Category: News

On May 5, ten Friends boarded a pontoon boat on the Alafia River to join Barbara and Dave Howard for a tour of the Alafia Bank CWA islands to see nesting birds. In addition to being “our” Friends, Barbara and Dave are also active members of Friends of the Tampa Bay Wildlife Refuges–a group very worthy of our support. During the boat tour, our group saw nesting Brown Pelicans, Ibises, and Roseate Spoonbills. They also saw Oystercatchers, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, Cormorants and other shorebirds. After a lovely couple of hours on the river and bay, they enjoyed lunch together at Jerry’s Dockside. We can’t thank Barbara and Dave enough for continuing to make this tour available to us!

On April 24, nine FPMN members enjoyed wading, kayaking, and snorkeling the upper section of the Rainbow River with George Heinrich, turtle expert extraordinaire. George gave us a turtle ID overview before we launched our kayaks. Between KP Hole Park and Rainbow Springs State Park, we spotted dozens of cooters, sliders, and softshell turtles. On our journey upstream we stopped to enjoy a watery stroll along Gissy Spring Run, where we found the remains of a small musk turtle which might have been an otter snack. The group ate their picnic lunches at the state park, then headed back downstream. A few Friends donned masks, snorkels, and fins and pulled their kayaks behind them as they swam the final stretch–delighting in seeing longnose gar and other fish below them. The fee for this floating field trip allowed us to donate $250 to the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust. Thank you, George, for sharing your expertise with us!

 If you’re interested in learning more about George’s ongoing research, check out his Suwannee cooter work here and his findings on gopher tortoise nesting here.

Seven Friends enjoyed a leisurely autumn paddle on the Hillsborough River a couple weeks ago. They launched from Sargeant Park, paddled upstream for a couple miles into the newly cleared Seventeen Runs area before floating with the current back to the launch. The five-mile journey revealed egrets, herons, ibises, and kingfishers above and alligators, gar, and (unfortunately invasive) sailfin catfish below. Swamp lilies, pickerelweed, and water hyacinth were blooming and attracting hundreds of swallowtail butterflies. A magical morning with delightful paddlers!

By the way, Sargeant Park is a great launch spot for paddlers There are clean restrooms, picnic tables, a well-maintained kayak launch (separate from the motorboat ramp), and even a kayak washing station for after you finish your paddle. You can choose to paddle upstream or downstream from this entry point. And the park also rents sit-on-top kayaks, $25 for up to four hours.

Stay tuned for more FPMN kayaking opportunities in the new year!

Friends of Pinellas Master Naturalists Members Stroll the Osprey Trail with Dan Larremore

By Joan Landis

It was as close to a perfect day as anyone could have wished for at Honeymoon Island State Park last Sunday on the Osprey Trail.  Filling the time as our Friends of PMN Member’s Only group was assembling at the trailhead, our leader, Dan Larremore, started sharing stories about his adventures as Park Biologist, Ranger, and all-around steward, conservationist and really cool guy.

Dan was settled comfortably on the bench across from the Trailhead kiosk in the bright morning sun as he told us about things only someone in the field for many years would see or know.  He explained these wondrous things in a conversational tone that was easy to follow and hard not to say “wow” out loud at many times.

Such wondrous things as how he has learned the best time of day and location to spot banded shorebirds.  And then, how he learns more about the very birds he just spotted – explaining how he researches the individual bird, follows it, and gets to know where it resides when not in Florida and how that process brings interested birders together in a mutual interest lovefest of admiration for these birds’ abilities and for their lives.

Once the walk was underway, Dan explained the history of Honeymoon Island, including the attempt years ago to sell the property for condos, setting a tone of sincere gratitude in us for what we were experiencing.  He explained the importance of, and nuances involved with the prescribed fire regimen to maintain healthy ecosystems.  And he taught us about the challenges of invasive species management and showed us several examples of invasive plants and trees along the trail.

Dan’s knowledge helped color our wildlife experiences as the forest came alive.  He told the story of the milk crate owlet rescue as we got a nice look at the underside of a Great Horned Owl, probably the male, perched in a pine just off the trail.  We watched several Ospreys harassing a Bald Eagle in attempts to drive it away from their nests and their fish breakfasts.  There was lots of noise.  After watching those behaviors, we moved along to an area just off the trail where a nice sized Diamondback Rattler was coiled and shaking his tail in warning.  We admired it from a respectful distance.  By the time we reached the bench at the end of the trail, you could see the white head of a Bald Eagle in the nest.  Dan speculated that there might be hatchlings in the nest, given the height she lay in the nest.  On our return, we were able to see the female GHOW out of the nest and we saw the male again. 

Just as one would hope for on a Sunday morning nature walk, we got it all:  the camaraderie of the Friends, the beautiful weather, Dan’s expert guidance and Mother Nature’s cooperation with bountiful wildlife in the Park.  It was truly a magical day!

 

What an interesting time we had at the recent tour of the Tampa  History Museum!

We Met inside at the Visitor Services Desk and we Enjoyed a 90 minute guided tour. After the tour some folks explored the Touchton Map Library cartographic research center in the THC, dined at the Columbia Café, visited the museum store, and took a stroll on Riverwalk. This museum is a wonderful gem.

For more upcoming field trips and lectures, please check out the Calendar page and the Events list on our Facebook page!

NOTE!  Sign up URL coming soon!!

Come join us for an exciting exploration of Blue Cypress Lake on June 18th. Blue Cypress Lake is the largest lake in Indian River County and is a ten square mile naturalist paradise. The lake is full of dwarf cypress trees, most of which contain Osprey nests which allow us to get an eye level view of nesting ospreys. The lake is also has alligators (of course!), eagles, egrets, herons, black and yellow crowned night herons and more!

