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Archive for the 'Wetlands' Category

Acreage – Ibis

Author: Jeffrey "Hammerhead" Philips
29.01.2013

Ibis - landing

 
 
The ibis is one of the reasons that convinced me to move to south Florida. On my visits to this area, I’d often see these birds feeding in people’s front yards, acting like they don’t have a care in the world. Peaceful looking. The Acreage neighborhood has lots of canals, ponds, and man-made water features. Excuse the pun, but the birds flock to this part of Palm Beach County.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ibis - in flight

 
 
 
Thus, walking around the 130th street canal ibis are often spotted. Usually hunting along the banks or resting along the water’s edge. This is a pretty bird to photograph, with its black-tipped wings, orangish beak, and bright white feathers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ibis - posing

 
 
 An interesting face about the ibis, it is the mascot for the Miami Hurricanes. The reason, the ibis is the last bird to leave before a hurricane and the first bird to return. Thus, it is considered fierce and trustworthy.
 
Until next time.
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Acreage – The Wetlands

Author: Jeffrey "Hammerhead" Philips
09.01.2013

130th. Street Canal

 
 
The Acreage is approximately forty-one square miles in size and is actually a giant basin that was once part of the Loxahatchee Slough. But over the years, timber men, homesteaders, moonshiners, and people who no longer wished to be part of the general population changed this deeper area of the wetland. Canals were dug and the bottom sludge was used to create dry land. And because of hurricane Andrew, a new building code went into effect that stated all the pads for homes had to be twenty-five feet above sea level. Thus, a lot of truck loads of dirt were hauled in. With all the major and smaller canals, and hundreds of ponds and lakes, I still consider the area a wetland. So, ibis, herons, egrets, and a host of other birds, (and gators), along with me call it home.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pumping Station

 

 
Since the Acreage is a colossal saucer, the county has built pumping stations in different locations to control the level of water. Too much rain, as in a tropical depression or hurricane, can revert the area back to Everglades’s status. The horses in the backyard would not like that. Controlling the water level does create great fishing habitats. I’m not a fisherman, but several anglers have stated the largemouth bass are plentiful.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Anhinga

 
 
 
I think all of the south Florida’s water birds are present. The anhingas are the most abundant. There is one that likes to sit in a swaying branch of an Australian pine tree and every morning squawks to wake me up. He is a type of a country alarm clock.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ibises

 
 
Sometimes the ibises are so thick that when they take to flight, it looks like a cloud passing across the sky. These birds are not always happy to stay along the banks, because they also like to flock in the open yards searching for different insects. It is a nice way to pass some time, sitting in a rocking chair and watching these birds work their way across a yard. The birds at the end of the pack will do a short flight and land ahead of their companions. Then after a few minutes, the birds that are now at the back will do the hop. And on and on as the group work their feeding from yard to yard.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Box turtle

 
 
The hike along the canal has more to offer than just water birds. In future posts I’ll share about the fish in the water, herptiles, and other critters that call this home.
 
 
Until next time.
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Pond Cypress – Natural Area

Author: Jeffrey "Hammerhead" Philips
10.04.2012

Pond Cypress - wetland

 
     The county of Palm Beach does a great job of preserving natural areas. Most of them are open to the public, however this one isn’t, unless you get permission from the county and have one of their guides with you. I was fortunate, I tagged along with Steve Bass and Kitty Philips and their Florida Master Naturalist Program class.
 
     Cypress Pond Natural Area is located smack dab in the middle of a residential area, just north of Okeechobee Boulevard. This 1,737 acres is a remnant of the pine Flatwoods-wet prairie mosaic that formerly bordered the Loxahatchee Slough. What is amazing about this site is that you can see how just a few inches of elevation in southern Florida can change the plant life. We sloshed through the grasses in ankle deep water. For the unsuspecting, they found the waist deep depression. Sometimes it’s best to have a walking stick to probe the area in front.
 
 
 
 
 

Pine ridge

 

     The land rose in elevation of about a foot. Just enough for the pine and coco-plum trees to get a foothold and keep their feet dry.
 
     This area is a little harder to hike through. Lots of vines set up trip wires across the ground and the foliage is dense. Cabbage palms also like this drier area and as you pass one, their teeth-like fronds love to cut across your thighs giving bloody souvenirs of the hike.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

muck flowers

 
     In some places between the shallow water and the ridge, there are areas of soft sand and muck. Here the wild flowers grow. Red, yellow, and blue blooms can be found this strip of shoe sucking area. Make sure your laces are tight. The flowers are sometimes solitary and in other places stretch for several yards giving splashes of color to the brown and green grasses.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tillandsia paucifolia

 

    As expected, several varieties of bromeliads can be found. I looked for orchids, but found none. Most likely they are deeper into the wetland.
 
    The hike was informative and once you get away from the noise of the traffic the cypress pond comes alive with sounds. A red shouldered hawk  glided above us, warning us away. Tree frogs with their descriptive sounds, (steel balls clacking, a wet comb being thumbed, baying like sheep) and a splash of the water from time to time. What a great way to spend the afternoon.
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Fakahatchee Strand – Search for Bromeliads

Author: Jeffrey "Hammerhead" Philips
27.03.2012

Fakahatchee Strand

 The Fakahatchee Strand is located in the southwest area of Florida, part of the Everglades. This state park is unique in many ways. The first, it is the only ecosystem in the world where bald cypress trees and royal palms share the same forest canopy. But that was not the reason for today’s hike. It was the search for native bromeliads, those airplants that cling to trees. 

