10th panther
dies from
auto accident

Posted by Naples Daily News
on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006

A 10th Florida panther has been killed in a vehicle collision this year, tying a mark for the deadliest year on record for the big cats.
A female Florida panther was struck and killed on U.S. 41 East at around 11 p.m. Sunday between Manatee Road and Collier Boulevard, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Darrell Land in an e-mail.
The cat was not wearing a radio collar, nor did it have a transponder chip, so the panther's existence and location were unknown until its body was found. The panther was killed 1.5 miles east of Collier Boulevard within a few hundred yards of a middle school and an elementary school on a stretch of U.S. 41 that is slated to be widened from two to six lanes in coming years.
The roadkill record was set at 10 in 2003. Last year, nine panthers died after getting hit.
Scientists estimated between 70 and 100 Florida panthers are left, making the species one of the most endangered on the planet. Almost all of them live south of Lake Okeechobee.
Vehicle collisions are the top known killer of Florida panthers. Since 1972, 93 panthers have died on Florida's roads — 55 of those since 2000. This year, 10 panthers have been killed on highways, with the most recent being Sunday on U.S. 41 East between Manatee Road and Collier Boulevard.
In a separate report, six panthers have been struck in seven incidents in this same vicinity.
The reason for the discrepancy: A 4-year-old female panther was injured in a collision on July 11, 2004. After being nursed back to health for 10 months, the cat was released. Within two days, she returned to the bridge and was killed.

water shortage

Saturday after Thanksgiving
Quiet in the neighborhood. The bounce house next door has disappeared for another year and the neighbor's driveway is no longer overflowing with family vehicles. We had a few days of cool-to-cold weather which seems to have put people in the "holiday" spirit. Today, it's gray, overcast and rainy. I can't complain though, because they're telling us we had the driest October on record and we're under voluntary water restrictions. Palm Beach County is under mandatory restrictions because Lake Okeechobee is very low ... lower than it should be.

I spend so many of my days talking to fourth and fifth grade students about water. Wetlands and how they work. Water pollution and what we can each do to prevent it. But, nowhere in my studies have I seen how to address the issue of water shortage. I think it might be time to dig in and do some research. If we've got the same amount of water on the planet all the time (in different forms, of course), then where is the water that used to be here going?

Think about it. Then, do something...

A bird on the head...

Friday, July 7 was an amazing day. Mother Nature interfered with my ability to do my work, but it the most fun I've had in quite some time!
Around 10 AM, a commissioner came in to pick up his paperwork for next week's meeting and told us that a bird had tried to land on his head. Being the curious type, I went outside to see if I could locate the bird. The temperature outside was very near 90 degrees, the skies were quite overcast and humidity was hovering around 99%. I was wearing a wool sweater because my boss keeps the thermostat set at meat locker temps. So, there I am, standing in the parking lot, looking up into a mahogany tree, trying to locate this bird. The commissioner came to the door and pointed at the tree and said, "There it is." At just that moment, I caught site of the bird and it bird swooped down and landed right on my head!
The remainder of the day was spent with this bird plucking at my earrings and generally interfering with my work! He/she was quite friendly and very accustomed to riding around on the shoulder of a human. It did fuss quite a bit when I talked on the phone. It would move from shoulder to shoulder, fussing all the while, and every effort to change ears was to no avail. This guy/gal just didn't like it when I talked on the phone and was quite vocal about it!
My office mate, Carmen, enjoyed the bird, too. It seems she's never had that kind of exposure to a bird, so at first she was scared of it. But, by the afternoon, she was quite comfortable with our little feathered friend. (See picture, above!)
When the District crew came in from the field a little after 3 PM, they identified the bird as a Quaker Parakeet. I thought it was some kind of parrot, so that just goes to show you how much I know about birds. Then, Scottie informed me he had rescued one from a cat a few weeks earlier and he'd taken it home and adopted it. Unfortunately, he said, it had been de-feathering itself lately. He said he'd visited the old Chinaman at the bird shop up on Davie Road and the old Chinaman said the bird needed a mate.
So, I said, "Hey, Scottie: wanna take this bird home?"
To which he responded, "You bet!"
I never had a day when a bird landed on my head before this one. I once served as foster parent to an injured dove who liked to ride around on my head, but that's not the same as this.
Friday, July 7 will stand out in my mind as an unusual day. Maybe it's nature's way of directing wildlife that can't survive in the wild. Maybe I was just in the right place at the right time. Whatever the reasons, I sure did enjoy the company and the distraction and I hope he/she is enjoying his new home.

June 1 - let the games begin!

Here's a satellite shot of Wilma,
which crossed the Florida peninsula
on Monday, October 24, 2005.

Hurricane season officially begins today, June 1. The local newspapers, TV and radio are abuzz with commentary on preparedness, and it appears that those of us who lived through Wilma last October are taking the advice to heart. 50 "C" batteries to run my little black and white TV, eight 5-gallon cans full of gasoline for the generator and five cases of bottled water are all stashed in the garage. Florida's legislature created a tax free period to save us a few pennies in the process of purchasing these and a host of other hurricane-related items, to encourage us to prepare. Media reports are that it's working! Why, you can buy a generator at Publix now!

I'm ready! So, c'mon Mother Nature! Let the games begin!

Who's lizard is that on the fence?

I work for a "special district" and have the privilege of an office right on a canal that's flanked on the west by a pasture. The wildlife I have opportunity to observe is pretty impressive and it's my aim to share some of the photos I've taken around the office here on my blog. Which leads me to this photograph: who's lizard is that on the fence? He's not an iguana, for sure. And, I'm almost certain he's not native to Florida. Luke says its a Cuban Knight Nole. I looked it up on the internet, but only one picture I found looked like this guy. (Or, is it a girl?) He/she allowed me to get pretty close to take this shot, and, of course, the zoom lens helped. Note the yellowish tip of its tail and the rings around its eyes. If anyone knows for certain what lizard this is, I'd appreciate a posted comment. I often use these photos for the fourth and fifth grade students I teach about the Everglades and water conservation and I like to communicate accurate information. Today's weather is typical subtropical savannah on the last day of May: hot and humid with inland skies dark with coming rain. Good day!

I chose this, the Florida Panther, as the first image on my "blog." In 1995, while driving on a dirt road in Hendry County, not far from Immokalee, I saw a panther cross the road. I approached it slowly (remember, I'm driving on a dirt road) and I observed the wild cat pause for just a second or two, look towards my car, then move across the road. I slowed, and for just an instant the image of this animal was burned into my brain. That single experience awakened my thirst for information about the Everglades, and I'm still learning!

Watching American Eagles in Maine

Just awesome. Technology allows us ordinary citizens to watch the forces of nature and it's just totally awesome! Thanks to the National Wildlife Federation and biologists for making this possible.