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!
