Weeds, Bugs and Birds

Weed kills – no wait a minute, that’s a subject for a whole other blog. (It is a known fact that “weed” kills inhibitions and twinkies.)

What I meant to say is weed killers kill. Duh! Of course they do, it’s right in the name – “killer.” Unfortunately, weed killers kill more than weeds.

This goes for pre-emergent herbicides too. Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “Yes, I know they are bad for the environment, but the little bit I use in my yard won’t hurt, and I don’t have time to sit there pulling all those weeds.”

I don’t know whether you have time or not, but I do know that the “little bit” you use in your yard DOES HURT. Pre-emergents are the killers that go on killing. They kill the targeted weeds, along with insects and worms that are eaten by birds. The birds die too.

I’m not a chemist, but there are a zillion sites (I counted) that explain all the hazards. And, it’s not just birds that are affected. There is evidence that lawn and garden chemicals can cause leukemia and other cancers in children.

And, I’m not even talking about the big dog in the room – pesticides. Just Google pesticide hazards, and you will get back into bed and pull the covers over your head. The list of bad stuff associated with pesticides goes on and on. The state of Connecticut says, “Chronic effects of pesticide and herbicide

exposure can include immune system suppression, birth defects, cancer, and neurotoxicity.” Pesticide use has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and a whole lot of other health problems.

DDT was one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. Unless you have been visiting Mars for the last several years, you know the havoc that it caused. Fortunately, peregrine falcons and bald eagles escaped extinction. Also, pesticide use in Argentina caused a significant decline in wintering Swainson’s hawk populations. Fortunately, the link was identified and mitigated.

So, this is the world we live in, right?  These chemicals exist and they are not going away. All I’m saying is make educated choices:

• Get information

• Be aware of your actions and their consequences

• Seek out alternatives

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When it's birds vs. cats, the cats win!

Touchy subject today. First of all, I do not hate cats.

We just lost this sweet 24-year old tabby we had been fostering for three years (Not a misprint -- she was 24 years old). We miss her desperately. But, when it comes to prey and predators, the Sylvester chasing Tweety behavior can't be ignored. Cats kill millions of birds each year (again, not a misprint -- "millions").

In a recent New York Times article (March 20, 2011), Elisabeth Rosenthal reported on predation of birds by cats. Here's an excerpt:

"A new study in The Journal of Ornithology on the mortality of baby gray catbirds in the Washington suburbs found that cats were the No. 1 killer in the area, by a large margin.

Nearly 80 percent of the birds were killed by predators, and cats were responsible for 47 percent of those deaths, according to the researchers, from the Smithsonian Institution and Towson University in Maryland. Death rates were particularly high in neighborhoods with large cat populations.

Predation was so serious in some areas that the catbirds could not replace their numbers for the next generation, according to the researchers, who affixed tiny radio transmitters to the birds to follow them. It is the first scientific study to calculate what fraction of bird deaths during the vulnerable fledgling stage can be attributed to cats.

“Cats are way up there in terms of threats to birds — they are a formidable force in driving out native species,” said Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, one of the authors of the study.

The American Bird Conservancy estimates that up to 500 million birds are killed each year by cats — about half by pets and half by feral felines.

This is not "nature taking its course" as I hear people say. There is nothing natural about a domestic cat. Cats were introduced to North America by European colonists. Scientists consider them an invasive species. That doesn't mean that my wife and I won't ever have another cat. We very well may, but it will be an indoor-only cat.

What can you do? It goes without saying (but I'm going to anyway) -- spay or neuter your cat. Also, support organized efforts to trap, spay and neuter feral cats. Finally, please keep your cat indoors as much as possible.

Up next: Birds vs. lawn and garden chemicals.

Part 3 -- "Natural" Florida

"Natural" is a relative term. Let's face it, there are few, if any, places left anywhere in the country that haven't been impacted by human activity. I guess I'm defining the word "natural" to describe those areas that are screwed up the least. While we cannot go back in time and see the world as it was, we can celebrate the tracts of land that have been protected from further degradation. And, in reference to the locations that I have written about, there has been an effort to undo some of the damage. Here is my final post (for now) about areas I enjoy visiting in Southwest Florida:

Matanzas Pass Preserve
Lee County Parks & Recreation

www.leeparks.org/pdf/Matanzas.pdf
(239) 432-2004

How to get there
In Fort Myers Beach, travel south on Estero Boulevard (FL 865) just over a mile from the foot of the Fort Myers Beach bridge. Turn left on Bay Road and drive about 200 yards to the parking lot

An oasis surrounded by humanity…

One of the few natural habitats left on Estero Island, Matanzas Pass Preserve includes a historic cottage and 1.25 miles of trails through wetlands and mangroves. Look carefully for tiny mangrove tree crabs on the roots of red mangroves. Among the variety of plants and animals, you may also see  bald eagles and manatees. Free admission.

Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve
Lee County Parks & Recreation

www.leeparks.org/sixmile(239) 432-2004

How to get there
On Six Mile Cypress Parkway, 1.5 miles north of Daniels Parkway – Exit #131 off I-75

A 2,200 acre haven…
Bromeliads, orchids, irises and 10 different species of endangered plants and animals are found in this long, narrow preserve. As you follow the 1.2 mile boardwalk through five distinct ecological “communities,” keep an eye out for the occasional non-native armadillo. Parking fee.

Lover’s Key State Park
Florida State Parks Service

www.floridastateparks.org/loverskey
239-463-4588

How to get there
Approximately 10 miles west of Interstate 75 at exit 116. From Fort Myers Beach, drive just over seven miles south on Estero Boulevard (FL 865).

For lovers of beach and nature…Two miles of beach (with abundant shells) and five miles of hiking/biking trails make this a must see destination. Among the wildlife, you may spot manatees, dolphins, roseate spoonbills, marsh rabbits and bald eagles. Fee area.

More "Natural" Southwest Florida Destinations

This is my second in a series of posts describing special "natural" places in Southwest Florida (as opposed to the many unnatural, man-made, and trashed sites in the Sunshine State. I'm interested in what's left of the Florida before Mickey, South Beach, and tacky tourist traps. Although I do think my idea of an alligator petting zoo could fly. Here are two more very special spots for glimpsing another side of Florida:

Little Blue Heron -- (c)2011 Jeff Webster

Shark Valley -- Home of the Hungry Grackles!

National Park Service -- part of Everglades National Park
http://home.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/(305) 242-7700

How to get there
From Interstate 95 in Miami, drive west on U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) for 35 miles. From Naples, drive 75 miles east on U.S. 41.

Please don't feed the birds! At the visitor’s center, a sign warns you that grackles will swoop down and steal snacks from your hands. I was more concerned with gators eating my hands, so I promptly forgot the warning. Soon after, just as I was about to put a cracker in my mouth, a grackle landed on my shoulder and snatched the snack. The bird had timed it perfectly. Needless to say, the incident sparked laughter from other visitors.

After inadvertently feeding the grackle, we boarded a tram for a two-hour ride through the sawgrass marsh dotted with hardwood hammocks (“tree islands”). Along the way, a tower offers broad vistas of the park. Watch for purple gallinules and snail kites, along with turtles, the ubiquitous gators and white-tailed deer.
Fee area.

Welcoming Committee -- (c)2011 Jeff Webster

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

National Park Servicehttp://www.fws.gov/dingdarling(239) 472-1100

How to get there
In Fort Myers, cross the 3.5-mile causeway leading to Sanibel Island (toll). Turn right on Periwinkle Way and bear right on Palm Ridge Road for approximately 5 miles.

"Ding" Darling was a nationally syndicated, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. He was also an outdoorsman and an early conservationist. In 1934, FDR appointed him as dirctor to the agency that became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge that bears his name is a "must see" for anyone who values nature.

Showy birds and shy crocodiles…The 6,000-plus acre refuge contains part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. Of course, there are alligators, but you may also find a few reclusive salt-water crocodiles. Easier to see are the beautiful pink roseate spoonbills. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded here. Fee area.

Next post -- some lesser known gems in the Fort Myers area.

"Natural" Southwest Florida – Corkscrew Swamp

Over the next several posts, I will be writing about special places in Southwest Florida. This will appeal to those of you want a different Florida vacation, without a white-gloved mouse in sight.

There is no doubt that Florida is one cliché after another: Miami Vice, Mansions on the Gold Coast, spring break parties, Mickey, hurricanes, alligators and senior citizens heading to early-bird specials, turn signals blinking the whole way.

Florida IS all that, but beyond the T-shirt shops, Florida is so much more. Many environmentalists have given up on trying to save “natural” Florida from the tacky and tawdry excesses of humankind. However, many concerned groups and individuals have preserved some spectacular havens for wildlife and wild plants.

Wild places do exist, and – even while species around the world are disappearing – wildlife is abundant. Florida has more nesting pairs of bald eagles than any other state except Alaska. And in Southern Florida, you can scarcely look up without seeing an osprey or white ibis. If it’s alligators you want, you came to the right place. Imagine what must it have been like before unchecked development nearly wiped out the Everglades and completely paved paradise.

