Gulf Coast Shelling

Some beautiful bird photos...

From sparring Red-winged Blackbirds to courting Western Grebes, check out these amazing photographs from last year's Audubon Photography Awards entries and learn what's happening in each shot: http://ow.ly/8Y2O30pWOPD

All eyes on the Everglades!
The Python Bowl is kicking off this Friday and we can’t wait to see what happens! It’s not too late to register for this one-of-a-kind event and be eligible to win a share of thousands of dollars in prizes: https://flpythonchallenge.org/

Be sure to watch Friday morning as we simulcast the start of the Florida Python Challenge™ 2020 Python Bowl, with South Florida Water Management District, complete with live pythons and snake capture tips!

The is a part of the Ocean To Everglades (O2E) Initiative for the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee’s Environmental Campaign. Find out more on Twitter: .

If you are bass fishing in Florida...

Beautiful bird...

Often heard before it is seen, the Red-shouldered hawk is one of the most beautiful and distinctively marked hawks in North America.

Wow that is a big crocodile

Who do you think spotted the other first?! 👀 Our money's on the crocodile! 🐊🤣

Paddling the waters of Everglades National Park is one of the best ways to get up close and personal with the Everglades and view impressive wildlife like manatees, dolphins, and even crocodiles!

While paddling is a safe way to recreate in the park, it's important to keep your distance (15 feet minimum) from wildlife whenever possible in order to ensure your safety and theirs. If an animal changes its behavior because of your presence, then you know you're too close, no matter the recommended distance.

Thanks to Daniel Gross for sharing this jaw-dropping photo!

A big fish...

Gag groupers are bottom feeders that live in coastal waters around . The biggest gag grouper caught in the state weighed 80 lbs 6oz! 📷:MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife

Friday Fun Fact...

Use your savings to give back! Donate early for to help us save 's imperiled species like the eastern indigo snake: https://give.wildlifeflorida.org/give/219295/ #!/donation/checkout. 📷: MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife

Interesting information

Red rat snakes are a climbing snake species native to . They are constrictors and have no fangs or venom. 📷:MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife

Manatee Awareness...

In search of warm water!
Did you know that manatees can’t survive for extended periods of time in water that’s colder than 68 degrees? That’s why they often gather in our natural springs and power plants during the winter. Seeing these big groups of manatees is a special experience for residents and tourists alike, but please enjoy them from a distance! As always, it’s important not to get too close to manatees, but if they’re frightened away from warm-water habitat, the consequences could be deadly. Check out our manatee viewing guidelines: http://bit.ly/2NNhlwr

Show your support for manatees with a specialty license plate or decal: http://bit.ly/37etnXk and http://bit.ly/323lBvl

We salute you, veterans!
Today and every day, we honor America’s heroes who served in the military. We humbly thank our many veterans across the country today, including many that work for our agency. Thanks to their brave sacrifices, we enjoy so many freedoms, including outdoor recreational opportunities. Did you know there is a special Military Gold Sportsman's License for Florida residents who are fully retired or active duty military? The license is available at your local tax collector’s offices and GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.

Operation Freedom has additional opportunities for veterans: http://bit.ly/2Nu5cfp

Get Crackin’
Stone crab claw harvest season opens today in state and federal waters. Be aware there are new recreational trap requirements, including a no-cost registration. Get registered here: GoOutdoorsFlorida.com

Full story: http://bit.ly/2MgdcA2

Video: How to properly remove one claw and increase the chance the you release will survive: http://bit.ly/2ORqrZF

Stranded
What should you do if you see a beached marine mammal? DON’T PUSH THEM BACK, CALL US! When a 6-foot bottlenose dolphin stranded on a sandbar, we received a call to our Wildlife Alert Hotline. Officers and biologists arrived and assessed the dolphin’s condition. We ask you don’t push beached marine mammals back because they could be sick or injured, and may be capable of powerful and unpredictable moves. Pushing an animal back to sea delays, and may hinder, the chance for experienced rescue teams to assess and provide treatment. Luckily this dolphin was determined to be alert and in good condition, so our biologists took measurements, photos, and tagged the animal before they released him. Just after, the dolphin was spotted swimming with another dolphin! The best way to help stranded marine life is to call our Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922 to report stranded, injured, or dead marine mammals.

Thanks to the citizen hero who reported the stranding, Lee County Sheriff's Office, NOAA Fisheries Service and NMFS.

You can purchase a Save the plate to support our marine mammal stranding efforts: bit.ly/2IV7nYn

All activities conducted under the authority of Section 109h of the MMPA.

100th invasive tegu lizard removed from the wild Florida Fish and Wildlife is celebrating a milestone in the removal of an invasive reptile.

Are you a birding enthusiast? Been wanting to get better with your warbler identification? Head on over to your Conservation Collier Freedom Park Preserve this week to see who has been showing up! We are in some of the peak migration weeks for songbirds that are traveling south to their warmer wintering grounds. The boardwalk at Freedom Park is one of the best places to get an eye level view of the colorful migrants who depend on the preserve year after year to refuel and rest after the big trip! After searching the canopy for some life-listers, take a sunset walk along the lotus pad-strewn filter ponds that help to improve local water-quality and watch the egrets and raccoons snagging their evening meals!

