Tag: otters

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Check out what you might see at Bird Rookery Swamp this week!

Long-time CREW Trust volunteer naturalist Dick Brewer is a treasure-trove of information and brilliant citizen scientist. This week’s critter count includes a chicken turtle, almost 30 red-bellied woodpeckers and a great photo of two crested caracaras. Interested in making your own critter count during your next hike? Print out Dick’s BIRD ROOKERY SWAMP Wildlife Checklist and take it with you!

Bird Rookery Swamp

Wednesday, December 19 ~~ 7:05 AM – 1:00 PM

temperature: 54.0-76.0º ~~ RH 85.5-60.5%

sky: sun early, clouds late ~~ wind: calm at start, then 8-12 mph

BIRDS

Wood Duck – 2

Double-crested Cormorant – 5

Anhinga – 28

Great Blue Heron – 11

Great Egret – 10

Snowy Egret – 3

Little Blue Heron – 7

Tri-colored Heron – 3

Cattle Egret – 1

Green Heron – 4

Black-crowned Night Heron – 11

White Ibis – 22

Roseate Spoonbill – 1

Wood Stork – 2

Black Vulture – 12

Turkey Vulture – 26

Osprey – 1

Red-shouldered Hawk – 14

Crested Caracara – 2

American Kestrel – 1

Common Gallinule – 1

Killdeer – 5

Mourning Dove – 2

Barred Owl – 2

Belted Kingfisher – 8

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 28

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 4

Downy Woodpecker – 1

Pileated Woodpecker – 8

Great-crested Flycatcher – 1

Eastern Phoebe –  7

Carolina Wren – 13

House Wren – 1

Blue Jay – 1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 21

Northern Mockingbird – 2

Gray Catbird – 21

Common Yellowthroat – 1

Palm Warbler – 5

Pine Warbler – 1

Northern Cardinal – 4

Common Grackle – 77

BUTTERFLIES

White Peacock – 21

Phaon Crescent – 1

Barred Yellow – 16

Tropical Checker – 1

HERPS

Alligator – 11

Brown Anole – 1

Banded Water Snake – 1

Red-bellied Turtle – 5

Florida Chicken Turtle – 2

MAMMALS

River Otter – 2

Raccoon – 1

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What you might see at Bird Rookery Swamp this week

On Wednesday, March 22, volunteer Dick Brewer walked the trails at Bird Rookery Swamp and sent us his wildlife observations.

If you are planning on visiting Bird Rookery Swamp this weekend, trail conditions are very dry and water levels are low. Below are Dick’s observations along with photos by Dick and another volunteer, Bill Zaino.

Please note that there are no guarantees that you will see the same animals that were seen on March 22. 

Hikers at Bird Rookery Swamp by Bill Zaino

Bird Rookery Swamp observations

Wednesday, March 22

7:15 a.m. 3:25 p.m.

BIRDS

Anhinga – 23

Great Blue Heron – 4

Great Egret – 38

Little Blue Heron – 11

Tri-Colored Heron – 2

Green Heron by Bill Zaino

Green Heron – 5

Black-crowned Night Heron – 14

White Ibis – 31

Roseate Spoonbill – 4

Roseate Spoonbill by Dick Brewer

Wood Stork – 17

Black Vulture – 117

Turkey Vulture – 33

Red-shouldered Hawk – 25

Common Ground Dove – 4

Mourning Dove – 4

Barred Owl – 3

Belted Kingfisher – 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 30

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1

Downy Woodpecker – 3

Pileated Woodpecker – 7

Eastern Phoebe – 4

Great-crested Flycatcher – 6

Carolina Wren – 23

House Wren – 1

Blue Jay – 1

American Crow – 3

Tufted Titmouse – 16

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 12

Gray Catbird – 34

White-eyed Vireo – 24

Blue-headed Vireo – 1

Ovenbird – 1

Northern Waterthrush – 1

Black-and-white Warbler – 7

Common Yellowthroat – 6

Northern Parula – 10

Black-throated Green Warbler – 2

Black-throated Green Warbler by Dick Brewer

Palm Warbler – 15

Northern Cardinal – 13

Common Grackle – 2

BUTTERFLIES

Spicebush Swallowtail – 3

Palamedes Swallowtail – 18

Tiger Swallowtail – 1

Zebra Longwing – 42

Julia – 3

White Peacock – 62

Gulf Fritillary – 3

Viceroy – 2

Phaon Crescent – 10

Pearl Crescent – 1

Great Southern White – 1

Cassius Blue – 5

Tropical Checker – 3

Red-Waisted Florella Moth – 3

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 26

Needham’s Skimmer – 4

Blue Dasher – 8

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS

Alligator and turtle at Bird Rookery Swamp by Bill Zaino

Alligator – 139

Brown Anole – 2

Red-bellied Turtle – 20

Banded Water Snake – 1

MAMMALS

Gray Squirrel – 1

River Otter – 3

River Otter eating a fish by Bill Zaino

Raccoon – 2

Cottontail Rabbit – 1

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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

By Dick Brewer
By Dick Brewer

 

“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.

River otter
By Dick Brewer

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

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