BoardwalkAlong theAlong theBoardwalk

Swamp SanctuaryCorkscrew

www.corkscrew.audubon.orgApril, 2009

Stork nesting outlook optimistic

Quick ID Guide:Live Oak vs. Laurel Oak

Bird Trivia Which flying birds never ever glide or soar?Discover the answer at www.collieraudubon.org/birding.html

Two events areconverging to make thenext several weeks po-tentially one of themost exciting periodsfor Wood Storks sincethe spring of 2002.

Since TropicalStorm Fay in August,water levels at the lakesby the boardwalk havedropped into the opti-mal range for storksand other wading birds,creating a frenzy offeeding activity.

The colony of nest-ing wood storks will be fledging, cap-ping what is shaping up to be a verygood year by recent standards. The littlefuzzy headed, somewhat clumsy ado-lescent storks will be spending a lot oftime learning how to fish and fly. Thatevent combined, with a host of adultstorks, spoonbills, egrets, night herons,ibis and alligators will make the scene

Live Oak is a large tree with a widespreading crown and is buttressed andflared at the base of the trunk. Leavesare simple, alternate, and stay on thetree through winter until they graduallyfall as new leaves emerge in the spring.The elliptical leaves are usually stiffand leathery. The upper surface is ashiny, dark green while the undersideia a dull grayish green. The leaf baseis tapering and the tip is short pointedto rounded. Acorns are shiny, darkbrown to black, with a light brown cap.

Laurel Oak is a large tree with afull rounded crown and tall, straighttrunk. The leaves are simple, alternate,and may persist on the tree until gradu-ally falling in early spring. The leath-ery elliptical shaped leaves usually havesmooth, shiny bright green upper sur-faces. and a smooth, light green under-side. The leaf base is wedged and thetip is acute. Acorns are light brownishwith a red-brown cap.

Laurel Oak (Quercus laurifolia)

Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)Honors come to volunteers at annual dinner

Volunteers were recognized fortheir service to Corkscrew during theannual volunteer recognition dinner inthe Blair Center on March 19.

Areas of recognition includedyouth and adult education programs,resource management, boardwalk natu-ralists, office and publication help, fundraising, wildife censuses, and mainte-nance. All active volunteers received2008 service pins.

Two volunteers had additional starsadded to their name plates on the vol-

unteer recognition board for passing2,500 hours of service: SusanSchumann-Skeehan and Don Williams.

Volunteers recognized with a starfor passing 1,000 hours of service wereRalph Arwood, Joan Dunn, EloiseIngram, and Dallas Mulder.

Those who passed 500 hours hadname plates added to the board. Theseincluded Mary Ann Aug, Art Blatt, SamCampsey, Dan Harnish, HarrietLickhalter, Bob Mellor, Alexandria Orr,Joyce Smyth, and Ray Smyth.

unfolding at the lettucelakes a photographer’sdream. The surface ofthe water is alreadyboiling with millions oftiny fish. The first eggs of the

season were laid De-cember 12, and an esti-mated 1,100 nests werestarted at Corkscrewbetween mid-Decem-ber and mid-February. Two years of pro-

nounced droughtchanged the dynamicsof the fish population.

Few large piscivorous (fish eating) fishmade it through the drought years, leav-ing fewer predators to reduce the num-bers of small fish and crayfish thatmake up the bulk of the stork diet.

Recent sampling efforts suggestthat there are up to 1000 fish per meterin those shrinking pools in the cypress,most less than 4 inches long.

Beginning White Ibis are all brownwith a white belly and the bill is a darkbrownish color.

White feathers appear graduallywith each molt, so the browner

the bird, the younger it is.At about 12-18 months,

they will be noticeably whiterand by their second year thebodies will be mostly white

with just a little brown aroundthe neck and head.

By around 28 months, theyare all white.

Do female Anhingas also getblue eyes in mating season?

As male Anhingas enter breedingseason and are ready to begin paren-tal duties, they develop a bright tur-quoise blue patch around their eyes.

Females don’t, althoughthey do undergo a colorchange. The patch aroundtheir eyes is more of a slate-green color, making it hardto distinguish against thedark bill and black head.

