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Posts tagged ‘Endangered’

A Melange of Feathered Friends

This is the final post of a three part series of a Florida field trip that this photographer co-coordinated for the South Jersey Camera Club members for the purpose of photographing birds and their behavior. The field trip was conducted over a five-day period in the beginning of March. The first post entitled, ‘Spring Has Sprung: Busy, Busy Birds’, visited the Venice Rookery with an amazing diversity of birds courting, mating and raising offspring. The second post entitled, ‘Spring Has Sprung: Birds of Prey’, traveled to various locations in southwest Florida to photograph birds of prey nesting and caring for their offspring. This post provides a melange of birds captured when visiting the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge and the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

The Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge consists of 6,400 acres of mangrove forest, submerged seagrass beds, cordgrass marshes, and hardwood hammocks located on Sanibel Island. This refuge provides an important habitat to over 220 species of birds.

Here is just a sampling of birds photographed at Ding Darling starting with the ‘Reddish Egret’. The ‘Reddish Egret’ is considered the least common heron in Florida. The population of this heron was almost eradicated due to plume hunting during the 19^th century. The species has never fully recovered with the current population in the United States of only about 2,000 pairs primarily residing in southern Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico, and Texas.

‘Reddish Egret- Breakfast Time’ © Larry A Lyons

The feeding behavior of the ‘Reddish Egret’ is captivating to watch. It leaps sideways and quickly changes directions in shallow waters searching for small schools of fish to feed upon.

‘Reddish Egret- Down the Hatch’ © Larry A Lyons

White Pelicans only spend part of their year in Florida. They migrate to their wintering grounds to coastal areas of Florida, Gulf of Mexico and southern California. In March and April they migrate to inland lakes in flocks to their breeding grounds as far north as Utah, Idaho, Minnesota and Canada.

‘Pelican Gathering’ © Larry A Lyons

The ‘White Pelican’ is considered one of the largest birds in the United States with a 9-foot (2.7 meter) wingspan.

‘Landing Gear Down’ © Larry A Lyons

This pelican was rigorously fluffing its wings and having a bath.

‘Bath Time’ © Larry A Lyons

‘Blue-winged Teal’ are long distance migrants with their territory throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and northern South America. The can be found wintering in Florida and will migrate northward in the spring to breeding grounds.

‘Blue-Winged Teal’ © Larry A Lyons

This ‘Tricolored Heron’ is standing absolutely still, not necessarily to get photographed, but waiting for prey to approach it. Its’ prey consist of small fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. It is a remarkably slender bird with long beak, neck and legs.

‘Tricolored Heron’ © Larry A Lyons

The ‘Tricolored Heron’ is common along the coastal habitats of the Southeastern United States.

The ‘White Ibis’ is a wading bird residing in the deep South. It is one of the most numerous wading birds in Florida although the population has been declining in recent decades due to the loss of feeding and nesting habitats.

‘White Ibis’ © Larry A Lyons

The ‘Little Blue Heron’ is another bird that resides mostly in the deep southern United States and Mexico. It looks much like a Snowy Egret when it is young, but molts to the dark slate-blue plumage as an adult.

‘Little Blue Heron’ © Larry A Lyons

This ‘Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron’ was stalking prey along the bank. These birds are often active at night. It is interesting that this species shows up several times in fossil records with the earliest fossil record being 2 to 2.5 million years old from Sarasota, Florida.

‘Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron’ © Larry A Lyons

The ‘Wood Stork’ is considered one of Florida’s ‘signature’ wading birds. It is classified as ‘threatened’ by the State of Florida and federal government due to the destruction and degradation of the wetlands.

‘Wood Stork’ © Larry A Lyons

This alligator is a resident of the Ding Darling Refuge. Here this gator was basking in the sun to control its body heat. Adult gators enjoy a diet of fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds.

