When John Audubon first visited the Punta Gorda area on Florida’s Gulf coast in the early 19th century, he wrote that wading birds were so numerous that thousands flying overhead transformed daylight into darkness. Yet less than 100 years later the profligate population had been decimated. In small part, the decline was caused by homesteaders moving in by the droves and spoiling habitats. Far more destructive, however, was the quest for plumage to decorate ladies’ hats. Hired by fashion houses in Paris, New York and London, poachers and hunters slaughtered millions of birds in their quest for white nuptial feathers of the great and snowy egrets. By the early 1900′s, only an estimated 500,000 wading birds remained.

In 1918 the Migratory Bird Treaty Act became law and these birds were finally protected. By the 1930′s their numbers had increased to 1.2 million and since the 1970′s they have made a significant recovery. Today, standing on the shores of the Peace River in Punta Gorda, Florida, birds are abundant: egrets, herons, ibis, spoonbills, and wood storks are among the species easily spotted. Yet wading birds, reptiles, and mammals who inhabit the area still face serious threats from mankind. Discarded plastic bags, six-pack plastic rings, and lead sinkers and fishing line lost by fishermen can cause serious damage to animals when swallowed or snagged. Collisions with cars and trucks are a major problem for endangered species such as Florida black bears, Florida panthers, Key deer, American crocodiles, indigo snakes, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and brown pelicans.

Fortunately, Peace River Wildlife Center is there to help. The nonprofit organization, which occupies a small corner of Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda, is dedicated to the rehabilitation, preservation and protection of Charlotte County’s native wildlife. With the exception of a few paid employees, the Read the rest of this entry »

The recent crash of a USAirways jet stirred up memories for me. A few years ago I was flying from the mainland of Honduras to Guanaja in the Bay Islands, which is located about 30 miles off the northern coast. The twin engine puddle-jumper took off to the east and banked left out over the blue Caribbean, climbing quickly.

From my window seat I was enjoying the view of the distant islands when suddenly, the pilot put the plane into a nose dive and banked so steeply that I was looking straight down at the water. Rather than leveling out and flying north we continued banking and descending rapidly. I realized that something was very wrong but no one else in the small plane seemed alarmed – not even when it became apparent that we were turning completely around. In a matter of seconds we were back over land and the pilot brought the plane out of its bank but continued to dive so steeply that I was sure he would be unable to pull the nose up in time to land safely. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a birdbath on my bedroom deck but I never remember to fill it with water, so it sits there like some long abandoned cast iron sundial, ignored by the neighborhood birds. Over the last couple of days, however, the rain has done my job for me. This morning I woke to the sounds of birds happily splashing around in the water. I lay in bed for a while, enjoying their cackling and whistling, promising myself that I would remember to fill the birdbath more often. Then, since they seemed to want to stick around, I grabbed my camera, popped on the telephoto lens, carefully parted the blinds, and found myself face-to-face with a spectacular pair of woodpeckers. To my surprise, both had shunned the birdbath. One, a Red-belied Woodpecker, was perched among the spiny stalks of the Bromeliads that line the deck railing. The flowers’ deep purple and red red cups were brim-full of rainwater, creating a natural birdbath for him. A common bird, but beautiful just the same. The other, a Red-cockaded Woodpecker, clung to the side of an old piece of driftwood that is home to dozens of air plants, pecking his heart away. Although much less showy in color and markings, this species is now classified as endangered and is a much rarer sight. The wonders of nature abound.

The other day I was wondering why, with all the millions of birds in the world, you never hear of anyone being splatted with bird doo-doo. Maybe people have always talked about this and I just never noticed. Or maybe by thinking the thought I released some kind of fowl energy. Whatever, since the moment I had the thought I’ve been bombarded with bird talk. Take, for instance, the conversation of the folks at the table next to me this afternoon at the sidewalk cafe:

“It’s a hawk,” said the man.

“No, it’s a pigeon,” argued the woman.

“Hawk.”

“Pigeon.”

Pigeons roost wherever they can find a nook

This went on for some minutes while I scanned the sky for said bird. No sign of it. I checked out the roof of the building. Nothing. Mind you, I was trying to be unobtrusive and act like I wasn’t listening to their conversation, so I didn’t want to look directly at them to determine WHAT bird they were talking about. Finally, out of the side of my eye I realized they were looking up. Everyone knows that it’s impossible NOT to look up when someone else is craning their necks, so of course, I looked up too. Perched in the tree directly above me was the biggest darned Pigeon I have ever seen.

I wasn’t even surprised when it happened. Splat! A direct hit on the big toe sticking out of my sandals. I did the best to wipe it off with the crumpled up napkins left over from my

lunch and headed off for my afternoon hike around town.

Birds on a wire

Within a few blocks my toes stopped feeling squishy and I resumed taking photos but at every turn I was confronted by birds. The building in

the above photo apparently has been fighting a battle of the birds for a long time. Every eave and gutter is lined with spiky metal prongs designed to deter the birds but it didn’t stop this Pigeon from making a tidy little nest – look at him checking me

out as I snap his photo, almost as if he is daring me to come up there and chase him out.

A little further along I chanced on this scene, straight out of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Getting WAY too freaky now – I think I’ll just go home and think happy thoughts the rest of the evening.