Guided Hikes at CREW Trails Starting in November

Join our excellent volunteers for an entertaining and informative 2.5-hour guided walk on a portion of the Bird Rookery Swamp trails near Naples, FL. Learn the history, see wildlife and enjoy the view.

Wednesdays (9:00 – 11:30 AM) – November through April
1st Sundays (1:30 – 4 PM) – November through April
4th Saturdays (9 – 11:30 AM) – November through August

The Bird Rookery Swamp Trail is part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (owned by the South Florida Water Management District). It includes a 1500 ft. boardwalk and nearly 12 miles of raised trails on old railroad trams. The cypress/maple swamp is home to wading birds, owls, deer, bear, panther, bobcat, limpkins, and much more.

Join CREW Land & Water Trust volunteer and FL Master Naturalist, Dr. David Cooper, for a humorous and informative 2.5 to 3-hour guided walk at the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails. Learn about the watershed as a whole, view wildflowers, animal signs, birds, butterflies, and more.

1st and 3rd Tuesday (9:00-12:00) November-April
2nd Saturday (9:00-12:00) November-April

The CREW Marsh Trails are part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (owned by the South Florida Water Management District). These trails meander through pine flatwoods, along the edge of the marsh, to oak hammock and popash slough. The Marsh Trails are home to FL black bears, FL panthers, bobcats, limpkins, many songbirds, and more.

September 24, 2015

Take A Child Outside Week

Take a Child Outside Week-

September 24—September 30 Annually

” Take A Child Outside is a program designed to encourage children and adults to spend time together outdoors. By giving parents, grandparents and teachers information on outdoor
activities and places to go, our goal is to help children develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment and an enthusiasm for exploring the natural world.”- http://www.takeachildoutside.org/

Get out to CREW :

CREW offers three different trail systems that
you can explore. The CREW Marsh Trails offers a scenic tour around Southwest Florida’s premier watershed. The Cypress Dome Trails provides a peak into the vast world of Cypress Domes, and is a great place for fall wildflowers. Bird Rookery Swamp is a 12-mile loop full of wildlife and wonders. Be prepared to get wet, and have fun. Getting children outdoors helps them not only connect to the natural world, but helps them focus in school and has shown to reduce rates of obesity. So get involved and take a child out doors!

For more information visit: http://leef-florida.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?s=74621.0.0.37432&dateid=8397

September 24, 2015September 23, 2015

ACT NOW- Upcoming CREW Events

CREW kicks off this season with three great Saturday events:

Fungi/Mushroom Hunt with Ben “Mykes logos” Dion- September 26th

This walk will feature an in-depth introduction into the world of fungi, a discussion about fungi and their roles at CREW, and hands-on mushroom hunting and field identification. It takes place at the CREW Marsh Trails off Corkscrew Road. Benjamin Dion is the founder of the Southwest Florida Mycological Society. Known as “Mykes logos” in the mushroom world, Dion is a local expert on the identification, use, and ecological role of various fungi in the Southwest Florida area.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fungimushroom-hunt-with-ben-mykes-logos-dion-

registration-17801231964

Fall Wildflower Walk with Brenda Thomas- October 3rd

Join FGCU instructor and wildflower expert Brenda Thomas for this fabulous walk to identify fall-blooming flowers and grasses along the CREW Marsh Trails. The fall flowers are always spectacular after the wet growing season of summer. This is your chance to learn from someone whose passion for plants is unsurpassed!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-wildflower-walk-with-brenda-thomas-registration-18247392442

Florida’s Fabulous Spiders: A CREW Strolling Science Seminar- October 10th

This is CREW’s first Strolling Science Seminar- We are starting off the season with one of the top Spider Specialist, Dr. G.B. Edwards.

Do you know how many types of spiders are in the Florida and in world? Do you know what the role of spiders are in nature? Can you identify the few types of spiders that are medically important? Do you know how to safely catch and release spiders in the home? If the answer to any of these questions is NO, then this program is for you.

We will go on a hike, looking for different kinds of spiders in their natural habitat. In the fall, we should find many large orbweavers, but many other types of spiders as well. Participants are encouraged to take photos, and in some cases, feed the spiders to observe their prey-capture behavior. We will discuss do’s and don’ts of handling spiders! Get all your questions about spiders answered!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/floridas-fabulous-spiders-a-crew-strolling-science-seminar-tickets-18217581276

August 24, 2015August 18, 2015

Wildfile Q & A: Bird Call Vs. Bird Song

A Carolina Wren sings to define and defend its territory.

