"Flipper" The King of the Sea

\  

    Seeing the dolphins is something you never grow tired of. And they're enjoyed all year around, on  St. George Island. 

Barely stirring the water in the canal.

  They prefer shallow seas, and coastal waters, so, Apalachicola Bay is the perfect environment for them. And on occasion, if you're on the beach, you can see them swimming along the shore, searching for their next meal. And if you're lucky enough to be swimming in the gulf when they come by, they might just swim with you!

The water gets stirred up when they find the fish.

  Sometimes, they'll come up into the canals, looking for fish. They'll cruise along, barely making a wake, then, all of a sudden, the water explodes! That's when you know they've found what they're looking for.
   Dolphins are strict carnivores, eating fish and squid. They hunt their prey by using what's called echolocation. This is what they are doing when they make a "clicking" sound. They're using their ears, to hunt. They'll also follow sea birds, and ships, to catch fish.

A young calf surfaces.

    It's not often that you see a lone dolphin. Usually you see them in groups, or pods, of 3 or more. There have been pods spotted, that number in the thousands. These are called "super pods". I don't  any know of any "super pods" that have been seen around St. George Island. But it's not unusual to see a group of 30 or so swimming together in the bay. If you happen to see them when you're out on a boat, and they're not focused entirely on fishing, they enjoy playing in the wake. Or they may take up following you. They may just want to play, or they want to see if you stir up any fish.
   There are 40 different species of dolphins. Whales are also considered a type of dolphin. The whales, and the kind of dolphins around St. George Island, are know as "Oceanic" dolphins, as opposed to "River" dolphins, that live in the freshwater rivers of Asia and S. America. Of the Oceanic dolphins, there are 32 species. The most common around the island is the bottlenose.
  They mate throughout the year, usually having one calf. When they're ready to give birth, they'll leave the pod, and come to the surface in order for the calf to take it's first breath. A calf can nurse up to 2 years, and will stay with their mom, anywhere from 3 to 8 years.
   It's been said that dogs and dolphins have a language all their own. And, after seeing some of the things I have, it's hard to dispute. A dolphin sees just as clearly outside the water, as it does under it. So if they're following the boat, and happen to see dogs on board, their interest is peaked. And the dogs, are certainly interested in them. There's no fear on either side. Just curiosity. The dolphins will appear to almost tease the dogs, and start showing off by "sky hopping" or, jumping out of the water.

Watching the dolphins 

   Here's a couple interesting facts about dolphins. Only half of their brain sleeps. The other half stays awake to prevent them from drowning. Even in sleep, they need to breathe. So half of the brain has to stay awake to get them to the surface to take a breath.
   The bottlenose dolphin can live to be over 40 years old.

    Because the dolphin lacks certain lobes and nerves, they have a very poor developed sense of smell.
   The dolphin is never thought of as an aggressive mammal, but when a male has to defend it's territory, or a female feels the need to protect it's young, they'll be aggressive enough to bite each other. But it's extremely rare to hear of aggression towards people. 

Two mother dolphins and their calves

               Dolphins are wonderful creatures. They're a welcome sight, around the island, that'll never grow old.

   
   
    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     \                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        cc;/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   .

Fireworks and our Feathered Friends.

   

Happy 4th of July!

   The biggest holiday on St. George Island didn't disappoint.  Over 100 floats (golf carts are considered floats), in the
island's parade this year. And if you don't want to get wet, it's not the place to be. It's a water fight to end all water fights. And the colder the water, the better. The only suggestion for the parade is they'd like you to leave the water balloons at home. They can be very painful! And the parade route is going to have to be a little longer. The first floats were finished, and half of them hadn't even started yet!

100 floats strong!

   And when the sun went down, fireworks went off from one end of the beach to the other, lighting up the gulf waters. The main fireworks show, was in the middle of the island. And, as always, it was spectacular. But, it was hard to tell where the center of the island was. With all the fireworks that the visitors brought, going off everywhere, the show was unbelieveable anywhere you happened to be, on the beach.

Get ready to get soaked!

   But not everyone is a big fan of the 4th of July. From March until August, the shorebirds are nesting. And with all of the small barrier islands in the area, there's a large population of  different kinds of shorebirds, all along the beaches.

