Question of the Week – Seagulls

My last question was about 2 seagulls that seemed mad at me. We were on Shell Island in Panama City, Florida. They were Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla). They had calmed down by the time I snapped this photo.

This week’s question is as follows.

What is this crop pictured here?

 

 

Question of the Week – Tri Colored Heron

Last week I had a bird for you to indentify and it was the Tri Colored Heron.

This week I have a photo of some corn and some of it looks different. Why is one row a different color and why?

Question of the Week – Japanese Honeysuckle

I had a photo of Japanese Honeysuckle last week. Here’s some info from our Georgia Invasive species task force web site.

“A native of eastern Asia, it was first introduced into America in 1806 in Long Island, New York.  Japanese honeysuckle has been planted widely throughout the United States as an ornamental, for erosion control, and for wildlife habitat.  It currently occurs in at least 38 states and is found throughout Georgia.

Japanese honeysuckle invades a variety of habitats including forest floors and canopies, roadsides, wetlands, and disturbed areas.  The long growing season, due to its evergreen tendencies, helps this plant out-compete many native species.  It can girdle small saplings by twining around them and can form dense mats in the canopies of trees, shading out everything below.”

More info at this link http://www.gaeppc.org/weeds/honeysuckle.html

I believe it is useful for deer browse however.

This week I have a photo of a bird we saw recently at St. Marks. Can you identify it?

Question of the Week – Coots

The last question was about birds we saw on Lake Seminole. They were Coots. We often see them in the winter and early spring on the lake in large numbers. They are not ducks, they don’t waddle when they walk.

 

 

Now it’s time for this week’s question. What did I watch being sprayed this week in a field in southern Seminole county? Here’s the photo.

Question of the Week – Mistletoe

I had several “much kissed” folks that knew all about Mistletoe and answered last week’s question correctly. It was a photo of Mistletoe berries. They are quite sticky when mature so that they stick to birds and critters and are spread around a lot. Here’s a link to a UGA publication concerning it . And here’s some info from the publication. http://www.forestry.uga.edu/outreach/pubs/pdf/forestry/mistletoe%20monograph%20pub%2008-25.pdf

“The fruit contains a single sticky seed. Seeds readily stick to any surface through drying, viscin acting as

a glue, while seed strings provide a large surface area for attachment. Mistletoe seeds are dispersed primarily

by birds through seeds sticking to beaks and feet, in excrement, or by regurgitation.”

Here’s another photo of it in my tree.

This week’s question is about the birds we saw on Lake Seminole last weekend. Can you identify them?

Question of the Week – Blackbirds

The damage done to the late corn was done by blackbirds. They were bad in spots in the field. they were very bad in late grain sorghum as well this year.

This week’s question is about this insect in a photo sent to me by Andrew Sawyer , UGA Extension Agent in Thomas county. He took this photo in a wheat field. What is this insect and is it good or bad for the wheat?

Question of the Week – Cormorant

Last week I had a photo of a bird “swimming?” underwater and it was a Cormorant.

Here’s some info about it from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

               ” The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America—perhaps attracting the most attention when they stand on docks, rocky islands, and channel markers, their wings spread out to dry. These solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving to catch small fish.”

Here it is right after it came up for air. There is a very similar bird that has a sharp bill not curved like this one, the Anhinga.

 Here’s a photo, below, of another bird and I want to know what it is, well, I want you to tell me what you think it is?

Question of the Week – Manatees

Last week I had a photo we took a few weeks ago at Wakulla Springs below Tallahassee Florida. It was a manatee. They said there are about 40 of them in the park now. They come up near the springs in winter to get closer to the warmer water.

The average Florida manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs close to 1,200 pounds. Manatees can reach up to 13 feet in length and weigh 3,500 pounds. Female manatees tend to be larger than the males. Their calves weigh around 66 pounds and are 4 feet long.

 Manatees in captivity have been known to live for more than 50 years. Distinctly scarred individuals have been known to live for at least 39 years.

How many manatees are in Florida waters? As of 2012, the highest number of manatees counted in a statewide survey (in winter 2010) was 5,076. However, this is only the highest count of the number of manatees in Florida and is not a true estimate of the population.

How fast are manatees? Tracking studies have shown that manatees can travel up to 50 miles or 80 km in a day. Manatees generally swim slowly but have been clocked at speeds up to 15 mph (25 km/hr) for short bursts.

How long can manatees stay underwater without breathing? While time varies with the animals’ level of activity, manatees surface to breathe about every four minutes. When resting, they can stay underwater up to 20 minutes before surfacing for air.

How much do manatees eat? Manatees, feeding between 6 and 8 hours daily, consume about 4 to 9% of their body weight in wet vegetation such as seagrass and other aquatic plants. Wow, if we had a few dozen in Lake Seminole they could do some good on our weeds.

This and other manatee information can be found at this Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.

http://myfwc.com/research/manatee/

This week’s question…

After Christmas, my niece brought her boyfriend to visit us and he is in a band. I was looking at one of their album covers and saw this instrument that is made from something we commonly have here. This week I want to ask what this instrument is made from?

Btw, their music is pretty good.

Question of the Week – Grinch Brain, jk

Last week’s question was about a photo of a green circular object about the size of a softball.

It’s a Grinch brain. Well, it’s green like the Grinch. No, it’s really an Osage Orange fruit.  I had correct responses from Bob Dutton and Hal Earnest and Jennifer Whittaker. Here’s what Jennifer said, “ The“mystery” lime green ball is an Osage-orange. The shrubs are often planted as windbreaks to prevent erosion. Fruit isn’t edible for people but some animals like them. They’re great for decorating!! Pier One Imports & Kirkland’s charge mega bucks for decorator balls like these that Mother Nature provides for free!”

I still think it looks like a Grinch brain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this week’s question I have a photo I took at Wakulla Springs this week. It was an alligator that had something unusual about it. The Ranger said it had been that way for several years. What is it and what caused it?

Question of the Week – Southern Hognose

Yes, the live snake brought in for me to identify was a Southern Hognose, Heterodon simus. It is pretty common in south Georgia but doesn’t occur much above Macon. The Eastern Hognose has a wider area of adaptation.

 The hognose snakesare interesting and they are harmless. They puff out their necks when startled and remind you of a cobra. they also will play dead if bothered too much and lay upside down and really look dead.  They also emit a foul odor when they do this. We let this one go so it could do its thing, which is mainly eating toads.

 

What kind of spider is this that was brought into my office this week for identification. The lady said it was almost her pet.