Tag: Wildlife

Bird Watching on Island Shores

Post author By Mike
Post date January 28, 2009
1 Comment on Bird Watching on Island Shores

It doesn’t get any easier than this. There is no need to travel or even go outside to do some bird watching on Anna Maria Island. In fact, at my house, sometimes the herons watch me at least as much as I watch them. As you can see from the photo, binoculars are not necessary to get a great close-up look at a great blue heron.

Anna Maria Island is a bird sanctuary. In recent years, important nesting of several species, including lesser terns, has taken place on the island shores near Bean Point. The area has been roped off so people won’t accidentally step on the birds, which are hard to see when they are nesting in the sand.

Tags bird sanctuary, bird watching, island shores, Wildlife

Environment Real Estate

Easy Island Pest Control

Pest control is an ongoing battle on Anna Maria Island, as it is in most subtropical places. Instead of pests, many Islanders like to call them critters. It sounds less disgusting or frightening than the real names for some of the creatures who share the environment and homes of most Floridians. Sometimes it’s possible to see the critters in a positive light. This article is about trying to do just that. It’s an exercise in trying to change your attitude if you can’t change the situation. Because our situation in Florida is that the critters are as determined to be here as we are.

One critter that is considered a pest by some, but a beloved pet by others, is the squirrel. As long as their numbers are not too great, and as long as they nest in the trees and not your house, squirrels can be very entertaining little visitors. When storms blow baby squirrels out of their nests, Wildlife Education and Rehab takes in hundreds of them, and with the help of volunteers raises them until they are big enough to run wild. It’s easy for many Islanders to see squirrels in a positive light, not the target of pest control measures.

Tags critters, pest control, pests, raccoon, rats, roach, squirrels, termites, Wildlife

Environment

Binoculars As Digital Camera Telephoto Lens

Post author By Mike
Post date November 7, 2008
4 Comments on Binoculars As Digital Camera Telephoto Lens

Here’s how to use your binoculars to take excellent distant photos without an expensive camera and telephoto lens.

I have an aging Canon PowerShot Digital ELPH camera which takes great pictures but has only a 2X optical zoom and 6X digital zoom. Sometimes I just can’t zoom in close enough to get a good shot.

But even without fine digital photography equipment, I get hundreds of great photos of the wildlife of Anna Maria Island, thanks to a clever technique. I’m not aiming to take professional quality photos to display in art shows or to market and sell. I simply want to have digital photos to capture the amazing wildlife I see on this beautiful island. Sometimes I email my photos to friends, or even to local wildlife and environmental officials.

Tags Wildlife

Sports

Sailing Tampa Bay

A beautiful day on Tampa Bay last weekend brought out sailors and boaties taking advantage of the breeze and perfect temperature to enjoy a day on the water.

Sailing out of northern Anna Maria Island presents no barriers or bridges into Tampa Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and to the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa Bay is one of few Florida deep water bodies of water, along with Charlotte Harbor, where keeled sailboats can enjoy unencumbered cruising without too much fear of running aground on shoals and dredged spoil banks.

Sailing under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a treat and navigation is little constrained up to St Petersburg.

Tags Boating, Bridge, Maps, Marinas, Wildlife

Environment

Great Blue Heron Rookery – Fledglings

Post author By Mike
Post date April 21, 2008
2 Comments on Great Blue Heron Rookery – Fledglings

The 3 Great Blue Heron chicks that we referred to in the story Great Blue Heron Rookery have now fledged and left the nest.

In the past week, first one, then two, and finally the third have taken short departures from the top of the Australian Pine that has been their home for the last 2 months.

A parent is still feeding them as they continue to beg, but they spend less time in the nest, which is now falling apart and being raided by another nesting pair.

The heron chicks appear to be healthy and active, but the chance of survival is still a challenge: 70% die after reaching flight stage.

Tags Fishing, Wildlife