Royal Palm

 
       But maybe first, a quick word on what is a strand. We all know what a marsh (wetland dominated by grasses) and a swamp (a wetland dominated by woody trees) is, but a strand? A Ssrand is a shallow, forested, usually elongated depression or channel situated in a trough within a limestone plane, dominated primarily by bald cypress. Glad we got that official definition out of the way. So with dive booties, Sportif ’s shorts, old T-shirt, and my trusty hat, into the shadows I started.
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Snake hunters

 
      Before stepping into the Strand, a couple of snake hunters warned me of the moccasins. In case you didn’t know, all venomous snakes in the United States can be placed in four categories: rattlesnakes, copperhead, coral, and the cottonmouth. The last one, the locals call the water moccasin. Great, I’m hiking in a wetland, good place to find a six foot serpent. Florida can claim to have all four categories of these poison injectors. And we call this paradise.
 
      Plus, with the vulture staring at me, maybe today was not a good day to slosh around in the muddy waters. I did ask if there were any sightings of pythons. They replied, ”No, not really. You need to go a few miles farther south to see those guys.” Yea, like I going to do that.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Black Vulture

 
     This vulture did follow me for a ways, flapping his black wings from tree top to tree top. After coming across an alligator hide, I didn’t think this bird was a good sign.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tillandsia fasciculata

 
     Even though I have 14 of the 16 native Florida species of bromeliads, I can’t tell them apart in the wild. I can see the differences, but the names of the plants won’t come to me. That doesn’t really bother me, I’m there to look at the different  pretty plants.  Please note, the photos are not crooked, the plants grow sideways from the tree.                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 
      The sun’s ray found a hole in the tree canopy and lighted the inside of this Tillandsia. The green leaves turned red. The fasciculata is considered endangered. At one time, a prize plant for collectors to send north to buyers. However, the exotic mexican bromeliad weevil is the main reason this plant is scarce. Although it seems to be doing very well in the Strand.
 
This plant flowers all year and the flower stalk can reach up to two feet.
 
 
 
 

Tillandsia setacea

 
 
 Even though the Tillandsia setacea is classified as common and not threatened, it is still a beautiful airplant. The long green leaves with a red tinge pop out in the shadows. I’ve seen this plant attached to trees from waist level to almost to the tree tops. It seems to like the shade to for its “hanging out” area.
 
 
 

Guzmania monostachia

 
 
     This guy surprised Kitty and me. Take a close look at his leaf. It has a light green veriegated strip down the center. For plant connoisseurs, this is a rarity. Kind of like the icing on the cake. This phase is not supposed to happen in the wild, only in controlled nurseries. So much for that idea. This is the only bromeliad in the Guzmania genus. I image it is a very lonely plant, or maybe it feels special. The Guzmania monostachia is considered rare, but if you find one, you’ll find hundreds in close proximity. Again, this one is also considered endangered.
 
 

Barred owl

 
 
 Bromeliads are easy plants to care for. Stick them onto a tree and forget it. It is when people plant them in the ground or take them indoors that problems occur. You must work to keep the weeds from overpowering them and they get the correct amount of water. Too much sun will also kill them.
 
And bromeliads are easy plants to love, as seen by this barred owl perched over a Tillandsia.
 
Until next time.
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Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Author: Jeffrey "Hammerhead" Philips
05.01.2012

New Year’s day and the temperature still felt like late summer, everyone wearing shorts and T shirts. The air just cool enough so that sweat would not roll off our bodies on a hike. So Kitty and I headed to Wakodahatchee to stroll around the wetlands on the raised wooden boardwalk.

I expected to see only a few people observing the wildlife. Surprise, surprise. The crowds had discovered this area of beauty. Everyone had cameras, a few with honkin’ long lenses. I had thought about taking my 800mm lens, but decided against it to photograph animals close to the walkway. A long lens is nice for the shy birds out in the distance, but so many egrets, herons, and ducks like to stay close to the viewing area that a 200mm lens will usually suffice.

Heron on the hunt

Even though many people chose to visit this site today, the noise level was almost on mute. No running, shouting, or tossing items at the creatures occurred. Different photographers compared notes with one another, describing where to set-up for an excellent photo op. And from time to time, the out-of-towner wanting to know “are there any alligators around?” So, yes, I would lead them to a place for them to see their first gator.

Gator for the tourist

Wakodahatchee is a Seminole Indian word roughly meaning “created waters”. And that is what this place is all about. This is a working example of waste water being cleaned by natural vegetation. Fifty acres of wetlands are home to 140 species of turtles, frogs, alligators, and birds. Truly a birder’s paradise.

 

Posing for pictures

 

Heron grooming itself

 

The boardwalk is less than a mile in length, but can easily take an hour or two to complete the loop. Just so much to see. At times, Kitty and I like to stop and listen to the sounds of the moor hens, mottled ducks, limpkins, and the sounds coming from the rookeries.

 

 

Turtle hotel

Nesting

 
 
Wakodahatchee is the place to see a wide variety of birds, turtles, and a few gators. What a great way to start the new year.
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