More from Ft D: 11-3-16

                                                                             

                    On trip  back to Ft Desoto, we were mesmerized with all the beautiful colors                                                                    

We were enthralled with all the colors and will be back.

Bottlenose Dolphin

More Pup Pictures from 10-30-16

Today it is Nov 21st; 33 degrees in Orangeburg, SC and we're on the road to sister Marti's in Winston-Salem, NC.  Stay warm everyone.

Last puppy pics until SeaSea's pups arrive via C-section on December 3rd.  Then we'll start having many more shots of these little cuties.

Aquarium Do-out

Our 500 gallon saltwater aquarium has been set up for almost 30 years and it is time for an overhaul as an on-going outbreak of hair algae had basically taken over the tank.  The fish were happy and each one has been in the tank for over 10 years, as has the big anemone but the algae had even permeated into the coral.  The plan included help from brothers Mike and Pat Rivers of Tampa's Aquatic Designs who have helped me take care of the tank for decades.  First, 300 gallons of water was removed and then all the coral was taken out and put into tubs for an extended bleach bath.  The anemone was definitely not happy and looked sickly as it clung to the back of the aquarium while the cleaning was going on.  The Percula Clowns waited in the water 2 feet below the anemone looking up as if to say, "What the hell's going on and who took our home away!" Next the gravel substrate was removed and also put into a bleach bath.  Then temporary coral and new saltwater were put back into the tank, much to the fish's delight.  In a week or so my coral will be removed from the bleach bath tubs, washed extensively with fresh water, and left in the sun to dry for a few days before replacing the temporary corals now in the tank. When things have settled down we will add snails, conchs, and several new fish, all of which will be algae eaters to help keep the tank pristine and allowing some of the beneficial algae to naturally occur.

A few of the current inhabitants

 Blue-faced Angelfish



aka Yellow-faced Angelfish

Bariene Tang

Lemonpeel Angelfish

Naso Tang

Percula Clownfish (mated pair)

Hair Algae

In great excess

What it looked like before the algae takeover

Pat Rivers at work

The anemone was definitely stressed even though we kept dousing it with water every minute or so.

Brother Mike Rivers at the bleach bath tubs out on the seawall

 The temporary coral

Water and temporary coral are back in the tank

More temporary coral

The anemone and the Clowns are much happier now

How it looks now as we wait for the bleaching of the permanent coral and subsequent washing and drying to be completed.

Please stay tuned!

Ft D: A Top 25 Birding Spot in the US

11-3-16: Tern, Terns, and More Terns

Royal Terns

These terns make their nest scrape on the ground on

low-lying islands.  The pair often defecates directly on the nest rim, probably to reinforce the nest against flooding rains.

After a few weeks, especially in the sun, the nest rim hardens.

A coastal bird

Feed me!

A youngster begging a parent for food.  A pair of Royal terns will feed only their own chick, and manage to find it in a crowd by recognizing its call.

Forster's Tern in the foreground

Forster's Terns are the only tern species restricted almost entirely to North America throughout the year.



Love the feather patterns on immature gulls

Mixed feeding flock

A Snowy Egret,  several White Ibises, and a Willet "bobbing for apples."


The Snowy Egret with White Ibises and two Willets

Two Osprey watching us watch them from their nest disc.

Royal Tern

"I see you over there!"


Adult Sandwich Tern

Its bill looks like it was dipped into a mustard jar.



Sandwich Tern with breakfast for this year's chick

Coming on to the beach where its hungry youngster  awaits.

The chick is calling frantically

"It's about time you got here with my breakfast, Mom!"


Remarkably tolerant of people on its beach.

 Beach chairs and umbrellas don't seem to be an issue for them.

Black Skimmers

When they rest they sometimes look dead

The Black Skimmer is the only American representative of the skimmer family.  The other two, rather similar species are the African Skimmer and the Indian Skimmer.

One of two birds whose lower bill is longer than the upper.