The color is a littlemore intense when they areon a nest.

Wildlife Updates

March Sightings

Bobcats court and are observed during a fieldtrip to the north end (March 14, C. Bauer).

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird gets nectar froman iris in the wet prairie (March 15, D. Bailey).

Barred Owl chicks peerout from their nestingcavity near the north lake (March 15, D. Bailey).

Two healthy Bald Eagle chicks aredoing well in the Corkscrew nest in thepines southwest of the boardwalk area.Visitors reported seeing an eagle fly-ing over the lake at their house nearImmokalee Road and Oil Well Road,which may be one of the feeding areas.

In Case a Visitor AsksWhen do juvenile White Ibisbecome all white?

How long before immatureLittle Blue Herons are blue?

At birth, Little Blue Herons areentirely white with thegreenish-gray legs

and two-tone bill of adults.The sub-adult plumage

lasts for 10-12 monthswith the first traces of blue appear-ing at about six months.

They are irregularly blue atabout one year and completely bluein about two years.

Oddly, some Little Blue Heronsbegin breeding at about one year whilethey are still in their white plumage.

©2009 Dick Bailey ©2009 Dick Bailey ©2009 Chris Bauer

©2009 Rod Wiley ©2009 Ralph Arwood

The latest information receivedfrom the Florida Wildlife Commissionpanther team is that at least seven pan-thers are roaming in or near the sanctu-ary. One is a large radio-collared male(FP-159) and two are females with twojuveniles each. Remote cameras set up

throughout the sanctuary have been re-cording panther activity; and in midMarch, visitors observed a young pan-ther in the wet prairie between the en-trance and exit sides of the boardwalkstalk and catch a deer that had beengrazing in the same area.

Profile

Banded Water Snake There are three subspecies

of Banded Water Snake:Nerodia fasciata fasciata,Nerodia fasciata pictiventris,and Nerodia fasciata confluens.

Nerodia fasciata pictiventrisis the Florida Banded WaterSnake and is found in peninsu-lar Florida. It is found through-out the Florida peninsula exceptin the Florida Keys. Outside thestate, it occurs in extreme south-eastern Georgia and a very iso-lated population is in extremesoutheastern Texas aroundBrownsville.

Nerodia fasciata fasciata is com-monly called the Banded Water Snakeand is found in the coastal plain regionsfrom North Carolina to Mississippi, ex-cept in peninsular Florida.

Nerodia fasciata confluens is calledthe Broad-banded Water Snake and isfound in Louisiana, coastal Mississippi,eastern Texas, Arkansas, and portions ofMississippi, Tennessee, and Missouriclose to the Mississippi River.

The Florida Banded Water Snakecan be found in nearly all freshwaterhabitats, preferring the shallow watersof swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes,streams, and rivers. It is active mainlyat night, but it may be found during theday sunning on banks or on vegetationhanging over the water.

Florida Banded Water Snakes areharmless and non-venomous, although

Nerodia fasciata pictiventris

they have a mouth full of sharp teeth.When threatened, they may flatten tomimic a Water Moccasin. If that doesn’twork, they will bite viciously and smeartheir tormentors with a foul smellingmusk to defend themselves.

Primarily a nighttime hunter, theBanded Water Snake eats live or deadfish, frogs, salamanders, crayfish, andtadpoles.

The adult is a stocky snake withblack, brown, or red cross bands acrossits back. As the snakes age, the bandsbecome less and less visible. The back-ground color can vary from black to agray, tan, or have a reddish tint. Its un-derside is pale with roughly squareshaped spots.

Young are brightly colored withbroad bands. Bands on juveniles appearnarrower and come closer to the back-ground color.

Adults are typically from24-40 inches in length, but theycan grow to almost five feetlong.

The head is the key area foridentification. The most notice-able feature is the lower jaw,which is whitish with many thin,dark vertical stripes. There isalso a thin dark stripe from theeye to the angle of the jaw.

Because they are foundaround bodies of water, watersnakes are often mistakenlyidentified as the venomous Wa-

ter Moccasin. But jaw colors and headshape and color patterns make it easy todistinguish between the two.

