WWW – 7.15.2020
WWW – 6.3.2020
Backyard Bioblitz
This year’s Bioblitz, an annual citizen science project where participants record their wildlife sightings in the iNaturalist app for cataloging by Conservation Florida, has been moved from Rock Springs Run State Reserve to your very own backyard!
If you’d like to take part, just download the iNaturalist app to your smartphone. This app allows you to record your observations directly to Conservation Florida’s bioblitz project. Please visit the iNaturalist tutorials for more information and join the iNaturalist project here. Record your findings! You can also share your experience on social media using #GreatFloridaBioblitz
2020 Firefly Festival at Blue Springs
UPDATE: I learned today that the Florida State Parks have cancelled all organized activities and events through the month of March. So, it is quite likely that if there is a Firefly Festival at all, it will be during the first week of April…if the fireflies are still around.
This is probably wise. COVID-19 is no laughing matter, and your loved ones’ health is far more important than the Firefly Festival. But if you love the Festival, you might think about making a donation to Friends of Blue Springs — the Festival is a major fundraiser for them.
Stay safe and healthy!
Any day now, the start of the 2020 Blue Springs Firefly Festival will be announced on the Friends of Blue Springs Facebook page. Steve and I can hardly wait! We went twice in 2019, and I hope to go at least twice this year.
Have you been? What’s your favorite firefly memory? Once in the mid 80s, I was on a bus from the airport to a conference in Ohio, and the wide fields in the dark night were FULL of fireflies! It was a beautiful sight, but I do believe the Blue Springs fireflies are my favorites.
Bats at Ft. Cooper State Park
I really like bats, but what I know about them could fit in a thimble. A really tiny thimble. So, they eat insects, fly at night, and don’t really get tangled in our hair. . .that’s about what I knew before Steve and I listened to Sherry from the Florida Bat Conservancy share her knowledge and passion for bats. We were also able to see two bats up close, and then watch a bat colony take flight at dusk. Now I want to know more, and Steve has finally agreed that we should have a bat house or two on our property.
Continue reading “Bats at Ft. Cooper State Park”Take action to protect bats
Photo credit: “Bat Swarm” by alexvalentine is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Bat maternity season is almost here, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding the public to check their homes and other structures for bats and seal potential entry points. Are there cracks in your chimney or holes in your siding? Bats and other small mammals can fit into these small spaces, and now is the best time to inspect your home!
Continue reading “Take action to protect bats”Bobcats – quiet grace on four paws
Only once have I seen a bobcat in the wild. Very early in the morning on the south side of Lake Okeechobee, the bobcat was just moseying across a driveway on the far side of the road. It was an encounter just long enough to realize what I was seeing, and for the bobcat, I suppose, there was no encounter at all.
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Christmas Bird Count
It’s that time of year again! The 120th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is fast approaching. Since 1900, dedicated birders have devoted a day to censusing all the birds in their area. In its first year, 27 birders in 25 locations counted a total of 90 species; in the 2017-18 count, 76,987 participants in 2585 locations counted a whopping 2,673 species. The incredible dataset produced by generations of CBC participants has helped scientists reveal trends in bird populations that have significantly aided conservation efforts.
Continue reading “Christmas Bird Count”Florida Panther is Recovering . . . Slowly
Recently Steve and I attended the third in the IFAS series Living with Wildlife. The topic this time was the Florida panther. While reading to prepare for this presentation, I was happy to learn that the Florida Panther, Puma concolor coryi, which once numbered less than 3 dozen, is making a slow recovery.
Continue reading “Florida Panther is Recovering . . . Slowly”
Travels with the Trouble Puppies
We took Sconnie and Max along on our recent trip to the Keys. We usually use a dog sitter, but this was a long trip and we knew they would miss us. Well, in all honesty, we knew we would miss them! At any rate, after we packed our own stuff, we added beds, food, bowls and various other stuff that two yorkies might need on vacation.
Continue reading “Travels with the Trouble Puppies”