March is always welcomed in St. Pete Beach. The sun shines more
often, the wind is not quite so windy, the water warms up and
before you know it, we’ll be swimming and kayaking again.
Really. It is also the time when animals start to mate (if they
haven’t already) and it is fascinating to see them birth
if you are as lucky as my two friends below. So keep your eyes
open and see what new life is going on around you.
Fun
things to know:In
March, you’ll see animals courting each other. The seagulls
are quite funny to watch. Click
here to view a youtube video of seagulls mating. The male
(who is generally smaller) stands in front of a female squawking
away at her like he’s saying, “Ah, come on. You like
my looks don’t you? Come on, gal, let’s have babies
together!” The
female walks around like she has better things to do until at
some point she lets him know it’s okay. He immediately jumps
on her back and for the next three to five minutes, he squawks
and squawks and squawks until he is done impregnating the female.
With one last big squawk, he jumps off and walks around like he’s
saying, “Whew, hard work, but I did it.” Dolphins,
shells, birds and all other living things often turn to love in
spring. We are fortunate to be so close to wildlife here that
we can actually watch it happening.
Gerry and Al Ingram live on the bay side of St. Pete Beach and
have a balcony. One day they were just leaning against the railing
minding their own business when a Dolphin jumped straight up in
the air in front of them. They were totally surprised but then
it jumped again and then one more time. Lo and behold, a black
bullet dropped out of her as she was in the air and dropped into
the water. The mama quickly went to it and started helping it
to breathe and there in front of their very eyes was a baby dolphin.
Another
friend, Jean Briggs, watched a manatee be born as she gazed at
the water near the dock one day, so you never know when something
miraculous is going to happen. And you thought doing nothing was
a waste of time! Not around here it isn’t.
Birds
and other animals: Walk the beach in the winter time
and you may see snowbirds, literally. The ring-billed seagull
is back with its’ yellow legs and a yellow beak that has
a black ring around it. Bald Eagles have been spotted again and
again on Tierre Verde and Osprey are perching on my neighbor’s
mast again. You may see redheaded woodpeckers busy on trees and
poles as well as masses of migrating birds to be seen on telephone
lines all over the place. I remember my Mom would have to carry
a newspaper in the winter as she walked to the bus to go to the
Don to work. She would use it to swat the birds that would move
in on our street for a week or two each winter. If you haven’t
really looked at birds around here, take a winter walk on the
beach and experience a nice surprise.
When
it is really cold up north you never know what you are going to
see around the beaches. One morning I looked out at the Bay and
saw a lone duck-like bird wandering around fishing. I went out
and looked closely and finally realized it was a loon. Loons are
known for their call, a far-carrying wail heard on its northern
breeding grounds. Loons are expert divers and have been caught
in nets as much as 200’ below the surface. Their feet are
located far back on the body, which aids them in diving; they
travel on land with difficulty, propelling themselves forward
on their breasts (Audubon Society Field Guide to North American
Birds). I had never seen a loon here before so I called my brother
to see what he had to say. He said, “Heck, yeah. We had
loons all over the place in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s.)
The book says they winter over on the Gulf Coast in bays so I
guess he’s right.
If
you look up as you’re driving on the freeway you’re
bound to see Black Vulture’s soaring in the air. What a
sight they are with their wings showing white patches toward the
end of each feather. It is often seen over highways because it
performs the useful function of cleaning up road kills. Also known
as a buzzard, these birds are smaller than a turkey vulture. You
can look up and watch their graceful soaring (but not when you’re
driving, please!)
Things
you might see: One of my special delights in spring and
summer is to find a Whelk egg case on the beach. When they wash
up they have become detached from the bottom of the bay and thousands
of baby Whelks float until they land somewhere. I found one last
year and cut open one of the little sacks. Inside there were between
20 and 100 baby Whelks, perfectly formed, but so small you have
to view them under a microscope. Now here’s the bad news:
these tiny whelks start to eat each other like cannibals as soon
as they emerge from the case, with one usually being the survivor.
The good news is that they grow and grow and grow until they become
quite large, as long as no one takes it home when the mollusk
is still in it (you wouldn’t do that, would you?) Many different
kinds of egg cases come on the beach so keep your eyes open and
if you find one, look inside—you might find a baby Crown
Conch or any number of other shells from the area.
If the windy, cloudy weather of February or March got you down,
here’s a little levity. I saw a bumper sticker that said,
“My karma ran over my dogma!” Have a great March.
Gerry and Al Ingram live on the bay side of St. Pete Beach and
have a balcony. One day they were just leaning against the railing
minding their own business when a Dolphin jumped straight up in
the air in front of them. They were totally surprised but then
it jumped again and then one more time. Lo and behold, a black
bullet dropped out of her as she was in the air and dropped into
the water. The mama quickly went to it and started helping it
to breathe and there in front of their very eyes was a baby dolphin.
Another
friend, Jean Briggs, watched a manatee be born as she gazed at
the water near the dock one day, so you never know when something
miraculous is going to happen. And you thought doing nothing was
a waste of time! Not around here it isn’t. 
Birds
and other animals: Walk the beach in the winter time
and you may see snowbirds, literally. The ring-billed seagull
is back with its’ yellow legs and a yellow beak that has
a black ring around it. Bald Eagles have been spotted again and
again on Tierre Verde and Osprey are perching on my neighbor’s
mast again. You may see redheaded woodpeckers busy on trees and
poles as well as masses of migrating birds to be seen on telephone
lines all over the place. I remember my Mom would have to carry
a newspaper in the winter as she walked to the bus to go to the
Don to work. She would use it to swat the birds that would move
in on our street for a week or two each winter. If you haven’t
really looked at birds around here, take a winter walk on the
beach and experience a nice surprise.
When
it is really cold up north you never know what you are going to
see around the beaches. One morning I looked out at the Bay and
saw a lone duck-like bird wandering around fishing. I went out
and looked closely and finally realized it was a loon. Loons are
known for their call, a far-carrying wail heard on its northern
breeding grounds. Loons are expert divers and have been caught
in nets as much as 200’ below the surface. Their feet are
located far back on the body, which aids them in diving; they
travel on land with difficulty, propelling themselves forward
on their breasts (Audubon Society Field Guide to North American
Birds). I had never seen a loon here before so I called my brother
to see what he had to say. He said, “Heck, yeah. We had
loons all over the place in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s.)
The book says they winter over on the Gulf Coast in bays so I
guess he’s right. 
If
you look up as you’re driving on the freeway you’re
bound to see Black Vulture’s soaring in the air. What a
sight they are with their wings showing white patches toward the
end of each feather. It is often seen over highways because it
performs the useful function of cleaning up road kills. Also known
as a buzzard, these birds are smaller than a turkey vulture. You
can look up and watch their graceful soaring (but not when you’re
driving, please!)
Things
you might see: One of my special delights in spring and
summer is to find a Whelk egg case on the beach. When they wash
up they have become detached from the bottom of the bay and thousands
of baby Whelks float until they land somewhere. I found one last
year and cut open one of the little sacks. Inside there were between
20 and 100 baby Whelks, perfectly formed, but so small you have
to view them under a microscope. Now here’s the bad news:
these tiny whelks start to eat each other like cannibals as soon
as they emerge from the case, with one usually being the survivor.
The good news is that they grow and grow and grow until they become
quite large, as long as no one takes it home when the mollusk
is still in it (you wouldn’t do that, would you?) Many different
kinds of egg cases come on the beach so keep your eyes open and
if you find one, look inside—you might find a baby Crown
Conch or any number of other shells from the area.