We will explore the lake by pontoon boat, but sign up quickly as this field trip is limited to six people – as that is the capacity of the boat. We will meet at Middleton Fish Camp at 7400 Blue Cypress Road, Vero Beach, FL 32966. The boat will leave at 11:00am and will last for two hours. Afterward we will meet somewhere for lunch then go explore the Fort Drum Conservation area about twenty minutes from Middleton Fish Camp. Be sure to bring your camera! The fee for this field trip is $45.

There is a free boat ramp at Middleton Fish camp, so if you would rather bring your own canoe or kayak and paddle the lake instead of taking the pontoon boat, please do so and you can still join us afterward for lunch and hiking at Fort Drum.

George Heinrich will be presenting our Friends Zoom program Monday, May 23rd 7 PM – 8PM.

This presentation will provide an overview on the conservation of an imperiled estuarine turtle, the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). Although this species occurs in 16 states along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the coastline of Florida represents approximately 20% of their entire range. Five of the seven recognized subspecies occur in the state’s extensive salt marsh, mangrove, and estuarine habitats, including three endemics (one of which occurs in Tampa Bay where a survey is being planned to determine their distribution and identify nesting areas). Bycatch mortality in blue crab pots, habitat loss/degradation, impacts of climate change including sea level rise, and other threats are of concern.

REGISTER HERE

Bio:

George L. Heinrich is a field biologist and environmental educator specializing in Florida reptiles. His company, Heinrich Ecological Services (www.heinrichecologicalservices.com), is based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and conducts wildlife surveys and research, natural history programming, and nature-based tours. George is currently the Executive Director of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust (www.ftct.org).

Our president, Joan Landis,  volunteering to gather data on the health of Florida Springs!  Please use the following link to The Gainesville Sun Newspaper article – CLICK HERE!

10:00 am – 6:00 pm March 21, 2022

Spend the day with experts from the Cedar Key Biological Station on an adventure featuring living shorelines and Horseshoe Crabs   REGISTER HERE!

About this event

Participants will meet at the Cedar Key Biological Station and start the day with a visit to a living shoreline, the result of a coastal restoration project the Bio Station has undertaken. Please note: access to the living shoreline restoration project will be via a golf cart rented locally. Rentals will be $7.50 per person, golf cart capacity is up to 4 per vehicle.

Afterwards, we will break for lunch, then head over to the Cedar Key Arts Center gallery to view the March 2022 Open Show titled the “Art and Science of Horseshoe Crabs.” The Bio Station will have a special booth in the show which a donation by our Friends group made possible.

And to cap off this amazing day, participants will be able to join Savanna Barry, co-author of the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch (FHCW) program and regional specialized agent with UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant. With Barry and her volunteer team, we will participate in a Horseshoe Crab survey on the beach. FHCW is a standardized citizen science program, started in Cedar Key by the University of Florida (Dept. of Biology, UF IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station, and Florida Sea Grant) and FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in 2016. FHCW takes advantage of beach nesting behavior to collect valuable information about breeding horseshoe crabs.

**Note about mandatory safety requirements to participate: we will ask all participants to attest that they are either fully vaccinated or have tested negative for Covid-19 in the last 72 hours prior to March 21st via signature on Friends of Pinellas Master Naturalists waiver.

Weather forecast for 3/21/22 shows mostly sunny day with high near 70, lows in 50’s, dressing in layers is best option for comfort throughout the day.

What to Bring:

• $7.50 golf cart rental fee per person
• Hat and sunscreen
• Water bottle
• Lunch, snacks (some may opt to purchase lunch at local eatery)
• Walking, closed toe shoes
• Water shoes suitable for a beach walk
• Camera, binoculars

Any questions, please email Joan Landis, Trip Coordinator: jclandisoutdoors@gmail.com

552, 1st Street, Cedar Key, Levy County, Florida, 32625

Florida Bald Eagles:

Have you ever wondered:  

• Where and when eagles nest?

• Where they go when they leave Florida?

• How they construct and maintain their nest?

• What the first 12 weeks of life of a bald eagle is like?

• What Environmental factors affect eagles and all birds of prey?

• About the basic history of the bald eagle?

• How to become an official eagle watcher?

Attend our virtual program on Bald Eagles to find out! Wednesday, January 13^th at 7:00pm.

Our presenter is Nancy Murrah. Nancy Murrah spent many years as the Director of Learning for the one of the largest insurance companies in America. Today she dedicates her life to rehabilitating wildlife, especially birds of prey. Always while exploring, learning and growing others knowledge of wildlife she teaches the importance of conserving wild lands and clean water for animals and people alike. She is currently a Federally and State Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitator and the President of The Raptor Center of Tampa Bay where, in addition to many duties, she designs and delivers Nature Programs.

She serves as a citizen scientist for EagleWatch, an Audubon Florida program, she is on the board of directors for Tampa Audubon, Volunteers for both JayWatch and ColonyWatch projects, as well as participating in the Christmas Bird Count, Migratory Bird Count, Hawk Watch in the keys when she can and The Great Backyard Bird Count. Nancy spends the fast majority of her time rescuing and rehabilitating raptors and is building a Bird of Prey Rehabilitation and Education Center.

Nancy is currently president of the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay – http://www.raptorcenteroftampa.org/

Pre-registration required – go to : https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItf-CtrjkpG9LcFHTYUGkgM5tTZx7uzpvy to register