by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels
Sombrero Beach in Marathon, Florida, may be the quintessential example of a multi-use beach. Am I talking swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, picnicking, volleyball, barbecuing, and climbing on playground playground equipment? Well, all those things can be done at this beach, but that’s not what I was referring to.
Sombrero is a multi-use beach because humans are not the only ones that use it. Between April and October each year, Loggerhead turtles crawl up onto the beach at night to lay their eggs in the sand. During these months, city workers remove tables and park benches from the beach, nesting areas are roped off, and local officials and volunteers patrol the beach at least once a day to ensure nests are not disturbed. The rest of the year belongs entirely to humans and their canine friends, who are welcome as long as they are leashed (the dogs, not the humans).
With soft white sand, gentle waters, and no crowds, Sombrero Beach is a favorite with locals and visitors.
Turtle Hospital officials are planning quite the going-away blowout for one loggerhead turtle that swam up to the docks behind the Marathon-based facility in late March. Florida Keys residents and visitors have been given a public invitation to join in the release of the 73-pound turtle, at 9:20 a.m. Sunday at Veteran’s Park on Little Duck Key, Mile Marker 40.
Dubbed “Kincaid,” the turtle has reached celebrity status, as the release will be televised live on the national “Fox and Friends” show on the Fox network. The turtle’s walk-in appointment turned into a stay of several months while staff veterinarians treated the lumbering reptile for an internal bacterial infection. Read more »
A 40-year-old Big Pine Key man was in jail Monday after he allegedly threatened to kill his wife and fired several shots in his home Saturday night, including one while deputies were present, reports say. Michael David Cristler Jr. of 31357 Avenue C was charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and discharging a firearm.
Cristler denied threatening his wife, saying he was only shooting iguanas, reports say. Read more »
In less than three weeks, state and federal officials have trapped and removed 65 iguanas at Bahia Honda State Park in an attempt to keep the reptiles from decimating a species of vine critical to the endangered Miami blue butterfly. U.S. Department of Agriculture workers who did the trapping for the state have left for a month, but they are leaving traps behind for the Florida Park Service to use, said Ricardo Zambrano, a regional biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “This is going to be ongoing,” Zambrano said. “I don’t think [the recent effort] is going to completely eradicate them.” Please read the rest of this story and answer a short survey at the end. Read more »
The Spring Break Croc has definitely moved into the neighborhood. I see her in the canal mornings and evenings and she frequently warms up in the boat ramp. She only occasionally gets into the flower bed but moves close to watch/listen whenever I make any noise in the area.
The Spring Break Croc was not around when I got home this afternoon. I decided to take this time to add more compost and mulch to the nest site. After about an hour of work I was finished and I hoped the croc would be happy with the results, about an additional 8 inches of rich compost and mulch. It was about 6pm and I checked around the canal bank and she was nowhere in site.
I went back outside just after sunset and saw her near the boat ramp. I went over to the nest site to see if she had been in it, she hadn’t. When I went to take another photo of her at the ramp she had left and I saw her head at the bank next to the nest site. I walked back to that area and was preparing to photo her when suddenly she was ashore. When I say suddenly she was ashore, I am not kidding. She went from fully in the water to fully on land, up a 2 foot high embankment, so fast it almost seemed impossible. If I had been standing on the bank there would have been no way to move away in time.
Talk about a wake up call. I have seen, on TV, plenty of film of Crocs attacking prey on waterway banks and am always amazed at the explosion of motion. Seeing this first hand was fantastic. She obliviously doesn’t simply climb up the canal bank but uses her tail to catapult herself out of the water and onto land. Once she was on land she just sat there motionless for some time. After taking some photos I left her alone for the rest of the evening.
After two days of not seeing the Spring Break Crocodile, or any obivious signs, finally on Thursday morning the nesting site was all dug up again. Mike had smoothed out the previous digging so I could detect any new activity. And she was in the water this morning. I was happy I had not disturb her and caused her to abandoned this nest site.
When I came home in the afternoon she was basking in my boat ramp which is on the other side of the property from the nest site. I didn’t bother her any more today but went to bed happy that she seems to have found a nesting site she likes.
Tuesday evening I got a visit from Mike, an American Crocodile researcher for the State of Florida. Unfortunately the Spring Break Croc didn’t make an appearance, for the first time since Saturday. Mike checked out the nest site and determined, as he suspected, that no egg laying has yet occured. This usually occurs in late April or early May. Mike told me this is the time that the female crocodiles are checking out nest sites to try to determine the best site and since she has been hanging around for several days and continues to enter the nest site and dig, he suspects she likes the location.
He related some stories of other Upper Keys nestings, including some others on occupied property, and let me know that if I had no objections they would let nature take its course. He requested I keep him informed and he hoped to get a chance to see the crocodile. I showed him some of my photos and using this photo he was able to identify the Spring Break Croc by clippings of the tail scoots (the bony ridges along each side and top of the tail) from a previous capture in May of 2005.
This beautiful Saturday morning I was able to sleep in until around 10am since the neighborhood was surprisingly quiet. This despite having wonderful spring weather expected for the entire weekend and it is Spring Break time. Usually my subdivision, primarily second or vacation homes, becomes quite active on specific weekends and holidays. You can understand my surprise when I woke to a near silent morning.
As I made my way to my canal side patio I looked toward my usually empty neighbor’s yard to see if they had made the trip down to paradise. I never noticed if anyone was there since this is what greeted me. This is an American Saltwater Crocodile sunning itself in an empty raised flower bed.
I live near the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge and have seen Crocs in my canal and occasionally sunning on my boat ramp as well as in the surrounding waters while boating. This was the first time I have had one well out of the water in my yard. I guess it is time for a little autobio. I have lived all my life, 50+ years, in South Florida and have spent many hours enjoying subtropical nature. I worked for 11 years as an Animal Control Officer where I handled many different animals other then the standard dogs and cats, including the occasional small alligator. I also, for a number of years, was a State licensed, nuisance wildlife trapper although I never handled gator or croc complaints. So as you might surmise, I didn’t run frightened into my home and dial 911. I did go inside but it was to get my camera so I could get some pictures before she disappeared back into her watery world. Read more »
The Spring Break Croc has definitely moved into the neighborhood. I see her in the canal mornings and evenings and she frequently warms up in the boat ramp. She only occasionally gets into the flower bed but moves close to watch/listen whenever I make any noise in the area.
in hopes of capturing both the egg laying and hatching 80 days later.