The Moccasin has a wide, dark bandthat goes through the eye to the front ofthe head, and it has a vertical pupil inthe eye. The Banded Water Snake lacksthat band and has a round pupil.

If the heads are viewed from above,the eyes of the water snake are easilyvisible while the eyes of the Moccasincannot be seen.

Most noticeably, Moccasins do nothave the fine stripes on the lower jaw,just large blotches.

Like all water snakes, the FloridaBanded Water Snake bears live young.Mating occurs from midwinter to springand litters of 20-30 young are born inlate spring through summer. The youngare 7.5-10.5 inches at birth and verybrightly colored.

Banded Water Snake: frontWater Moccasin: front

Banded Water Snake: adultWater Moccasin: adult

Banded Water Snake: juvenileWater Moccasin: juvenile

Banded Water Snake: youngWater Moccasin: young

Education ReportFor over a de-

cade, CorkscrewSwamp Sanctuaryhas been host toFlorida Gulf CoastUniversity’s Envi-ronmental Collo-quium Course.

The course isdesigned to providethe impetus for stu-dents to understandissues related to eco-nomic, social, ande c o l o g i c a lsustainability, ana-lyze and evaluateecological issues lo-cally and globally,participate in projects requiring aware-ness and analysis of environmental is-sues and to ultimately allow students tofind their “sense of place” in the uniquenatural environment in which they live.

Corkscrew is an ideal place to dem-onstrate the principles of the course. TheSanctuary provides experiential learning– it is a working model that “beinggreen” is also viable business practice.

Educational strategy at Corkscrewis to LEAD by example, enable othersto LEARN sound environmental edu-cation practices and empower visitorsand students to incorporate conservationinto their LIVES .

Ten years ago FGCU brought 100Colloquium students per year for guidedboardwalk tours. Today it has grown toa booming university which bringsnearly 1,800 students per year to theSanctuary.

An ironic situation developed:Colloquium’s large groups of 25 stu-dents per class did not allow optimumconditions to experience the serenity ofnatural habitats; the large numbers ofvisits put a strain on Corkscrew staff andvolunteer guides; and 1,800 studentswere driving individually to an Audu-bon Sanctuary to discuss ecologicalsustainability.

Our Education Department workedwith FGCU team members to evaluate,

amend and implement positive changesin program delivery and on the environ-mental impact of transportation. Recentactions demonstrate our strategy ofLead, Learn, Live.

LEADAt Corkscrew students observe a

working model of achieving conserva-tion goals while maintaining economicsustainability through tourism dollars,contributions and merchandise sales.Key components are the Sanctuary’snatural wastewater treatment facility, theLiving Machine; 2.25-mile boardwalkconstructed from sustainably harvestedwood; and 13,000 acres of native habi-tats managed to maintain the health ofwild and human populations.

LEARNA pilot program was developed to

train faculty to guide boardwalk trips.Each professor who comes to Corkscrewis now capable of presenting the envi-ronmental significance of the Sanctuary.

The FGCU Student Naturalist Pro-gram was initiated. Alumni of Collo-quium trips were trained as guides.

“The program is a win-win,” saidFGCU instructor Laurie Coventry-Payne. “Student Naturalists developvaluable leadership skills, students ben-

efit by having their fieldexperiences tailored tothe curriculum, facultybenefit by having assis-tance and Corkscrewbenefits by havingtrained student natural-ists free up valuable vol-unteer hours for serviceelsewhere.”

LIVEIn early 2009, FGCU

chartered a 33-passengerbus to shuttle students toand from campus to theSanctuary.

“ Buses now transportthe entire Colloquium

classes, reduce the carbon footprint, re-duce highway traffic, reduce parking re-quirements, and offer more teachingtime with the students,” said AnnetteSnapp, University Colloquium Coordi-nator. “More importantly for FGCU, thebuses serve as a lesson in sustainability.”

Students appreciate the bus programand its significance.

