They spy
People gather April 20 at the shore in Holmes Beach near 53rd Street to observe manatees in the sun-warmed shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Holmes Beach resident and photographer Deborah Trotter said the Holmes Beach code enforcement department responded, “doing a great job keeping uneducated tourists and onlookers 20 feet away from” the manatees. Islander Photos: Courtesy Deborah Trotter
1st turtle nests of 2023 logged
Superlatives and exclamation points heralded the marking of the first nests of the 2023 sea turtle nesting season. Monitoring groups […]
Don’t touch the blue balloons
Portuguese man-of-war are found on shore March 14 at Bean Point in Anna Maria. Although they are present in the water, they are not at nuisance levels yet on public beaches, so the county has not raised the purple flags warning of dangerous marine life, Manatee County Beach Patrol Lt. Marshall Greene told The Islander that day. Green said if people see man-of-war washed up on shore, they should “stay away, do not touch them, even if they are dead, washed up on the beach, they can still hurt you. If you get stung and the tentacles are still on you, do not touch them with your bare hands.” Greene recommended using the hard edge of a credit card or a piece of cardboard to scrape the tentacles from the skin and hot water to combat a sting. Islander Photo: Robert Anderson
Springtime citizen-science project
Springtime brings horseshoe crabs to congregate along Florida’s shores to spawn. Each year, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists ask the public to report observations of horseshoe crab mating activities in order to help identify nesting beaches. To become involved in the citizen-science work, email fhcwcoordinator@myfwc.com. The FWC can be reached at 850-488-4676. Islander Courtesy Photo
On the mend
A white pelican, found weak and unable to stand Jan. 7 at the Bradenton Beach Marina, was suffering effects of red tide. Gale Tedhams, a Wildlife Inc. volunteer, said they propped up the bird’s head with a pillow while it was laying down. A loss of feathers also had caregivers at the rescue in Bradenton Beach worried. But now the pelican has a steady diet and the problem has subsided. Although, not yet flying, as of Jan. 17 it was walking around, feisty and due to be released when it’s ready to fly. To help Wildlife Inc., visit wildlifeinc.org or call 941-778-6324. Islander Photo: Courtesy Gale Tedhams/Wildlife Inc.
Red tide bloom in Southwest Florida
A bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, exists in Southwest Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife […]
Approaching the finish line
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers had only two loggerhead sea turtle nests remaining Oct. 11. So […]
Winding down
The nesting season is close to done. Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers have been monitoring the […]
Is Esther done laying eggs?
Esther, a loggerhead sea turtle tagged and released June 20 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach as part of the […]
White’s whale shark
a 30-foot whale shark, one of a pod of four observed June 6 about 40 miles off anna maria island in the gulf of mexico, checks out the charter fi shing boat captained by david White of anna maria charters. for more, see fi shing, page 21.