‘Alligator With It’s U-Shaped Snout’ © Larry A Lyons

Perhaps we should let this gator know which birds are protected. And perhaps this gator provides some protection benefits for the birds from predatory mammals.

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The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a very tranquil sanctuary with an extensive boardwalk to transverse though this wetland. It is not to be missed. This sanctuary is part of the Western Everglades in Southwest Florida. It consists of approximately 13,000 acres and is primarily composed of wetlands and includes the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in the world. The National Audubon Society has been ultimately responsible for acquiring, protecting and maintaining this sanctuary.

Not only is the sanctuary important for a variety of endangered or federal or state listed birds including the Wood Storks, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Tricolored Heron, but also for protecting a variety of other species including the Florida panther, American Alligator, and Florida Black Bear. Several rare plants are also found at this sanctuary including the Ghost Orchid.

Crocodiles also inhabit this sanctuary. The primary physical difference between crocodiles and alligators is the shape of their snout. Crocodiles have long and pointed, V-shaped snouts and alligators have rounded, U-shaped snouts.

‘Crocodile With It’s V-Shaped Snout’ © Larry A Lyons

‘Anhinguas’ primary habitats are cypress swamps, rivers and wooded ponds. This pair of ‘Anhingua’ was attending to their nest.

‘Anhinguas’ © Larry A Lyons

There were a number of songbirds to view including some very common ones. The lighting on these birds is a photographer’s dream.

‘Cardinal’ © Larry A Lyons

‘Gray Catbird’ © Larry A Lyons

Then there was the exquisite ‘Painted Bunting’ in full display. The ‘Painted Bunting’ breeds in the coastal Southeast and south-central United States.

‘Painted Bunting’ © Larry A Lyons

Florida is a very seductive place to visit for a number of reasons and that would include another seductive sunset at a beach in Naples. So, here we are being seduced again, as the brown pelicans roost for the evening.

‘Another Seductive Sunset’ © Larry A Lyons

Endangered Manatee – A Gentle Giant

The manatee is an endangered species living in coastal estuaries and freshwaters in Florida. It is currently estimated that the “minimum” current population stands at about 5,000 manatees within the state of Florida.

‘Endangered Manatee’ © Larry A Lyons

The endangered manatee is a large mammal also known as a sea cow. Manatees are believed to evolve from plant-eating and wading-like mammals with their closest relative being the elephant. In spite of their cuddly-like appearance and non-aggressive manner, manatees are as wild as free-ranging elephants.

‘The Graceful Manatee’ © Larry A Lyons

Manatees are migratory animals and in the summer will migrate along the eastern and western coasts of Florida. Some individuals will migrate as far north as the Carolinas and as far west as Texas. However, during the winter calendar months manatees do tend to concentrate near warm water springs or near thermal discharges of power plants within Florida. When water temperatures go below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Centigrade), the stress from the colder waters can be fatal. In the winter of 2010, more than 280 manatees died from an extended period of cold weather.

One of the longest-term threats to the manatees is the loss of habitat of warm water habitats. Residential development in Florida continues to encroach on these warm water spring habitats that are essential for their survival. Although power plant discharges do provide the essential warm water for a large portion of the manatee populations, the expectations of these power plants not shutting down because of equipment failure or even being decommissioned creates a high risk to the manatee populations. A means of conserving “natural” warm water habitats within Florida is absolutely critical.

‘The Sea Cow’ © Larry A Lyons

The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge including the Kings Bay in Florida, which is also referred to as the manatee capital of the world, was established for the protection of the endangered manatees in 1983. The warm water springs originating from Crystal River provide a critical sanctuary for the manatee populations that migrate there each year from November to April. During the winter months it is estimated that up to 600 manatees migrate into this sanctuary.