By many measures, South Florida’s ecosystem is as “totaled” as a Mini Cooper under a big rig. But, if you can navigate unscathed through the traffic of Naples and Ft. Myers on the Gulf Coast, it is still possible to marvel at slices of natural beauty. It is hard not to be impressed by all the flora and fauna that has somehow dodged the bullets of bulldozers, airboats and greed. Of course, most of these peeks into the past include civilized touches such as interpretive centers, boardwalks and gift shops. Here's the first stop (more to come in my next posts):

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
National Audubon Society

www.corkscrew.audubon.org
(239) 348-9151

How to get there
From I-75, take exit 111 north of Naples. Travel east on Immokalee Road (County Road 846) for 15 miles. Turn left on Sanctuary Road. Warning: Do not take Exit 123 – Corkscrew Road. As the “snowbirds” from Maine would say, “You can’t get there from here.”

Painted buntings and much more…
Along the 2.25-mile boardwalk (or the 1-mile shortcut), you will experience  nature’s true “magic kingdom.” The specialties here include the rainbow-like painted bunting, wild orchids and the largest virgin bald cypress forest in North America. Painted buntings frequently visit a feeder, which allows close viewing of these spectacular birds. A barred owl is often heard during the day perpetually asking, “Who cooks for you?” Visit www.corkscrew.audubon.org for a checklist of the sanctuary’s abundant plants and animals. Fee area.

(The painted bunting photo was taken by the U.S. National Parks Service and is in the public domain.)

"These Ones" and Rufous-Backed Robin

Grammar Peeve (my wife really hates this): I can think of only one time when it is acceptable to say, "These ones." It would be when counting stacks of money. "These ones, those fives, the tens over there." Okay, I'll stop being a smartass, now. Seriously, it is not necessary to add "ones" when identifying anything in a group. Just say, "this one when singular and, "these" when plural.

Bird of the Day: Rufous-backed robin -- the most recent addition to my life list. I saw it in February 2011 on the grounds of a monastery in St. David, Arizona, southeast of Tucson. It is a Mexican species that occasionally winters north of the border. Picture a regular ol' robin with a reddish back and you have a pretty good idea of what it looks like. Here's a link to the Wikipedia article on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-backed_Robin

I don't have the proper equipment to photograph birds well, but I do have a few pix that I will include with future posts.

Peregrine Falcon - May 15, 1977

Along the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts. Three of us made our way into a meadow completely walled in by trees. Instantly a shape flashed over us. My first peregrine! It was rocketing around the clearing very close to the trees trying to flush prey. I was mesmerized. What a magnificent aerial display. The bird was single-minded in its mission and didn't care in the least that we were there. My two very experienced birding companions were as thrilled as I was. After all, peregrines had been eradicated east of the Mississippi due to the widespread use of DDT. Right then, the fastest bird in the air became and remains my favorite.

At that time, the peregrine was being brought back from the brink of extinction, thanks to the dedicated ornithologists at Cornell University. In fact, our peregrine was almost certainly a product of their captive breeding program. Many years later, while digging my way out of a mid-life crisis, I had a peregrine tattooed on my left arm. To me, it represents a modern Phoenix rising from the ashes -- a symbol of second chances.

Newburyport, Massachusetts - 1975

One of my relatives had been an avid birder since childhood. He spent hours exploring a vast meadow near his home, scaring up birds as he walked. He would remember as much about each bird as possible, then run to the local library, which had an extensive collection of bird mounts. These early birding experiences led him to become a junior high science teacher and pass on his love of birds to many of his students.

Despite his influence, I didn't catch the birding bug until 1975, when a Ross's gull brought birders from around the world to Newburyport, Massachusetts.

My wife, my brother and sister-in-law drove 100 miles to see what all the hoopla was about and catch a glimpse of the gull. And that's all it was -- a glimpse. That's all it took to get me hooked. I quickly started a life list. It stands at 562 in March 2011, which is really not all that impressive. In the common vernacular, "Whatever." I'm happy with it. Just think how many more exciting finds are waiting out there.

I intend this blog to be a very casual affair. I am also a writer and actor, so I will include an eclectic mix of topics. I'll start my next several posts by describing some of my most memorable birding experiences. And, as a writer, I also intend to include some posts on words and other topics that may or may not have anything to do with birds. (I mentioned this was an eclectic endeavor, didn't I?)