“The bus was the best carpool! Itmakes sense and I realized we often useindividual vehicles out of conveniencerather than necessity,” said RichardCallahan

“…using the bus reinforces the prin-cipals of sustainability that are beingtaught in this course. I don’t see anydownfalls; it is better all around!” addedTravis Wagner

With changes similar to the FGCUprogram implemented in other areas,success at Corkscrew is measured byhow many students, teachers and citi-zens become advocates who teach oth-ers about conservation and incorporatesustainable practices into their ownlives.

45 tons carbon reduced105, 984 road miles eliminated

35 partner educators trained

Program Benefits

Reference

BIRDSAnhingaCarolina WrenLimpkinNorthern ParulaOwl & hawk nestingPainted BuntingPileated WoodpeckerRed-shouldered HawkSwallow-tailed KiteTurkey VultureWhite-eyed VireoWood Stork

Below is a listing of articles from volunteer newsletters. All are available on the Corkscrew web page by clicking on “Infor-mation” and then on “Volunteer newsletter.” All are also available in the red loose-leaf notebook in the Bunting House.

MAMMALSBats at CorkscrewBlack BearRiver Otter

HERPSAlligatorBanded Water SnakeCorkscrew’s frogs & toadsGreen & Brown AnolesGreen TreefrogPig Frog

PLANTSBald CypressButterfly garden plantsPoison IvyPond AppleSalviniaStrangler FigWater Lettuce

INSECTS, FISH & OTHERAestivation & dry-downsLightningNew damselfly speciesMosquitofishPrescribed burns

Profiles

Quick I.D. GuideBIRDSCommon vs. Boat-tailed GrackleHairy vs. Downy WoodpeckerGreen Heron vs. American BitternImmature night heronsWhite Ibis, Glossy Ibis, LimpkinLittle Blue vs. Tri-colored HeronLittle white wading birdsLouisiana vs. Northern WaterthrushStarling vs. fem. Red-winged BlackbirdSwallow-tailed Kite, immature vs. adultVireos & Ruby-crowned KingletDucks in flightVultures in flight

MAMMALS & HERPSBanded Water Snake vs. MoccasinCottontail vs. Marsh RabbitTurtles: Red-bellied vs. Cooter

PLANTSAlligator Flag, Pickerelweed, SagittariaBald Cypress vs. Pond CypressLive Oak vs. Laurel OakThree nasty exoticsCoastal Plain vs. Virginia WillowElderberry, Water Dropwort, Water HemlockSaw Palmetto vs. Cabbage PalmSeasonal plants in the lettuce lakes

INSECTS & ARACHNIDSMonarch vs. Viceroy ButterflyPalamedes vs. Black SwallowtailPearl vs. Phaon CrescentQueen-Soldier-Viceroy ButterfliesYellow sulphur butterfliesStinging caterpillarsOrchard & Long-jawed OrbweaverFishing SpidersLarge Orbweavers

In Case a Visitor AsksDo female Anhingas also get blue eyes in mating season?What are the differences between an Anhinga and a Cormorant?How long before immature Little Blue Herons are blue?When do juvenile White Ibis become white?What are some common hatch and fledge times?Why do Anhingas spread their wings?How big is that bird, and what’s its wingspan?Why do sapsuckers drill holes in rows?Do all spiders bite? Are they poisonous?Why are raccoons active during the day? Are they dangerous?Where did the water go, and when will it come back?What happens to alligators and turtles when the lakes dry up?What are cypress knees?What causes peeling or shredded bark on cypress tress?Can two cypress trees grow together?What are the white growths on cypress trees?Why do some cypress grow needles when they should be dropping them?How much of what can be seen from the observation platform belongs to Corkscrew?How does aquatic life reestablish itself after a prolonged dry period?What are tussocks, where do they come from, and what do they do?

Why is it called “Corkscrew”?What’s the feathery looking plant growing in the wet prairie?What is the boardwalk wood?How do you read the Stevens Gauge?Do you feed wildlife?What do alligators eat?What’s the best time to visit?What left that scat?Why does the water look dirty?How do snakes climb trees?What makes the slits in Alligator Flag leaves?What vine is blanketing the trees?What are the growths on bay leaves?