A "Least Tern" and her chick

   I have always enjoyed the birds, running up and down the beach, back and forth with the surf. But I  don't know

A "Willet"

a lot about them. In years past, the Audubon Society has asked for volunteers, to look after the nests, during the holidays, and when there's a high volume of people on the island. Add fireworks to the mix, and it can often be a matter of the bird's suvival.
    This year, my friend from the society, called and said they were looking for someone to kayak over to Goose Island ( I have no idea how it got it's name), around the holidays, and check on the nests that are there. Goose Island is right across a channel in the bay, from the state park on St. George Island. I was happy to volunteer for such a job.

A "Ruddy Turnstone"  The scavenger!

    The areas where the birds are nesting, are marked, and the oyster beds and sand bars keep the motor boats from getting too close. On occasion, a group of guided kayakers will take an eco trip, over to the island, but for the most part, the island stays undisturbed. Unfortunately, there are other things  that can disrupt the areas, like other birds, or wild animals This can cause the chicks to panic, run to the water, and drown. So it's important to check on them on a regular basis, just to keep track of the chicks.

High tide can wipe out an entire nesting colony.

   So, I've been kayaking over to Goose Island, every Sunday afternoon, since the 4th of July. And a few times in between, just because it's so enjoyable. And there's something different to see with every trip.
  Having been told what to look for, and seeing pictures of the birds that were nesting, made the job a lot easier for me. With this information, I could tell which birds were nesting, and which ones were hanging around, trying to scavenge the eggs

A "banded" plover

   When I first started going, I identified the American Oystercatchers right away. This bird was hunted to near extinction along the Atlantic Coast. Given total protection, they've become numerous, and nest as far north as Massachusetts, where just a few years ago, they were very rare. They stand out with their long, bright orange beak. And with their blade like beak, they can feed on mussels, and other bivalves, by severing the adductor muscles before the shells can close. They'll also feed on barnacles, and snails.They don't nest in colonies, so when you see a group of them, it's not likely they're nesting. I've seen a couple pairs of oystercatchers, but no chicks.  
    The other bird to look for was the Least Tern. It's a  small tern with a yellow beak that likes to feed on minnows and other marine or freshwater organisms. Unlike the oystercatcher, they nest in colonies. Because of this, entire colonies can be wiped out by extremely high tides. But there were a lot of chicks thriving on the big part of the island.  

"American Oystercatcher"

   Both the tern, and the oystercatcher, are migrating birds. But because of the generally mild winters, it's not uncommon to see them, on and around the island during the colder months. 
    It's exciting to discover the newly hatched chicks. And it's fun going back to watch their progress, and waiting for new ones. And as an added bonus, there are 3 Osprey nests on Goose Island that are grouped together and the chicks have yet to hatch.  
   Since many of the birds winter here, and there is a widespread decline in the shorebird population, it's important that the same guidelines used from March through August, are applied for September through January, the non-nesting months. Every time they're disturbed, from eating, or resting, they useing energy needed for their survival. So, fortunately, this is a volunteer job, that can last all year.

Three "Heron" nests

     
  

We Be "Jammin''

   Kayaking is one of the biggest recreational sports on St. George Island and all around the area. So, it seemed like a good place to try and break the Guinness book of world records, for the biggest kayak raft. A raft, meaning that every kayak had to be connected to another. Well, we didn't break the record, but everybody had a great time trying.

Everybody meets at the park

   Approximately 350 people, from all over, came for the event. Paddlers from as far as Colorado and Montana came, just to be a part of the spectacle. Some people brought their own kayaks, others rented one when they got here. There weren't quite the 2,100 kayaks that were needed to break the record, but for the first year of having the event, it was a great turn out.

Heading out to the Bay

   The idea came from a pastor on the island. Organize a full weekend of fun and paddling, with the theme being "paddle to love, and love to paddle", and try to break a world record in the process. So, on Saturday, about a dozen vendors set up in Apalachicola at a park under the bridge that connects Apalachicola with Eastpoint. 
   The paddlers took to the water about noon and paddled out into the bay, to a small island about a mile out

"Paddles up"

   It took about an hour for everyone to get out to the island. When we started bunching up to make the raft, we were instructed to put our paddles up in the air, so we could  get close enough to hold on to each other's kayak without someone getting hit in the head with the paddle.

"Back to the Bridge everybody"

   When everyone finally got a hold of each other, it felt like a real accomplishment. Planes flew overhead, taking aerial photographs of the spectacle.  

On Sunday, you could stand up and paddle, or sit down and peddle!

  Then on Sunday,the fun moved over to St. George Island, for Stand Up Paddleboard Day. There was a morning service on the beach, looking out onto the bay, followed by a stand up paddleboard race, a kayak race, yoga on the beach, food, music, and free paddle board lessons for anyone wanting to learn.