Q: What are the differences between a bird call and a bird song?

A young Red-bellied Woodpecker calls to its parent for food.

A: A bird call tends to serve a specific function and is primarily
innate rather than learned. A bird song is almost always learned and
is often customized by individual males.

EXAMPLES OF CALLS

Alarm calls alert every bird within hearing range that danger is
present, and all innately understand what the call means and act
accordingly. The alarm call of one species can be recognized by birds
of many other species.

Location calls let mates or birds in a flock know where the others
are. For example, when a Barred Owl calls during the day, a mate often
answers, sometimes from a good distance away. Each then knows where
the other is. Location calls can also identify good feeding and
nesting habitats.

A chick’s “feed me” call triggers a parental response to find and
bring food to its offspring. As the chicks get older, begging behavior
complements the call for food.

EXAMPLES OF SONGS

Male birds tend to sing more than females, and unmated males sing more
than mated ones. Males use songs to attract mates and to identify and
defend territory. The song warns other males to stay out of its
territory, and it invites females to come in. Males can recognize the
songs of neighbors and usually don’t pay any attention to them, but
they sing furiously if they hear the song of a stranger who might
enter their territory.

In selecting a mate, females may use the size and complexity of the
song to determine a male’s potential fitness as a partner. More mature
males usually have more elaborate songs which may indicate to the
female that the male is a survivor with more breeding experience and
better health.

A majority of songbirds have at least two different songs. The extreme
singer is the male Brown Thrasher which is estimated to have over
3,000 song types.

==========

By Dick Brewer

http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

July 27, 2015July 16, 2015

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Game Cameras at CREW

Wildlife at CREW

Tom Mortenson, CREW Volunteer

June 30, 2015

I operate five game cameras on trails, roads and edges at Cypress Dome and Caracara Prairie Preserve. You may have seen one or more of them when hiking trails there. They are tied to trees, often cabbage palms, or posts where they get a clear view of whatever walks past.

These cameras photograph anything that walks past them, day or night. Since these cameras were installed, they have photographed raccoons, deer, bobcats, wild hogs, panthers, raccoons, turkeys, sandhills, hikers, their dogs, horses, hawks, cows, raccoons, possums, vultures, and more raccoons. Most of these pictures—at least for animals– were taken at night because that is when wildlife are most active and least likely to encounter humans.

Here are a very few of the many thousands of pictures. I also share these with FWC and Collier County Conservation Collier in effort to help enhance the monitoring program they established years ago. These are mostly daylight pictures to capture colors. Remember that you share the hiking trails of Cypress Dome and Caracara Prairie Preserve with wildlife who call this home.

If you happen to see my game cameras while you are out enjoying the CREW trails please respect the ongoing research by not tampering with them. You can get involved with the CREW volunteer program, or report any suspicious activity by emailing crewtrust@crewtrus.mystagingwebsite.com or calling 239-657-2253.

This bobcat has appeared at this location on many occasions. His coloration is unusually dark.

I understand that ranchers detest wild hogs because of the damage they do to pastures. But they are survivors, prey, and I admire their jaunty air.

June 9, 2015June 29, 2015

A View of Bird Rookery Swamp-“Great day for butterflies”

Below are first hand observations from our volunteer Dick Brewer. Who does weekly visits to Bird Rookery Swamp and very week sends us incredible stories of the magical 12 mile loop. If you would like to see more of his observations visit: http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

“Below are observations from BRS on June 6. Great day for butterflies with 19 species identified, plus three more skippers that I don’t know and haven’t identified. The attached photo shows two Silver-spotted Skippers, one Dun Skipper, and one Ruddy Daggerwing all feeding on the same Buttonbush plant.

The juvenile Barred Owl was on a limb over the pond at marker 6. It flew down into the grass one time where it caught and ate something very small; then, it flew back up to its limb and began hissing for an adult to bring it more food.

The otter family was in a water hold blanketed with Duckweed but each otter was quite successful at catching fish. The second photo shows one of the otters really chewing a fish it caught, first on one side of its mouth, then the other, and finally chomping with both sides.
The tail of the fish is still hanging out of the right side of its mouth in the fourth panel.

Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, June 6 ~ 7:35 am–1:05 pm

BIRDS
Anhinga – 2
Great Egret – 8
Snowy Egret – 2
Little Blue Heron – 1
Tri-colored Heron – 1
Green Heron – 1
Black-crowned Night Heron – 5
Yellow-crowned Night Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 67
Turkey Vulture – 6
Swallow-tailed Kite – 3
Red-shouldered Hawk – 20
Mourning Dove – 1
Common Ground Dove – 2
Barred Owl – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 22
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Pileated Woodpecker – 2
Great-crested Flycatcher – 3
Blue Jay – 2
Tufted Titmouse – 10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 2
Carolina Wren – 18
White-eyed Vireo – 17
Northern Parula – 3
Northern Cardinal – 22

BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 13
Spicebush Swallowtail – 4
Ruddy Daggerwing – 23
Zebra Longwing – 4
Queen – 1
White Peacock – 36
Viceroy – 3
Red Admiral – 1
Great Southern White – 10
Gray Hairstreak – 1
Cloudless Sulphur – 1
Dorantes Longtail – 1
Brazilian Skipper – 5
Dun Skipper – 7
Fiery Skipper – 2
Least Skipper – 6
Silver-spotted Skipper – 6
Southern Brokendash – 3
Tropical Checker – 3

DRAGONFLIES
Eastern Pondhawk – 33
Needham’s Skimmer – 4
Halloween Pennant – 3

MAMMALS
River Otter – 4
Raccoon – 3
Gray Squirrel – 1

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
Alligator – 148
Brown Anole – 7
Green Anole – 1
Water Moccasin – 2
Green Treefrog – 18
Squirrel Treefrog – 4
Greenhouse Frog – 6

FISH
Brown Bullhead – 227″

-By Dick Brewer

http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

May 20, 2015June 29, 2015

Wildfile Q& A: Do all spiders bite, and are they poisonous?

Q: Do all spiders bite, and are they poisonous?

A: There are two problems with this question: a technicality, and a set of false assumptions.

First, the technicality. “Poisonous” and “venomous” are two different things. No spider is poisonous — harmful to eat, breathe, or touch. Mushrooms are sometimes poisonous, but spiders are not. Spiders are venomous; their toxins are proteins which only work when injected.

Second, all spiders do bite, but most local spiders are harmless because they are not aggressive and will not bite indiscriminately, or their fangs are simply too small to nip through our comparatively thick skin. Just because they are venomous does not mean they are
dangerous to people.

Spider venom does not exist to harm creatures which are too large for spiders to eat, like humans. The purpose of spider venom is to subdue the spider’s prey, almost always insects. In brief, it’s an insecticide.

Nevertheless, all larger spiders with a body length of a half inch or more should be treated with caution. Avoid flicking them away from your body. People allergic to bee stings may react more strongly to the bite of a spider than an ordinary person.

Bees and wasps kill more people in the United States in one year than spiders and snakes combined kill in ten years, and dogs and cats kill or injure more people each year than bees and wasps. Yet most people like dogs and cats and fear spiders and snakes.

For More Information: http://www.iflscience.com/brain/why-are-we-afraid-spiders

By Dick Brewer

http://www.dickbrewer.org/

May 19, 2015June 29, 2015

A View of CREW by Dick Brewer

Below are first hand observations from our volunteer Dick Brewer. This is a special week as we are luck to get Dick’s observations from all three trail systems. If you would like to see more of his observations visit: http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html

Monday, May 11 Marsh Trails- 6:45 am-8:30 Cypress Dome 8:35am-10:30

Great Egret………………………………………………… 6………………………………………………………………

Black Vulture……………………………………………… 3………………………………………………………….. 25

Turkey Vulture……………………………… …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 2

Swallow-tailed Kite………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………. 5

Red-shouldered Hawk………………………………… 3……………………………………………………………. 5

Barred Owl………………………………….. …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Limpkin………………………………………… …………… 1………………………………………………………………

Sand Hill Crane…………………………………………… 2………………………………………………………………

Mourning Dove…………………………………………. 11………………………………………………………….. 10

Red-bellied Woodpecker……………………………… 5……………………………………………………………. 5

Great-crested Flycatcher………………. …………… 1……………………………………………………………. 4

Blue Jay………………………………………. …………… 3……………………………………………………………. 2

Tufted Titmouse……………………………. …………… 1………………………………………………………………

Carolina Wren………………………………. …………… 4……………………………………………………………. 1

White-eyed Vireo……………………………………….. 5………………………………………………………………

Northern Cardinal……………………………………… 24………………………………………………………….. 10

Common Grackle………………………………………… 4………………………………………………………………

BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS

Common Buckeye…………………………. …………… 1……………………………………………………………. 1

Great Southern White……………………. …………… 2……………………………………………………………. 8

White Peacock……………………………… …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 2

