildlife. We will discuss this issue more as this series moves on.
Well, for January we found the beach to be cold and windy. Very little wildlife was out to be viewed other than birds and the numerous tracks in the dunes, but as the temperatures warm we will see more. Take some time to visit our barrier islands and enjoy them. Until February.
