ICJ 4: THE MANATEE PROJECT AT MANATEE PARK
Orange River winter weather at Manatee Park at
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=17&n=2952835&e=422508&s=50&size=s&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25
was beyond excellent on Sunday-brilliant warm sun in a clear blue sky,
cool air: and a few manatee rolling in the FPL outflow canal's warmer
water.
The tide was going out:
http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/data_options.shtml?stn=8725520+Fort+Myers,+FL
http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/pred_retrieve.shtml?input_code=100001101ppr&type=pred&station=8725520+Fort+Myers,+FL
and the Fort Myers station:
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=26.6466666666667&lon=-81.8716666666667&datum=nad83&u=7
and the manatee went with it.
Next Sunday, tides forecast manatee coming up river from Caloosahatchee
River grass beds, up the Orange then arriving and staying at the
Park's warm water canal for an afternoon.
The current cold front will drop the Gulf's water temperature a
degree or two
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/egof.html
to a level where more manatee will seek the outflow's warmer water.
I called manatee 3 times yesterday: once from the roadside at canal's
north end to bring manatee up to the outflow area, and twice for
spectators, one group of kids and one photographer.
The photographer's response was that surfacing was random.
Experts are abundant! When I picked up a law book and began reading the
first passing couple commented, "that's why they won't give you
money, you won't do it." Sorry.
I may have identified a response to my call sensation that occurred
after I gave out a call burst then the manatee surfaced. A gain in
knowledge every few hours piles up into a heap worth analyzing. The BTG
study took nine years, 5 years for 2-3 hours each morning and then a
community survey when riding the bicycle on other business.
Watching spectators is interesting. People come to see manatee. They
watch the water intently, not a usual experience for them. The
gathering turns into a bird count!! Hari Hari !!
Every ripple, whorl, and dome is piled up and examined for manatee.
Every ripple, whorl, and dome is examined for S****S!
Itsa bird itsa plane, itsa s****!! S****s ID's are common. Turtles
are s****s, cormorants are s****s, s****s are s****s. One could drive
away with the knowledge Orange River is bank to bank filled with
poisonous water s****s!!
Mr. Krumbacher donated a kayak rental for next weekend's manatee
warm up. Thanks Mr. Krumbacher. AND WATCH OUT FOR S****S!
I'll try to catch them on the way in and ride on up with the tide:
mutual experience, bonding.
I visited the buzzards at their rookery at Thunder Bay in
Collier-Seminole State Park: a highly recommended trip with canoe
rental. Stay a few hours floating in the Bay, camp out if the tides are
right and the winter moon is full.
I whistle to buzzards in flight: low whistles for buzzard's traveling
away, higher pitched whistles for approaching buzzards. The buzzard's
crap when I doppler whistle.
The buzzards then sneak up on me when I bicycle and shadow me, directly
and accurately casting their shadow on my road position. I see the
shadow coming when it's within 30' and whistle.
FWC divers were out searching the River for a manatee who swam into the
Park ensnared in a crab trap rope, possibly towing the crab trap, and
swimming badly from it. The diver said she found the manatee after a
two day search but was not able to get the manatee free of the rope.
The Manatee Project, PO Box 60887, Fort Myers, Florida 33906,
Donations for canoe and hydrophone welcome! And necessary!
See our fundraiser at Yahoo Groups[Manatee_List] Digest Number 261.
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