This being our first winter in retirement, the wife and I decided to see what it is like to be migratory. We were in the Florida Keys from mid-January through early February. Here, after a few big rainstorms in early January, we finally had a real snowstorm, and then it got very cold for a couple of weeks. It was delightful to miss the bitter cold and shoveling.
Folks who enjoy winter outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, ice fishing and skiing finally were able to have at it, after the past few winters which did not allow much opportunity for those activities. The groundhog woke up Feb. 2, did not see his shadow and predicted an early Spring. We returned home to near record temperatures, though there were predictions of deep snow for Valentine’s Day (that did not pan out).
I drove the trip to Florida with the intention of visiting some National Parks and Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) on the way down and back, while my wife flew down and met me. I visited the Okefenokee Swamp NWR and took a boat tour, as well as swinging by the Wakodahatchee Wetlands near Boynton Beach, Florida, and the Savannah NWR at the Georgia/South Carolina border. I am happy to report that I ran into many of our migrant summer birds, such as yellow-rumped and palm warblers, turkey vultures by the thousands, harriers, ospreys, red-winged blackbirds, egrets and herons all enjoying warm weather, and hanging out with Southern residents such as manatees, alligators, wood storks and many fish species.
We ate fish we caught most nights we were there. Mangrove, schoolmaster and yellowtail snapper, yellow jacks, Cero mackerel, sand tilefish and black fin tuna as sushi and tacos. The diversity of species was fantastic, and a tradition in the Keys that we have found nowhere else is that local restaurants will cook your fish for you. We also had daily visits in the canal by manatees, and daily sightings of dolphins and sea turtles when we were on the boat were quite a treat.
We really enjoy the boardwalks and accessible facilities in those areas, which dwarf much of what we have here in the Northeast: A wheelchair-accessible, glass-bottom boat over the coral reefs and a wheelchair-accessible pontoon boat tour through the cypress swamp at Okefenokee; a half mile boardwalk through mangroves and along the beach in Islamorada; a ¾-mile raised boardwalk through incredible wetlands in Palm Beach county; and a 5 mile drive through a former rice plantation that is home to thousands of ducks, herons and egrets as well as alligators.
Ecotourism is a huge business down South. We visited the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center and the Turtle Rehab Hospital in Marathon, which are amazing. I have often asked myself why does it seem they have better facilities for this down there. Is it space? Money from tourism? Greater interest? Weather? Some combination of all of those? Or am I overlooking or taking for granted what we have here, such as the Rail Trail system, Mass Audubon and Trustees of the Reservation properties and NWRs such as Parker River, Sylvie O Conte and Cape Cod Seashore and state parks such as Rutland, Moore and Wachusett Mountain. One thing that struck me as similar is that the average age of folks availing themselves of ecotourism is 55 and older.
When I was teaching, I always tried to foster an appreciation of the outdoors among my students, and urge us all to share our fondness for the outdoors with younger people. If we are to keep these great outdoor resources, we need to foster an appreciation among younger people.
A recent birding survey by the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that around 96 million people in the US over the age of 16 (35%) “closely observed, fed or photographed birds, visited public parks to view birds, or maintained plantings and natural areas around their home.” This is great news and a trend I hope continues.
Featured Flora and Fauna
In the Keys, we stayed in a house that had a saltwater canal in its back yard. Almost daily visitors were aquatic mammals called manatees. Should you ever have the opportunity to see them, they are a fascinating endangered species. Once called sea cows, they are somewhat seal- or sea lion-like mammals, though not quite as good swimmers. In cold weather, they tend to move pretty slowly. Many of the ones we saw had barnacles or algae growing on their backs. They are primarily plant eaters, though we did see them scavenging some fish carcasses. Some claim that manatees are responsible for myths about mermaids, as they have a tail that is one large “flipper,” although while many of us think them cute, it seems a stretch to make them into beautiful mermaids — but perhaps months at sea will do that. Manatees are endangered in part due to human activity. Most manatees we saw showed scars from motor boat propellers, and humans certainly have/do encroach on their habitat.
When boating in Florida, any near shore areas, including canals and inlets, are “no wake” or manatee zones, where boats have to run slowly at just above an idle to avoid injuring manatees. Kayaks and paddle boards are a great way to get a close encounter with them. Occasionally in warm summer months a manatee will travel north to New York, Connecticut or Rhode Island coastal waters. I remember two summers in the early 2000s when one made its way to Cape Cod, and both times needed to be returned back home by human technology. This also happens with sea turtles who get “caught” inside Cape Cod bay each fall, and sometimes end up in the turtle hospital In Marathon we learned while down there.
What to do:
Spring begins March 21 at the Vernal Equinox, but we are beginning to see signs of it even now. Maple tree and other tree buds start to “swell” as sap begins to run in them on warmer days. Maple sugaring is starting, in fact our neighbor just tapped a couple of dozen trees. If you see bags or buckets hanging from trees or plastic tubing running tree to tree, that is for collecting sap that will be boiled down to make syrup. Red-wing blackbirds, some of which no longer migrate much farther south than southern Worcester County, will begin to sing near local wet areas. Skunk cabbage and pussy willows will start to bloom in wet areas. Morning bird chorus will start on sunny days. Local year-round resident birds such as cardinals, chickadees, Carolina wrens and nuthatches are gearing up for Spring, and in March early migrant birds will start to appear.
Outdoors, boating and fishing shows are happening. Look for them in Boston, Providence, Springfield and Marlboro. “On the Water ” magazine has a complete listing at their website. My personal favorite is the Saltwater show March 8-10 in Providence. Rutland Sportsmen’s Club has set the date for their game dinner: March 23, $35 per person and open to the public. Members work hard to share their favorite recipes for various fish and local (and nonlocal) game. At the March meeting of the Ware River Club, to be held at the Rutland Library, yours truly will be giving a presentation titled “Birds for Fishermen.” It will be a slideshow geared to show how birds can help us find fish in the saltwater and help to identify the species of birds fishermen see most regularly. Check out the “Wachusett Goings On” here in the Landmark for local programs on invasive species, local outdoor areas worth exploring and walks led by local experts. Thinking ahead, on April 8 there will be a total solar eclipse, and here in Massachusetts the sun will be covered 90-95% by the moon’s shadow. Check out online sources such as nasa.gov for more information. I hope to drive North or Northwest that day and see it close to 100%.
