By Amber Prinkey

We had a flurry of fun during Winter Camp, check it out:

Don’t forget to check our website for upcoming Camp Wild opportunities!

From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to The Tortoise and the Hare, everyone can agree that these shelled creatures are adorable. Here are some turtle-y awesome facts you may not know:

Turtles spend most of their lives in water… usually. Some turtles, like Box Turtles, stay on land.

^{One of our resident box turtles peeks out from below a rock}

Slow-moving tortoises have an advantage – they might be ignored because they look like rocks!

Some tortoises LOVE to dig! Gopher Tortoises may construct many burrows and they can be up to 40 feet long and 10 feet deep.

Scientists believe they can see the color red best.

Their shells are made of bone and covered in thick scutes made of keratin (like our fingernails!)

It is illegal to move gopher tortoises from their home. They are a keystone species, those burrows they dig provide shelter for up to 400 species of animals!

It is also illegal to take sea turtle eggs. Sea turtles have a rough time of it, only about 1 in 1,000 makes it to adulthood! If caught poaching these eggs, offenders face a fine of up to $100,000 and up to a year in jail.

Many species of turtles and tortoises are endangered. In some countries, it is believed that their parts have medicinal properties which leads them to be poached – taken illegally from the wild.

Some turtles and tortoises can live up to 200 years! But the average of most species is about 50 years. That’s still a long time if you are considering getting one as a pet. Red-eared sliders have been a common pet for many years and unfortunately, our native turtles are suffering because of it. Many people have released their turtles into the wild and these non-native reptiles are taking resources from our native turtles. They are now a conditional species in Florida, you’ll need a permit to keep one as a pet. 

Please always do your research before getting any animal as a pet and NEVER release unwanted pets into the wild.

^{A red-eared slider basks in the small wetland behind the nature center}

By Amber Prinkey

With the increased focus on nature that has happened over the past year and a half because of Covid, why not continue by participating in this year’s Christmas Bird Count which lasts from December 14 to January 5? Ornithologist Frank M Chapman created the Christmas Bird Count in 1900 to bring more attention to conservation efforts. He and his fellow conservationists thought we should be counting the birds instead of hunting them! This work continues and helps the Audubon society understand bird populations. There are rules and a sign up required, get the details here: https://www.audubon.org/answers-your-top-questions-about-christmas-bird-count

If competition is your thing, consider a Big Year. Just like the 2011 movie shows us, birders compete to see the most bird species in the U.S. in an entire year. The current record was set in 2019 and stands at 836 of the just over a thousand species here in the U.S. There are also worldwide competitions to see as many of the over 10,000 bird species we know of, that record stands at 6,852. That’s a lot of birds!

If you’re like us here at Sawgrass Nature Center and just want to enjoy birds whenever and wherever consider a life list. This is just a list of birds you’ve seen. No pressure, just enjoyment of birds and their silly, strange, fun, and beautiful behaviors. 

Want to learn more about birds? Book a Bird Adaptations class with us. Your group will learn about birds, see them up close, and even dissect pellets from them! See our website for details.

A flock of Mourning Doves visits the field at our nature center

By Amber Prinkey

A few months ago we talked about citizen science when regular people help researchers understand animal movements and patterns. Interested in helping out some more scientists? For the next few months, researchers at Journey North would like our help in tracking Monarch butterflies. If you live in the Southeastern U.S. you can sign up to report your Monarch sightings this December through March. Visit https://journeynorth.org/monarchs for details.

We had a WILD time at Fall camp this year, check out some of the cool things we saw and did!

We had a great time, we hope you’ll join us for a future camp! Check our website to see what’s next!

www.sawgrassnaturecenter.org

Today, we’re uniting for a worldwide celebration of generosity. GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together through generosity in all its forms by sharing acts of kindness and giving their voice, time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes. 

Are you in?

Giving Tuesday kicks off our End of Year Campaign! This year has been the busiest one yet for our Wildlife Hospital and we need your help!

Your donation will help cover the increased costs associated with the increase in patients.
This year we are looking at a 42% increase in hospital admissions when compared to our 2020 numbers.
Your support matters! Please share this post so we can reach more people.

By Amber Prinkey

No turkeys here at Sawgrass Nature Center but we do have a Turkey Vulture! Her name is Nelly and she has quite a personality! Nelly can be shy when she encounters new people. She may feel a little vulnerable because she has a wing injury and knows she can’t fly away. Maybe not the prettiest bird, turkey vultures still have a lot to teach us:

• Unlike most birds, the Turkey Vulture has a keen sense of smell that it uses to detect carrion (dead animals). In fact, they have the largest olfactory (smelling) system of all birds (that we know of, new data is coming out about other bird’s smelling abilities). They have been known to be able to smell carrion from over a mile away, which is unusual in the bird world.
•  The Turkey Vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces to cool itself down. Also, the acid in their poop kills bacteria caused by climbing into carcasses.
• The bald head of a vulture is a feeding adaptation which prevents bacterial infection as the bird’s head is submerged in a carcass
• Turkey Vultures are recognized while flying by their ability to soar, rarely flapping their wings at all in flight. Their wings form a slight “V” while soaring.
• Many raptors use the heat rising off the ground to help them ascend. This saves valuable energy.
• Adult birds have few predators as they will vomit up their last meal to chase them away.
• A group of vultures is called a committee, venue, or volt. In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle, and when the birds are feeding together at a carcass, the group is called a wake.