And of course, dogs were welcome to ride along.

   With the help of the Coast Guard, St. George Island Rescue, and several privately owned support boats, the weekend was a huge success, with proceeds from the weekend, going to "at risk" children, youth, and families, of the Apalachicola-St. George Island Cooperative Parrish.
   In the next week or two, a meeting will take place to review this year's "Paddle Jam"  and start planning for next year. And if things go as planned, in a few years, the "Forgotten Coast" will be "remembered" for making the biggest kayak raft in the world!

The Osprey by the Bridge

    Last year, about this time, I was keeping my eye on two different herons, nesting on the west end of the island. Unfortunately, around the time the eggs were due to hatch, one of the nests was vandalized. But, the other one was a success, with two chicks, growing up to be healthy young herons.
   This year, I've been watching some Ospreys nesting on a pylon, by the bridge going to St. George Island. The nests are made out of sticks and usually built out in open spaces. But they're built strong enough to survived the likes of storms like Debbie, and Isaac, that came through here a couple years ago. 

They're the only large raptor with an unmarked white belly

The flowers are a nice touch!

   Ospreys, also known as sea hawks, fish eagles, and fish hawks, are in this area, all year around. And you'll always find them near the water.They're by the salt marshes, rivers, and the bay. It's common to see their nests on telephone poles, channel markers, water towers, and even man made platforms.
    The number of Osprey crashed, starting in the 1950's. For example, from the 1950's until the 1970's, between New York City and Boston, 90% of the breeding pairs, disappeared. But when many pesticides were banned, mainly DDT, they made a tremendous comeback. And although they are still rare in some places, Ospreys exist on every continent except Antarctica.

They do well in populated areas

   Fish make up 99% of the Osprey's diet. They've been known to eat 80 different species of fish, both from salt, and fresh water. And as long as they're around water, they'll never go hungry. They'll catch a fish on 1 out of every 4 dives. Sometimes even having a 70% success rate. Like a pelican, an osprey will dive for fish from 30 to 100 feet up. 
   Even though Ospreys are here all year around, they're a migrating bird. And if they live out their full life, of 15 to 20 years, they can log over 160,000 miles in a lifetime, with some of their migrating paths being from the east coast, to South America.

The "aerial sky-dance" with a needle fish 

   During the breeding season, the males are very protective, and possessive, of their nesting area. They will do what's called an "aerial sky-dance". Or,as it's sometimes called a fish-flight, where they'll dangle their legs, often clasping a fish, or nesting material, and alternates hovering, with shallow swoops, sometimes 600 ft. above the nesting sight.
   The nesting period for Ospreys is 50 to 55 days. This pair didn't have a lot of work to do, with the nest already being there. But, after the male finds the nesting sight, there's always stick repair, and remodeling to be done. 

The proud parents

   Three eggs is the average number that's laid, and this pair was no exception. The eggs don't hatch all at once, but sometimes, up to 5 days apart. And it's not uncommon for the oldest chick to keep food from the youngest, causing it to starve to death. This was also true with this pair. But, the two surviving chicks didn't live long. 

   When I thought the time was getting close for the chicks to hatch, I stopped and checked on the nest. Sure enough, the male and female were both sitting on the nest, with two chicks. The chicks were just born, so I decided not to bother them, and didn't stop for several days. Then I noticed what I thought to be the female, flying just above the nest, with several sea gulls flying close by. I decided to stop, and what I saw, made me very sad. There were two dead chicks, with a plastic bag wrapped around them. There's a good chance they were suffocated by someone that was careless with their trash. Whether it was tossed out, or blew out on it's own, doesn't really matter. And who knows where the garbage might have originated. One thing's for sure, it didn't belong in this Osprey's nest.

A sad ending

   This is not the ending I would liked to have written for this post, but, I'm hopeful it will make a difference. Maybe people will think twice about what they do with their trash. And with as many nests that were occupied this season on and around St. George Island, I feel certain we'll have plenty of young Ospreys taking to the sky very soon.

Fly So Free

,                      


   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Jaws

   Usually, the afternoon walk on the beach is quiet, peaceful, and uneventful. But yesterday was different. 

The fight had just begun

It took two guys to bring it in

   On the night of the "Chili CookOff" I met some hardcore shark fishermen, Ronie and Nic, that were camping out on the beach with all their shark fishing gear. They kayaked the lines out a good ways into the gulf, secured the poles, and waited. I was anxious to get back the next morning to see if they'd had any luck. Unfortunately, no hungry sharks were biting that night. But they were yesterday.
   After watching the Derby, I went to the beach, only to find my friends were back, and they'd hooked the big one. They'd been reeling it in for the pas two hours. 