Viceroy……………………………………….. …………… 2………………………………………………………………

Zebra Longwing…………………………… …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Giant Swallowtail…………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………. 2

Pearl Crescent……………………………… …………… 1………………………………………………………………

Tropical Checker………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Bella Moth (Utetheisa bella)…………… …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 3

DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES

Halloween Pennant………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Regal Darner……………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Blue Dasher…………………………………. …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 3

Needham’s Skimmer……………………………………… ……………………………………………………………. 7

Eastern Pondhawk……………………………………….. ………………………………………………………….. 13

Citrine Forktail………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Carolina Saddlebags…………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………. 2

OTHER

White-tailed Deer………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Squirrel Treefrog………………………………………. 14………………………………………………………….. 14

Pinewoods Treefrog…………………………………. 10……………………………………………………………. 3

Green Greefrog……………………………. …………. 33……………………………………………………………. 4

Cuban Treefrog………………………………………….. 3……………………………………………………………. 4

Greenhouse Frog……………………………………….. 2………………………………………………………………

Red Rat Snake……………………………… …………….. ……………………………………………………………. 1

Brown Anole……………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………. 6

Grass Pink and Pine Pink Orchids by Dick Brewer

Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, May 16 ~ 7:30 am-1:15 pm

BIRDS
Anhinga – 1
Great Egret – 6
Tri-colored Heron – 1
Black-crowned Night Heron – 1
White Ibis – 1
Black Vulture – 22
Turkey Vulture – 23
Red-shouldered Hawk – 18
Common Ground Dove – 11
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 3
Barred Owl – 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 22
Pileated Woodpecker – 2
Great-crested Flycatcher – 3
Blue Jay – 2
Tufted Titmouse – 11
Carolina Wren – 23
White-eyed Vireo – 9
Northern Parula – 5
Northern Cardinal – 28
Common Grackle – 2

BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 6
Spicebush Swallowtail – 1
Ruddy Daggerwing – 16
White Peacock – 55
Viceroy – 5
Great Southern White – 5
Tropical Checker – 1

DRAGONFLIES

Barred Owls By Dick Brewer — Barred Owls By Dick Brewe

Eastern Pondhawk – 46
Needham’s Skimmer – 3
Roseate Skimmer – 11
Halloween Pennant – 2
Eastern Amberwing – 2
Carolina Saddlebags – 1

OTHER
White-tailed Deer – 2
Alligator – 87
Brown Anole – 7
Soft-shelled Turtle – 1
Water Moccasin – 1
Green Treefrog – 56
Squirrel Treefrog – 4
Cuban Treefrog – 3
Greenhouse Frog – 8

May 6, 2015June 29, 2015

Book Release by Bernard F. Master

IN PURSUIT OF THE WORLD’S RAREST BIRDS

Author Bernard F. Master chronicles his adventures as a medical professional, businessman and legendary birder in No Finish Line.

Bernard Master is a avid hiker of the CREW Trails, a phenomenal birder, and a great educator. We have been lucky to have him as a leader in our Strolling Science Seminar series. He lead Birding with the Master at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2015 and will be returning in our 2015-2016 series. Below details Dr. Master’s new book.

No Finish Line, Discovering the World’s Secrets One Bird at a Time, is one man’s epic journey through life as a successful doctor, businessman, lifelong birder and internationally recognized conservationist. Readers will be mesmerized with his travel adventures spanning six continents and 105 countries. He shares his most exciting adventures searching for the rarest birds in the world. He is the first American to see a representative from each of the 229 bird families in the world, as well as Vireo masteri, a bird in Colombia named after him.

Whether he is meeting Queen Noor of Jordan to discuss birds and world conservation or attending a special dinner in his honor with Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands to receive a commendation in recognition of his world conservation efforts, there is always an interesting story to tell. His forays take him to exotic locations including Venezuela where he rediscovered a bird that had been absent for fifty years. Additional adventures include a thwarted kidnapping in Brazil. His quest to see a representative from all the bird families takes him to Rwanda, the Arabian Peninsula, Cameroon and China, providing readers with photos of extraordinary birds and accounts of his 7,800 species to date.

In between birding trips, Dr. Master was busy building two thriving companies, Health Power, Inc. and its sister company, the MEDCenters. His thirty-five year medical career begins with a tour in Vietnam as a battalion surgeon in a combat unit and a year as post surgeon for the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence School. Obstacles and successes are the narratives he shares outlining the intricacies of founding a healthcare company and ultimately taking it public on the NASDAQ.