All of these images were captured at the Crystal River sanctuary using a Nikonas V underwater film camera in January 1995. The Crystal River sanctuary has become a tourist attraction where it is estimated that 150,000 visitors come each year. Visitors are permitted to snorkel with the endangered manatees within designated areas following specific guidelines. Unfortunately there have been disturbing instances in which people have been harassing the manatees and swimming in areas that are strictly for manatees only. Of particular importance is that all watercraft travelling through manatee sanctuaries do so cautiously and at idle speed.

It really is a remarkable and unforgettable experience to be able to swim with these gentle giants. If you have the opportunity, be sure to abide to the specific guidelines defined by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

‘Vulnerable Swimmer’ © Larry A Lyons

Manatees are graceful swimmers powered by a strong tail. They generally swim along at three to five miles (5 to 8 kilometers) an hour, but they can swim up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) an hour on short bursts. Manatees are generally observed swimming close to the surface that creates a high level of risk of being injured or killed from outboard motors.

Manatee mortalities are recorded each year by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. These mortality counts define whether mortalities are the result of watercraft accidents, cold stress, natural causes, perinatal causes, undetermined causes, and other causes. From 2007 through 2013 it is estimated on the average that at least 20 percent of the manatee mortalities resulted from being struck by watercraft. It is also important to note that this 20 percent mortality from watercraft does not include all of the mortalities that were undetermined or the mortalities that go unreported.

‘Manatee Close-up’ © Larry A Lyons

The manatee with their small eyes and no outer ears do have good sight and hearing. Manatees emit a variety of sounds used in communication. They can also communicate by smell, taste and touch. Their face contains over 600 vibrissae (whisker-like hairs), but the sensory function of the whiskers is unknown.

‘Taking A Breath’ © Larry A Lyons

Manatees must resurface regularly to breathe air through their nostrils. When just resting, manatees may resurface every 20 minutes. However, when they are moving about and consuming energy, they may resurface for a breath every three to five minutes. Resurfacing to breathe or just resting in shallow waters creates a high level of vulnerability for their survival from being accidently hit by boats. In fact, researchers can often identify many surviving manatees by the scars that have resulted from being injured from outboard motors.

‘Herbivorous Mammal’ © Larry A Lyons

Manatees are herbivores grazing on algae, sea grass and a variety of other aquatic plants. They consume 10 to 15% of their body weight in vegetation each day. By far, sea grass beds would be the most important source of vegetation for the manatees. The manatee above is grazing on algae and stirring–up sediment in the process.

‘Gentle Giant’ © Larry A Lyons

Manatees are gentle giants with an average length of ten feet (3 meters) and weighing up to 1,200 lbs. (540 kg). This manatee was attempting to remove any algae on this rope that was dangling in the water.

Red tides are another major threat to the manatees. Red tides are algal blooms of a specific algae that contain neurotoxins. Red tides are naturally occurring events that will occur offshore. If the blooms move inshore, an extended algal bloom can occur from nutrient loading by urban and agricultural runoff. Manatees are exposed to the neurotoxins when they come to the surface to breathe and when grazing on grasses coated with the algae. The neurotoxins cause seizures and subsequent drowning of manatees. In 2013 it was estimated that as a many as 276 mortalities may have resulted from red tidal events. It is also important to note that the total mortality count for 2013 was 829 manatees, which is more than twice the mortalities reported in 2012.

‘Pair Resting’ © Larry A Lyons

Female manatee is usually larger than the male and breeds only once every few years. It is believed that only one calf is born every two to five years. The gestation period is 12 months. The calf is dependent on its mother for a 12 to 18 month period. This low reproduction cycle creates a high level of risk for their long-term survival.

News Flash: A July 2^nd, 2014 news flash from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) stated that the agency is in the process of considering removing the manatee from the endangered species list to merely a species that is threatened. The USFWS is responding to a lawsuit originating from a citizens group, Save Crystal River, Inc. This citizens group is concerned about new idle-speed rules for watercraft and the expansion of manatee refuge areas in Kings Bay. It will be interesting to see how the USFWS decides on protecting the manatees.

