Too cold, but not for the birds
To the editor:
The Monday morning after Christmas was cold for these parts, around 40 degrees. It was quite sunny with a mild breeze out of the north. The morning news was wall-to-wall coverage of a huge blizzard in the northeast that disrupted travel and stranded thousands trying to get home after the holiday weekend.
As I drove to Clam Pass Park in Naples for the nature walk I lead, I thought that it was likely there would be no takers this frigid morning. By 9:15 a.m., it was obvious that this was the case, and I started down the 0.7 mile from the boardwalk to the beach through the tangle of mangrove trees of this fragile estuarine ecosystem. The weather kept the number of regular walkers usually
seen to a minimum and drastically reduced the number of beachgoers riding the trams to the beach. I savored the almost total silence that we almost never get to experience.
The cold temperatures were responsible for the absence of activity of the little mangrove tree crabs that scuttle around the tree trunks when they are startled. As I approached the bridge over the Clam Pass inlet I heard the solitary call note of the osprey, that master “fish hawk”, so perfectly adapted to his little niche in nature’s symphony. The tide was low and the ubiquitous white ibis with its very
long down-curving bill, and a black bellied plover in his white bellied winter costume were foraging in the mud and shallow water. I saw a shadow gliding over the water and looked up to see an osprey flying effortlessly with its morning catch in its talons, held in perfect aerodynamic alignment, head facing forward.
Where did the expression “eats like a bird” come from, I wonder? When these
dinosaur descendants aren’t eating they seem to be on a non-stop mission to find food. A little further along I came to the channel through the mangroves that was dug several years ago after a huge hurricane blocked off a good portion of water flow that mangrove trees need to survive. Just beneath me in the shallow water were three of our longer-legged wading birds; a Tri-colored Heron (look for the white underpants), a Little Blue Heron in its stunning gray-blue plumage and
the official symbol of the National Audubon Society, the regal, long-necked Great Egret.
At the beach the usual contingent of gulls, terns and pelicans were not to be seen. The only evidence of the cold front and mini-storm from the night before were several sea stars (now the preferred name for our “starfish’) stranded on the beach. On the slim chance that they might still be alive, I put them back in the somewhat rugged surf.
What a great way to start the day. There is always something new to see, and I enjoy nothing more than sharing this special place with residents and visitors. I’m thankful to be here and look forward to many more Clam Pass experiences and hope that many of you will join us.
Barbara Wilson
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Note: Nature walks are sponsored by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, 1450 Merrihue Drive, Naples, FL 34102; call 262-0304. Clam Pass Park is next to the Naples Grande Resort, the former Registry.