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Snowbirds Winter on the Treasure Coast
We
affectionately call them snowbirds...those visitors who come down to our
sunny shores to escape the cold winters in the north. And while most of the
time we are referring to our human visitors; there are literally dozens of
true feathered friend snowbirds basking in the warmth.
Perhaps the most stunning is the white pelican who travels from north
central USA and Canada to winter in the Indian River Lagoon. Pelican Island
and the spoil islands off Sebastian are great places to view these large
birds as they glide, soar and cooperatively herd fish into concentrated
places to be skimmed. The white pelican does not dive like their brown
feathered kin.
The
Piping Plover is strictly a winter visitor coming from the New England area
at the first sign of frost. Watch for the animated bird searching the beach
in a stop and go feeding motion near flotsam.
The
tufted Red-Breasted Merganser arrives in late October and can be seen in
pairs in the Indian River Lagoon waters near Round Island and Pelican
Island. They are fish eating birds and often nicknamed Fish Ducks.
If you
venture out west into the marshes you likely to encounter the American Coot,
Florida’s most abundant wetland bird in the winter months. Look for the
white bill as no other Florida bird has one. Coots graze like cattle on
water hyacinths and algae and they’re easy to track as they sound like a
truck backing up - beep, beep, beep, beep.
Of
course no other species epitomizes the good life in Florida during the
winter months than the West Indian Manatee. These gentle giants migrate to
inland waterways and congregate in mass to avoid the cold open water.
If
they stay in waters less that 68 degrees they can get sick and die. You’ll
often find them rolling or floating on the surface while they soak up the
life-sustaining warmth of the sun.
Manatees feed on seagrass beds and vegetation and often approach a dock or
boat for a hand out. Please don’t feed the manatees as that only encourages
them to be dependent on humans and to approach boats where they get injured
or killed by propellers. Enjoy them close up at places like the Manatee
Center in Ft. Pierce, Vero Beach Power Plant and Turkey Creek Sanctuary in
Palm Bay; but please don’t feed or touch.
Winter
even attracts visitors from the depths of the sea who come closer to our
shores to escape the cold deep water. The beautiful, playful sailfish
winters in our warm Gulfstream waters and provides for great sport fishing
during a rare Florida cold front. The sailfish performs aerial antics great
for entertainment and avail themselves for an exhilarating thrill of the
catch; but are rarely killed because they are simply not edible. Board a
deep sea fishing charter and enjoy the catch and release of one our most
colorful seasonal visitors! Be kind to all our welcomed visitors be they
wild or tamed, for they are here to enjoy the enviable climate that we bask
in all year long. Aren't we the lucky ones?
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