Manatee Project
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Following 5 years of field research developing an understanding of
the Boat-tail Grackles communicative abilities-see Google Groups
sci.bio.ethology ICJ and sci.geo.earthquakes Birdy Predicts Quake-I'm
planning for this winter's observations of the manatee herd at Fort
Myers' Orange River and the River's Lee County Manatee Park.
Initial observations and contacts with the Orange River manatee are
positive with manatee responding to my presence playfully and with
intelligence.
Last Sunday, I called manatee from FPL's warm water outflow canal's
southern end north to the outflow. We then experienced an
ac***ulation of animal activity: the usual curious buzzard, a
squawking woodpecker, a pole top loudmouthed red shouldered hawk, a
gathering butterfly cloud including several migrating monarchs, and
an egret chomping gator re****ted at 12-14. I did not witness it
directly but saw the 20' rooster tail of river water sent up by the
gator during the chomping:and of course,one egret.
The manatee swimming away north stopped in front of my position on
his way back south, surfaced, pointed snout at me and blew out a long
stream of air and water.
As the manatee on hand were in a low activity level, the squirt gun
behavior appears as significant as the hide and seek game played last
year with a flotilla of 3 young males.
We have mutual recognition.
And we plan to explore possibilities for sound symbol warnings of
boat approach, critical for the species survival.
To fully pursue developing a warning system, our project needs the
seasonal loan of a kayak or preferably a fiberglass canoe for the
Orange River and a hydrophone system: I am an experienced canoeist
and electronics user. Canoe storage is available at the Orange River
marina.
I'll be canal side on Sundays for the next 2 or 3 weeks, stop by to
talk manatee or grackle. The mailing address is The Manatee Project,
PO BOX 60887, Fort Myers, FL 33906, and email Datak...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
emailing Saturday, December 18, 2004-
ICJ - BTG and Manatee
V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.
-Wallace Stevens
http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?45442B7C000C07070C
'thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird'
~ ~ ~
We at last last week began manatee interspecies communication research
at the FPL outflow at Manatee Park-auspicious start!
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.bio.ethology/browse_thread/thread/2c52f28a954b5a17/a6c7e72b1ff69d3f#a6c7e72b1ff69d3f
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.bio.ethology
search for: ICJ
and then Interspecies Communication Journal
and
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.geo.earthquakes/browse_thread/thread/fcf93230714b0606/f6a4abb02014b665#f6a4abb02014b665
Delighted to find references to birdy's cyclic predictive behaviors
in the NYT.
As with KSC activity, Birdy's behavior predicts missile defense
testing both results and alleged causes.
The mist startled me. Once more. Then Birdy's behavior post mist
fell into place.
I now assume this is valid folklore. My observations differ from
"When the s****s awake :animals and earthquake prediction"'s
anecdotes but I remember Dr. Tributsch did not have a BTG or blackbird
observer per se.
The post Cayman Eq Birdy was delightfully communicative this morning.
Our 5 male BTG meeting at
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=17&n=2947779&e=426960&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25
UTM 17 426960E 2947779N
was at a Lee County Library with pond where the map's swamp was, then
the high school complex lies 100 yards west. Wallace Stevens and I, as
well as Boone, walked the same hills. The light poles are bird friendly
with rectangular flat top light housings. Birdy was hungry, in a cayman
mood and we were inside an active zone.
I referred Birdy to a cormorant atop a pole on the opposite bank.
Birdy whistled a buzzing ._. > hi, with an other species buzz.
I whistled appreciation . . . . . . and _ _ _ _ for dark/water
Birdy gave a bow and wing flutter then walked up, over the peak and out
of my sight down to the roof's pond side and whistled . . . . . .
an inflected . for raindrops.
We continued for 15 minutes whistling of food and good weather.
The conversation was of typical post quake Eq quality.
We have conversant grackle-morse BTG flocks throughout the area 5 miles
north of the Caloosahatchee north bank then down to the lower SE and SW
map corners:
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=26.56667&lon=-81.88333
at 1:1M.
Observation and communication is maintained bicycling throughout this
area: BTG call, I stop and handout moist Purina dog food, we whistle
speak.
The Manatee Park ICJ at ethology will post every week time and news
allowing.
canoe and hydrophone loan for the manatee season will bring results!
And a good holiday for all!
Gene Daniels
Birdy
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