As an important part of our ecosystem, vultures are known as nature’s clean-up crew. We have them to thank for eating dead and rotting things which helps keep our planet clean.

By Amber Prinkey

Although their brains are tiny, birds make good use of what space they have with plenty of neurons. With some birds being able to migrate and return to the exact same area next year, they’re showing us they are smarter than we think. Check out these smarty bird facts:

Many bird species can plan for the future by caching food (saving it for later).

Crows and mockingbirds have been shown to recognize faces and are more comfortable with those they have interacted positively with as opposed to a stranger.

Crows not only make tools but can also curve a tool into a hook for better food gathering.

Green herons also use tools. They’ll find a piece of food, place it on the water, fish will come to the food, then they eat the fish.

Crows will group together to mob predators, using strength in numbers.

Studies show ravens can plan for tasks, a trait we thought only humans could accomplish!

Ever thought you heard a hawk only to look and see an innocent little Blue Jay? They mimic these fearsome predators to scare the competition away from food!

Some birds like gulls and crows will drop hard-shelled food items on the ground so they break and they can eat what’s inside.

More than 200 species of birds have performed “anting,” the act of rubbing ants on their skin and feathers to “clean” themselves with the ant’s chemicals.

Some species of parrots may develop a vocabulary of over 1,000 words!

Wild turkeys have a technique where they line up side by side to walk across fields to flush out more insects.

Even Great- Tailed Grackles (a close relative of our own Boat-Tailed Grackles) have shown to be more intelligent than previously thought. A study showed they have behavioral flexibility, the ability to change preferences with changing circumstances. This means they will alter the way they do things if another way is better than the way they previously did it.

So now we know birds are smart, but they still make mistakes. Here at Sawgrass Nature Center, we regularly get calls about birds who have flown into windows. How can you avoid this at your home? Putting a few stickers or window clings on your windows will alert birds to the window and help them avoid it.

A non-releasable blue jay sits on a branch in our Aviary

By Amber Prinkey

America Recycles Day is November 15^th and our town, Coral Springs,  has recently begun recycling again which is great news to us here at Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital. We love when we can do something so easy to help our native wildlife! Are you wondering how putting plastic or paper into a bin helps our Florida animals? Read on!

R is for refuse which, if appropriately recycled, doesn’t end up in animal bellies or stuck around their bodies

E is for E-waste which are discarded electronics that leech chemicals into the ground if not properly disposed of (these items must be recycled at stores or a recycling center, not your household bins)

C is for water Contamination which we can avoid if we recycle our automotive oil (which also needs to be taken to an auto shop or recycling center)

(Did you know that frogs are Environmental Indicators? This means they tell us the health of the ecosystem because their skin is porous and very delicate. Unhealthy water means frogs won’t survive there)

Y is for saying YES! to reducing your consumption of single-use plastics. Plastic that ends up in our water can affect many species when it breaks down and they swallow it

C is for Composting which is another way to reduce the amount of waste that goes into our landfills

L is for Leftovers which can be stored in a reusable container you bring with you to a restaurant instead of accepting Styrofoam containers (which are not recyclable and may never biodegrade)

I is for Injuries to wildlife caused by plastic 6 pack rings that are not cut up prior to trashing them (this plastic is not recyclable)

N is for Nature Centers like ours which help you learn easy ways to help our native wildlife ?

G is for Good feelings which we all get when we do something that helps animals

For more information about recycling here in Coral Springs, check out the city’s website at https://www.coralsprings.org/Government/Departments/Public-Works/Garbage-Recycling/Recycling-Programs. Or search “recycling in my area” for more details on correctly recycling in your neighborhood. The animals will thank you!

By Amber Prinkey

 It’s time to talk about the animals that don’t get much love, snakes! Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about snakes, so if you aren’t sure if you can trust these riveting reptiles, read on.

 Myth #1

Snakes want to hurt us.

Not true! Think about how many times you’ve seen a snake in the wild, not too many, right? That’s because when snakes feel the vibrations from our feet, they usually move away from us. They know we are much larger than they are and there’s no way they can fit us in their tummies (this includes the invasive Burmese Python. Our shoulders are too wide for them to swallow).

Myth #2

Snakes are slimy and gross.

Not true! Snakes are reptiles which have DRY scales. Some species may look slimy, but they are not.

 Myth #3

Snakes can sense our fear.

Well…. Kinda. But it’s not what you think! When some animals realize we are afraid they think there might be a reason for THEM to be afraid. This goes for humans, too! We may become scared when we see someone else is scared.

 Myth #4

If I see a snake, it’s probably venomous.

Not true! Here in Florida, we’ve got about 46 different species of snakes and only 6 of them are venomous. So there’s no need to kill any snakes you see in your yard because they are probably not dangerous. Snakes do have teeth and constrictors use them to pull their prey in. But do you know how most people get hurt by snakes? When they are bothering them or trying to hurt them the animal feels like it’s being attacked will probably fight back.

Myth #5

I’ve always been afraid of snakes so I can’t change.

Not true! Fear is often a learned behavior. We see our parents or friends modeling fear of something which, again, makes us feel afraid. But the more you learn about snakes, the easier it will be to see that they DON’T want to hurt you, they are NOT slimy and gross, and you CAN change your feelings about them. Remember our last blog when we talked about owls and how important they are to keeping the balance of rodents in check? Snakes are also a vital part of that predator group, each one eating an average of 100 rodents a year. Thank you, snakes!

A non-venomous Water snake that was seen in our wetland area this Fall.