‘Protect The Manatee’ © Larry A Lyons

So let’s recap on the vulnerability of manatee populations in Florida and why this gentle giant should remain as an endangered species for maximum protection. Manatees require warm water sanctuaries like the Crystal River for appropriate habitat during the winter months for their survival. Manatee dependence of thermal discharges from power plants for warm water habitat should be cautiously monitored. Conservation efforts to enhance and manage ‘natural’ warm water sanctuaries in Florida are critical.

Manatees have a low reproduction cycle with only one calf being born every two to five years. Manatees living, grazing and moving about in shallow waters causes a high level of risk from being killed or injured from the ever-increasing boat traffic in Floridian waters.

In addition to the high vulnerability from watercraft, manatees are vulnerable to the loss of turtle grass habitat, which is their main food staple. The population is quite vulnerable to any extended cold winters. In addition, the sudden appearance of red tides can decimate a large portion of the manatee population. The possibility of even sustaining the current manatee population should be one of grave concern.

References:

Save The Manatee Club

Defenders of Wildlife

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Osprey Comeback

Osprey populations were decimated from the 1950’s to the 1970’s resulting primarily from the widespread use of a persistent insecticide, known as DDT. There were regions in the United States where 90 percent or more of the breeding pairs disappeared. Over 500 osprey nests were present in New Jersey prior to the effects of DDT. By 1974 only 50 nests remained in New Jersey.

‘Osprey Comeback’ © Larry A Lyons

The osprey has become the symbol of how nature can recover from environmental atrocities. DDT was banned in New Jersey in 1968 and banned almost entirely in the United States by 1972. Recovery of the osprey populations began once these bans were implemented.

‘The Food Chain’ © Larry A Lyons

The mechanism of toxicity resulting from DDT to predatory birds, like the osprey, is quite complex that ultimately affects their reproductive success. DDT is a persistent organic pollutant that tends to concentrate as it moves through the food chain. Fish that could be contaminated with DDT from eating shrimp or crabs would further magnify the concentration of DDT in predatory birds, like the osprey. The accumulation of DDT and its metabolites in the osprey prevents calcium metabolism causing the thinning of the eggshells. As a result of the eggshell thinning, the osprey would crush the eggs when sitting on them during incubation.

‘Protect The Osprey’ © Larry A Lyons

The 1962 landmark book “Silent Spring” authored by Rachel Carson clearly expressed how important it is to maintain a vigilance on the use of chemicals and their fate in the environment. This book is often attributed to the environmental movement that was initiated in the 1960’s.

‘Birds of Prey Socializing’ © Larry A Lyons

All of the osprey images were photographed at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge located on the southern coastline of New Jersey. This refuge, situated just north of Atlantic City, NJ, encompasses 47,000 acres of coastal habitat and is an important sanctuary for a wide diversity of birds and other wildlife. A future post will present many other birds that utilize this refuge.

The osprey, also referred to as the fish hawk, has a diet that is almost entirely made-up of fish.

‘The Fish Hawk’ © Larry A Lyons

Ospreys have gripping pad on their feet that aids in plucking the slippery fish from the water with their long curved talons. The osprey will orient the fish head first to reduce wind direction when carrying the fish in flight. Here a flounder is being carried back to the nest.

‘Entree of Flounder’ © Larry A Lyons

The osprey stands between 21 to 23 inches (53 to 58 cm.) and has a wingspan of up to six feet (1.8 meters).

‘Six Foot Wingspan’ © Larry A Lyons

They do require suitable tall structures for building their nests. Platforms are often constructed to allow a suitable structure for nest building.

‘Osprey Platform’ © Larry a Lyons

Osprey nests are built of sticks and lined with grasses or seaweed. The male usually fetches most of the nesting material and the female arranges it. At the Forsythe refuge there are at least eight to ten platforms for the ospreys to build their nests.