The Barred Owl (Strix varia) typically feeds on small mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. However, they have been spotted wading through water to catch Crayfish.
-Alex, Land Stewardship Intern

If you love ’s coral reefs and want to see them protected, join the : http://ow.ly/Gd1J50voHmQ! Members raise awareness about the disease that's devastating the Florida Reef Tract and recruit others. 📷: MyFWC

‪Long Pine Key is a favorite camping and hiking spot in Everglades National Park. But did you know that this 20,000 acre area is also a hotspot for plant biodiversity? The stats say it all. In the Long Pine Key area, you can find:‬

‪- At least 381 of the 788 native plant species in the park (about 48%) ‬
‪- 23 of the 39 native plant species found in the park that are ranked by the Institute for Regional Conservation as critically imperiled (about 59%)‬
‪- 6 of the 8 federally listed park plant species ‬
‪- 3 different habitats: marl prairie, rockland hammock, and pine rockland‬

‪Maybe next time you're in Long Pine Key, you'll want to take the 381 native plant challenge and try to find them all. 😉🌱🌼‬

‪Photo by Liz Alonso‬

‪ ‬

This , we’re highlighting the Florida panther (Puma concolor couguar), one of the Everglades' most elusive animals and the only known breeding population in the eastern United States.

The good news: Panther trends have been improving over the last two decades. Today, approximately 230 exist in the state of Florida, up from just 30 in the early 1990s.

The bad news: Panthers are not in the clear, though. They still face threats including habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation.

Most recently, vehicle collisions and disease are putting the panther at risk. Just two days ago, a panther died after being struck by a vehicle in Moore Haven, FL, making it the 14th panther death attributed to fatal vehicle collisions this year. And the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a new disorder that causes Florida panthers and bobcats to have difficulty walking.

What can you do?

1) Drive slowly at night through panther habitats.

2) Send videos or photos of panthers who are having difficulty walking to [email protected].

3) Share this post to raise awareness about panther conservation.

NPS Photo by Rodney Cammauf

Help Florida Panthers

Help Florida Panthers!

The FWC is investigating a disorder detected in some Florida panthers and bobcats. All the affected animals have exhibited some degree of walking abnormally or difficulty coordinating their back legs. The FWC is testing for various potential toxins, including neurotoxic rodenticide (rat pesticide), as well as infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies.

The public can help with this investigation by submitting trail camera footage or other videos that happen to capture animals that appear to have a problem with their rear legs. Files less than 10MB can be uploaded to our panther sighting webpage at MyFWC.com/PantherSightings. If you have larger files, please contact the FWC at [email protected].

Hog hunting is a great way to help remove an invasive species and protect native wildlife. Learn more about our work to combat invasives: http://ow.ly/6DbK50uUbqR. 📷: MyFWC

Snail Kites feed primarily on snails, and rely on healthy wetland ecosystems to hunt. Learn about how Audubon is working in the Everglades to help Snail Kites that have been displaced by drainage, development, and dirty water. http://ow.ly/qcJk30phbzN

Would you like to help Burrowing Owls of Marco Island?

Young burrowing owls that hatched this past spring are all grown up and are beginning to leave home to dig burrows of their own - which means right now is a perfect time to add a starter burrow to your yard!

With so many new people moving to and building in Marco Island, burrowing owls are losing open space to nest in. Adding a starter burrow to your property can provide a family of owls with a safe place to live, and provide you with the amazing experience of watching owl chicks grow up right outside your window! We dig starter burrows for free and will meet with you in person to determine where the best location on your property is.

If you are interested in attracting burrowing owls to nest on your property or would like more information, please message us or email us at [email protected]

Thank you to Austin and Erin Bell for adding two starter burrows to their yard! This brings the total number of starter burrows in Marco Island to 69!

This looks like a fun and interesting app for tracking wildlife and interacting with others who enjoy wildlife...

Purple Gallinule babies leave their birth nest quickly and move into a new nest. Babies are fed by their parents and their older siblings, even juveniles less than 10 weeks old. 📷: MyFWC

My friend Sally Burke-Shoppa who is an excellent sheller brought this over to see if I could ID it. This shell was found on Florida's East coast and maybe Sally could chime in the comment section to give more background or better photos of it. I've loaned out a couple of my shelling books so I'm thin on reference material right now. My first thought is one of the Margin shells but it might be too large for that. Any help figuring out what this critter is would be greatly appreciated

Great advice...please remember to take your trash with you when you visit our beaches.

TGI Flyday! This adult feather-legged fly, Trichopoda pennipes, is feeding on the nectar of possum grape flowers (Cissus verticellata), but larvae of this fly aren’t so docile. They parasitize true bugs, or those classified in the order Hemiptera. Park Botanist, Jimi Sadle, snapped this serene scene.

NPS Photo by Jimi Sadle

Soaring into the weekend! 📷: MyFWC

Helpful sea turtle information

Do you want to help sea turtles? Learn how in today's : http://ow.ly/NGB750v2Yuz. 📷: MyFWC