This is one big shark!

   They'd, gotten to the beach about noon, (Obviously, catching a shark took precedence over watching the most exciting 2 minutes in sports!), and at 5:30, it hit. A tiger shark, almost 12 feet long! Definitely the catch of the day.  It was around 7:30 when I got to the beach, so they had already been fighting with this fish for a couple hours. I didn't want to miss the action, but figured I had enough time to throw the ball awhile, for the dogs. As it turned out, I had time to go home and eat dinner! I took a few pictures of them pulling in their catch, and went on home.
  I left my phone number with them, and told them to call me when they got the fish close enough to see it, and I'd take some pictures for them. There's a sandbar not too far from shore, and it seemed every time they got that shark to the sandbar, it would run out another 300 yards. After about a half hour, I could see this was going to take some time. But they weren't going to give up.

Pulling it in.

"Open wide"

  I finally went back to check on them around 10:30 p.m., figuring they'd forgotten to call me. But there they were, still fighting to get the shark in. So once again, I said, "call me". 
   So I waited. Finally, around midnight, I got the call. The shark was in sight. I rushed down to the beach, with my camera, just in time to see about 10 people pulling  the shark to shore. I'd never seen such a fish caught off of the beach. And it was definitely the biggest shark the "shark slayer" had ever caught.
  After they got the measurements, 11 feet, 7 inches long, and 62 inches around the girth, and pictures were taken, the shark was pulled back out to sea. Ronie was pleased that the shark survived the ordeal. He wants the thrill of catching it again. And no matter how long it takes, don't doubt the will of a serious fisherman. Or, the will of a fish that doesn't want to be caught either.

"Ouch" But not life threatening. It was returned to the Gulf, alive and well.

            I think I'll keep a closer eye on the dogs when I throw the ball into the water!






   

Chili and Ribs

   Spring officially arrived on St. George Island, with the 39th annual Chili CookOff. And across the bridge in Eastpoint, the 13th annual Rib CookOff, took place just a couple weeks later.

     The weather was beautiful on the panhandle , the first couple of weeks in March, so, the turn out for both events was great. The last couple years, the weather was well suited for eating ribs and chili. just not outside!

 

There's parrots everywhere!

  The money that's raised, goes to the volunteer fire departments of St George Island, and Eastpoint, and some of the money comes from the auctions that take place. The one at the Rib CookOff is silent. The one on St. George Island is a live auction that lasts for most of the day. 

    Things up for auction range from fishing trips, donated by local charters, crafts done by local artists, and tickets to major events such as the Daytona 500 always bring a good price.

"Mr. Hot Sauce"

      
   As always, your social companions are welcome, and there's definitely no dress code! The only rules are to have a good time, and eat lots of food! There's never been a problem with either one of those rules.
          In the chili competition, there's two different categories. The international competition, for the  serious chili cookers, that travel the country with their recipes. And the "Crock Pot Chili" category. This is chili cooked by "the locals", in their own crock pots.

Now, that's some hot chili!

"We want hot dogs"!

   My husband, John, was asked to be one of the four judges for the "Crock Pot Chili" competition this year. And with 23 entries, it was no easy task 

.  Color, consistency, aroma, taste, and after taste, are the criteria the judges use to pick a winner. And it appeared the judges made a good call. When the eating began, the winning chili was gone in no time. When the chili's gone, which this year took less that 2 hours, it's time to  move on to the shrimp kabobs, bar-b-q sandwiches, fried oysters, hot dogs, and funnel cakes. 

Judging was no easy task

   Then there's the crowning of Miss Chili Pepper, and Mr. Hot Sauce,and that was a "huge" event this year! 

1st Place Crock Pot Chili

   And as an added bonus, a 23 ft. boat was auctioned off. Tickets for the boat had been for sale for months at $100 a piece.  And the boat sat in Apalachicola, across from the Tin Shed Nautical Store, through the winter, for people to go look at. Well, as fate would have it, the man that owns the Tin Shed, and looked at the boat every day, won it! 

"See you next year"

   The Chili CookOff is the bigger of the two events, but they're both for a  good cause. And when it's all said and done, nobody goes away hungry! So if you find yourself on Florida's panhandle,  the first couple weeks in March, looking for good food and fun, come to the "CookOffs". It doesn't get much better than this!