‘Nest Building’ © Larry A Lyons

Males and females do appear similar in appearance, but there are some slight differences that can distinguish between the sexes. Males have a slimmer body and narrower wings. Also, the coloration of the breast band is either lighter or not present in the males.

‘Osprey Pair’ © Larry A Lyons

Ospreys mate for life and return to the same nest year after year. They migrate back north in the Spring usually around the beginning of March.

‘Feeding The Chicks’ © Larry A Lyons

The female typically lays three eggs and both parents help to incubate the eggs. Osprey eggs do not hatch all at once, but rather hatching is staggered in time so some siblings are older and more dominant. The pair works together to raise the young.

‘Peek A Boo’ © Larry A Lyons

The young fledge at about eight weeks of age and then remain in the area of the nest for about two months.

‘On Watch’ © Larry A Lyons

Juvenile ospreys have buff fringes to the plumage of the upper parts, a buff tone to the underbody, and streaked feathers on its head. Juveniles also have orange pupils that turn yellow when they reach adulthood.

‘Juvenile Osprey’ © Larry A Lyons

The adults and the juvenile ospreys will begin their southern migration by the end of August or beginning of September to their wintering grounds in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

‘Are You Ready To Head South?’© Larry A Lyons

Ospreys are a conservation success story. Both the pesticide bans and the construction of artificial nest sites continue to allow for the comeback and growth of osprey populations.

‘Enjoy, Don’t Endanger’ © Larry A Lyons

Leave you with a quote by Rachel Carson: “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

References:

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/edwin_b_forsythe/

http://www.conservewildlefenj.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/osprey

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/osprey/id

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/osprey/

http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/osprey.html

The Big Five of South Africa

“The Big Five” animals of South Africa are the elephant, leopard, rhinoceros, buffalo and lion. The term “Big Five” game was a term derived by hunters designating the most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt. The impressive conservation practices and extensive national and private reserves in South Africa has significantly aided in protecting the survival of these animals. However, poaching of rhinos and elephants for their horns and tusks continues to be a significant problem for the survival of these species.

All of these images were captured in South Africa at the Thanda Game Reserve or nearby reserves while volunteering for six weeks with the African Impact Organization (www.africanimpact.com) in September through October 2012.

The Big Five of South Africa © Larry A Lyons

This family portrait of a baby, young teenager and two adult female elephants was photographed from a boat when a herd of 50 or more elephants gathered at the lake for a drink and bath. Herds of elephants are made-up of related females and their young. Male elephants usually leave the herd when reaching adolescence forming bachelor herds. Later, the adult male elephants lead a solitary life.

‘Family Portrait II’ © Larry A Lyons

Calves are the primary focus of the family unit and are cared for by their mothers during at least their first three years.

‘Family Portrait III’ © Larry A Lyons

These dueling male elephants were photographed from a boat with a long lens. Male African bush elephants weigh up to 12,000 pounds and have periods of extreme aggression not only between each other, but anything that comes across its path. Here the two bulls are fighting for dominance. Besides fighting, tusks are also used for marking, feeding, and digging.

Poaching of the tusks for the ivory trade is one of the greatest threats to the elephant populations.

‘Dueling Elephants’ © Larry A Lyons

The elephant’s trunk has many functions including breathing, feeding, smelling, touching, grasping, producing sound, drinking and bathing.

‘Bath Time’ © Larry A Lyons

Elephants are herbivores and will consume leaves, fruit, twigs, bark and roots. They also will consume up to 11 gallons (40 liters) of water each day.

‘Thirsty’ © Larry A Lyons

Elephants prefer to stay near water.

‘Wait For Me’ © Larry A Lyons

Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. This bull elephant has a crust of bark on its forehead probably from recently mowing down a tree for consumption.

