Wildlife ‘rescues’ can do more harm than good
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
May 7, 2013
Winter is finally over. Trees and flowers are blossoming, birds are building nests and critters are being born.
This is also the time of year when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) begins getting calls about “abandoned” animals that folks believe may be in need of rescue. The fact is that rescuing these seemingly abandoned youngsters interferes with the very processes that ensure their survival in the wild.
After giving birth, adult wildlife must forage to provide food for themselves and their young. This means leaving their newborns for short periods.
Nesting shorebirds protected at Estero Critical Wildlife Area
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
April 4, 2013
Roger Tory Peterson, perhaps the world’s best known bird expert next to John James Audubon, proclaimed Little Estero Island his favorite shorebird viewing area. His observation underscores the importance of the area to imperiled and declining shorebird species that use the southern tip of Fort Myers Beach, and the reason the state has taken proactive measures to protect the shorebirds that nest there.
Male panther rescued with sister as kittens in 2011 is released
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
April 4, 2013
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) released a male Florida panther Wednesday night at the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area. The release site is along the borders of Palm Beach, Broward and Hendry counties.
New signs for birding, wildlife viewing trail something to sing about
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
December 21, 2012
There are new signs of economic opportunity and natural wonders in south Florida. Tourists and residents in 11 southern Florida counties may have noticed that directional signs for the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT) were popping up all over the place.
The signs direct traffic to 113 new birding and wildlife viewing sites from Sarasota and Stuart south to Key West, joining hundreds of other GFBWT locations throughout the state. Not only do these signs, bearing the swallow-tailed kite logo, designate ideal locations for birding and wildlife viewing adventures, they are also a symbol of positive economic impact.
Seabird deaths along Florida’s east coast appear migration-related
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
June 22, 2012
Researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have received reports of more than 150 dead or distressed greater shearwaters, gull-like birds, along Florida’s east coast in Brevard, Indian River, St. Johns and Volusia counties this week. After examining some of the birds, researchers believe these deaths are related to stress from the species’ long, trans-Atlantic migration.
Greater shearwaters migrate from their primary breeding grounds in Tristan da Cunha, a group of islands off the southwest coast of Africa, across the Atlantic to Canada, according to the Peterson Field Guide for Eastern Birds.
“This long migration, coupled with storms and high winds, can take its toll on some immature and older shearwaters, sapping their strength and making it difficult to feed,” said Dan Wolf, an FWC research biologist. “Upon examination of some of the dead greater shearwaters this week, we found the birds were young and emaciated, consistent with normal migrati
An endangered leatherback sea turtle made a rare daylight appearance on the beach in Ocean Ridge in an attempt to leave her eggs
Palm Beach County targets lights endangering sea turtles — miles inland
Source:
Sun Sentinel
Date:
May 29, 2012
Dimming the lights along the coastline hasn't been enough to save endangered sea turtles, so now plans are afoot to lower the lights at everything from car dealerships to football stadiums miles from shore in Palm Beach County.
The proposed dim zone could stretch all the way to Interstate 95 in some areas and encompass Mizner Park, downtown Boca Raton and several car dealerships along Federal Highway.
Some think it's a worthy adjustment for a good cause. Others think its nuts.
The Maroone Nissan dealership off Federal Highway in Delray Beach keeps its parking lot lights on through dawn, said Christopher McCray, general manager.
Beachgoers can help biologists monitor spawning horseshoe crabs
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
March 16, 2012
As spring arrives, horseshoe crabs converge along sandy beaches throughout the state to mate. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are asking the public for help pinpointing the sites where these horseshoe crabs spawn.
Beachgoers are likely to have the best luck spotting mating horseshoe crabs around high tide, just before, during or after a full or new moon. The conditions around the new moon on March 22 and the full moon on April 6 will create ideal opportunities to view the spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs.
The FWC asks people to report sightings through one of several convenient options. Go to MyFWC.com/Contact and click on the “Submit a Horseshoe Crab Survey” link, then “Florida Horseshoe Crab Spawning Beach Survey.” You can also email findings to horseshoe@MyFWC.com or call the FWC at 866-252-9326.
Observers should note the number of horseshoe crabs they see and whether those horseshoe crabs are mating. Mating crabs “pair up,” w
Along the Coast: Sea turtle nests up slightly from previous record
Source:
The Coastal Star
Date:
March 6, 2012
Along the Coast: Sea turtle nests up slightly from previous record
By Steve Plunkett
The competition between beach-goers and sea turtles for a spot in the sand continued to heat up in 2011.
Countywide, female loggerheads, greens and leatherbacks dug a record-high 19,552 nests, besting 2010’s record total, said Paul Davis with the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management.
But the new record was slim. “We only increased 31 nests this year,” Davis said.
Davis noted the county’s almost 41 miles of shoreline make up 5 percent of Florida’s beaches but account for 23 percent of the state’s nests, second only to Brevard County.
Annual manatee death count shows cold weather an unusually big factor again
Source:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Date:
January 4, 2012
A cold-related die-off of manatees in early 2011 set the stage for a third straight year with high numbers of deaths for the species. Biologists with the research arm of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) documented 453 manatee carcasses in state waters in 2011.
During the past three years, biologists documented the highest levels of cold-related manatee deaths, with the "cold stress" category accounting for 112 in 2011, 282 in 2010 and 56 in 2009. In the previous five years, cold stress accounted for an average of 30 manatee deaths per year.
The total number of reported manatee deaths in 2011 was the second-highest on record. Biologists documented a record 766 manatee deaths in 2010 and recorded the third-highest total of 429 in 2009.
"We are concerned about the number of manatee deaths the past three years, including those resulting from exposure to cold weather," said Gil McRae, director of the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.