Looking for Wildlife Overlaps - May 2020
Hello everyone! As coronavirus restrictions have started to ease in many places, we’re all hoping to enjoy a healthier summer.
It sure has been a crazy spring! After first buying a 5 year supply of cleaners, disinfectants, TP and baked beans, many folks have spent weeks and months at home. During this time wildlife sightings in neighborhoods and in cities all over the world seemed to soar!
Lions lying on South African roads. Red foxes roaming Prince Edward Island. Coyotes in San Francisco. Mountain lions in the backyards of Boulder. Gators and gopher tortoises gone wild in Florida. Was wildlife taking back the world? Or were they just taking the chance to explore their surroundings with all the humans safely tucked away indoors?
Although people have been living in close proximity to wildlife for eons, wild animals have never really gotten used to us. Most are hyper aware of the presence of people - and of our absence too!
It’s a little ironic actually - millions of people spending weeks or months inside their homes where they feel safest - only to look outside and see wildlife freely roaming their neighborhood streets, golf courses, ballfields, parks, pools and waterways. Talk about a role reversal!
I know we’ve seen some pretty relaxed wildlife here in South Florida during this time, and quite a bit too! On one recent osprey research trip we counted 33 adult and hatchling osprey, saw three river otters swimming across the ICW, a mama manatee and her calf near Jupiter Lighthouse and a pod of dolphins just outside the inlet on our way home.
As society begins re-opening and people start to resume more everyday activities, our roles with wildlife will inevitably reverse again. Until that happens, take a few minutes to look for those quiet, calm places outdoors. Away from the noise and the constant motion of humanity. These places often provide overlaps between wildlife spaces and human spaces, and can offer some great opportunities to see nature up close.
If you have the time and patience, slow down just a little more and try creating your own overlaps. Check out what’s so interesting to the hawk that’s flying along the edge of the farm field. Or admire the fishing skills of an osprey as it dives into the water to catch its next meal. If you’re in South Florida, anchor up a few hundred feet off the beach one late afternoon and look for sea turtles swimming along the beach. Or pick a calm day, cut your motors and just drift. You may be rewarded with dolphins coming alongside to check you out, especially if yours is the only boat not rocketing along the water!
Whatever you choose to do with your time outdoors, here’s hoping for a summer we can all enjoy!