‘The Big One’ © Larry A Lyons

The leopard is the most secretive and elusive of the large carnivore cats. They are basically solitary and go out of their way to avoid one another. Leopards are primarily nocturnal and their spotted coat provides almost perfect camouflage. They move about their home ranges and seldom stay in an area for more than two or three days. Subsequently, leopard sightings tend to be rare. While at the Thanda reserve, the opportunity to see a leopard on three different occasions was most fortunate.

Leopards are opportunistic hunters that will consume a wide variety of animals including antelopes, monkeys, foxes, jackals, rodents, amphibians, and birds. The leopard’s stealth, rapid speed, and strength to drag their prey up into a tree provide a forbidding predator.

Leopard is a stunning beautiful animal.

Lions are the only cats that live in groups called prides. Lions once roamed most of Africa, but today they are only found in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Two prides co-exist at the Thanda Reserve. It is the through the conservation efforts of South Africa and private reserves like Thanda that make it possible for lion prides to roam free.

This young adult male with its mane still growing in and the two females perched in the tree belong to the North pride. Male lions defend the pride’s territory while females are the pride’s primary hunters.

This female lioness is staking some high ground to keep vigilance over the savanna. Female lions, being the pride’s primary hunters, often work together to prey upon wildebeest, antelopes, zebra and other large animals of the open grasslands. Many of these animals are faster than lions, so teamwork pays off.

The roaring sound of these lions when mating was quite intense. The rolling eyes and their display of teeth further imply that nothing interrupts this activity. This image was captured from a safari jeep at a distance of 20 feet.

These cubs were about one month old.

Lions within a pride are quite affectionate and attentive between themselves and their cubs.

Hunting is often a nocturnal event. Here a team of female lions stalked and ambushed this wildebeest.

Everything is recycled on the African savanna. Here are the remains of that wildebeest.

Lion populations have been reduced to 21,000 in all of Africa and are now only found in parts of the south Sahara desert and parts of eastern and southern Africa. Reserves, like the Thanda Game Reserve, are crucial for their survival.

Don’t let this smile fool you, the African buffalo is known for its unpredictable behavior. It is regarded as a very dangerous animal and is supposedly responsible for killing 200 people per year.

Adult bulls can be observed sparing quite regularly. Most sparing seems to be harmless and short-lived.

Yes, Buffalos do it too! Mating occurs between March and May.

Single Calves are born between January and April. They are gregarious with herds varying in size of up to several hundred.

Buffalos are herbivores. These female beauties are distinguished by their smaller horns.

This older looking bull posing here had just come from a mud bath. Its particular thick horns would indicate that it is a dominant bull within the herd.

The African Rhinos, both the Black Rhino and the White Rhino, are facing extinction. This White Rhinoceros, which is actually grey in color, has a square muzzle that is adapted for grazing on grasses.

This Black Rhino, photographed during a night safari drive, has more of a beak shaped lip that is used for browsing leaves, buds and shoots of bushes and trees. The cause of the injury to this rhino is unknown, bit it appears that it may have been gored by one of its own.

Both White and Black Rhinos are at risk of extinction because of poaching of their horns. There is a fallacy that the horns have some medicinal value, even for curing cancer (in Asia), and as a result there is market that provides a premium price for the horns. However, Rhino horns are simply made of keratin, the same material as our fingernails. Poachers brutally kill the rhinos and remove the horns. An averaged sized rhino horn can bring a quarter of million dollars in Vietnam.

Rhinos are also in trouble because of the lack of habitat from agriculture and deforestation. The importance of game reserves, like Thanda, is crucial for their survival.

The female gestation period lasts 15 to 16 months and usually only one calf is born.

Baby rhinos begin to grow their horn when they are only a few weeks old. During the first year the calf only feeds on the milk from the mother. A calf remains near its mother for the first four to five years for protection.

Rhinos have no natural predators, except for man. Rhinos are considered critically endangered. There are several organizations, including the African Wildlife Foundation, that have programs working to “Save the Rhino”.

‘Save The Rhino’ Larry A Lyons

See the Big Five of South Africa gallery