“My own life has been one amazing adventure after another with no finish line in sight.” Author Bernard F. Master currently resides in Worthington, Ohio.

No Finish Line, Discovering the World’s Secrets One Bird at a Time is available on amazon.com.

May 5, 2015

A View of Bird Rookery Swamp- May 2, 2015

“Water levels are down more, even after the recent rains. Consequently, gator and wading bird numbers are down too.

One Roseate Spoonbill spent most of the day at Ida’s Pond, so visitors coming in had a spoonbill, Banded Water Snake, gators, Anhingas, Red-bellied Turtle, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, and Great Egrets to greet them.

The “hot spot” for the day was past marker 2 where the barbed wire fence ends and a service road splits to the left. There’s a depressionnat the junction of the main tram and the service road where a River Otter spent time catching and eating Crayfish that were left. A young
Barred Owl was in a cypress overhead, and while I was talking with four women who were enjoying the otter and owl, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo called from behind us. Later, hikers and bikers all commented about the otter and owl, so it was a great day for everyone.

The tram between markers 6 and 3 hasn’t been mowed recently, so the higher grasses are attracting lots of butterfly species, especially skippers”.

Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, May 2 ~ 7:15 am-1:30 pm

BIRDS
Anhinga – 11
Great Blue Heron – 2
Great Egret – 6
Snowy Egret – 4
Little Blue Heron – 3
Tri-colored Heron – 1
Black-crowned Night Heron – 3
White Ibis – 1
Roseate Spoonbill – 1
Wood Stork – 8
Black Vulture – 44
Turkey Vulture – 18
Red-shouldered Hawk – 11
Common Ground Dove – 6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 1
Barred Owl – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 15
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Pileated Woodpecker – 4
Great-crested Flycatcher – 6
Blue Jay – 2
American Crow – 1
Tufted Titmouse – 7
Carolina Wren – 11
White-eyed Vireo – 14
Northern Cardinal – 23
Common Grackle – 6

BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 5
Tiger Swallowtail – 1
Zebra Longwing – 2
Ruddy Daggerwing – 7
White Peacock – 58
Red Admiral – 1
Viceroy – 2
Queen – 1
Monarch – 1
Great Southern White – 12
Tropical Checker – 6
Whirlabout – 1
Twin-spotted Skipper – 1
Delaware Skipper – 1

OTHER
Raccoon – 1
River Otter – 1
White-tailed Deer – 1
Alligator – 84
Brown Anole – 12
Red-bellied Turtle – 7
Banded Water Snake – 1
Pig Frog – 3
Green Treefrog – 5
Cuban Treefrog – 2
Great Blue Skimmer – 1
Needham’s Skimmer – 2
Eastern Pondhawk – 85
Gar – 28

By Dick Brewer

Category: Things to Do at CREW

Guided Hikes at CREW Trails Starting in November

Like this:

Take A Child Outside Week

Take a Child Outside Week-

September 24—September 30 Annually

Get out to CREW :

Like this:

ACT NOW- Upcoming CREW Events

Fungi/Mushroom Hunt with Ben “Mykes logos” Dion- September 26th

Fall Wildflower Walk with Brenda Thomas- October 3rd

Florida’s Fabulous Spiders: A CREW Strolling Science Seminar- October 10th

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Wildfile Q & A: Bird Call Vs. Bird Song

Q: What are the differences between a bird call and a bird song?

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Game Cameras at CREW

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A View of Bird Rookery Swamp-“Great day for butterflies”

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Wildfile Q& A: Do all spiders bite, and are they poisonous?

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A View of CREW by Dick Brewer

Monday, May 11 Marsh Trails- 6:45 am-8:30 Cypress Dome 8:35am-10:30

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Book Release by Bernard F. Master

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A View of Bird Rookery Swamp- May 2, 2015

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Take a Child Outside Week-

September 24—September 30 Annually

Get out to CREW :

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Fungi/Mushroom Hunt with Ben “Mykes logos” Dion- September 26th

Fall Wildflower Walk with Brenda Thomas- October 3rd

Florida’s Fabulous Spiders: A CREW Strolling Science Seminar- October 10th

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Q: What are the differences between a bird call and a bird song?

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Monday, May 11 Marsh Trails- 6:45 am-8:30 Cypress Dome 8:35am-10:30

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