Lonely Planet names 10 snake watching sites, with Manitoba on top. Great list, but misses some possibilities like the Everglades, South of the Border or Pentecostal churches.
Keep reading What are the best places in the world to see snakes?
 South of the Border now lures I-95 travelers with a roadside reptile lagoon full of alligators, turtles and snakes and endangered crocs. Keep reading I’ll have a rare crocodile with my Mexican-themed kitsch, please  A snake scared a family by crawling across its windshield. They misidentified it as a water mocassin and drove on in terror till it fell. Keep reading Windshield snake scares family, amuses world, but wasn’t dangerous  Whales, dolphins and seals moving back to New York harbor, especially off Queens. Keep reading Whale watching in NYC, New wolf in Africa  Sometimes the most common animals really put on a show, making them more fun to see than some rare bird you only catch a glimpse of. On a trip to New Jersey’s pinelands this weekend, I got to see two sea gulls fight over a snake. Keep reading Sea Gulls Play Tug of War with Snake  Right Before He Froze…,courtesy of Kafe Soleil. Florida’s cold snap could provide the big check on invasive species biologists have been wanting for decades. We could see less iguanas and pythons–and also fewer more beloved animals such as parrots. Even animals that didn’t die in the cold could die of a cold in coming weeks. “I expect we’re going to have huge, huge mortality, maybe even in Miami itself,” says Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission invasive species expert Scott Hardin. “Those that didn’t die [from the cold] could easily die of a respiratory infection.” The Everglades’ infamous python invaders were at least cold-stunned and perhaps hurt worse. Researchers found that 10 of 11 of the giant snakes they tracked weren’t moving, Hardin said. He added that he didn’t have word yet on the giant parrot colonies that live around the state, especially Miami. Given the hurt the freezing temperatures caused Floridians, Hardin didn’t want to sound too gleeful. But he so clearly was. The non-natives can push out species that naturally belong, and they’ve been running amok for 30-40 years, the last time Florida saw weather this harsh. A few of the more vulnerable native animals were also hurt by the wintry blast. Hundreds of sea turtles were rescued, but hundreds more found dead, according to Hardin. The state did get to tag and collect information on lots of endangered green turtles. Florida got a record count of manatees (5,067) because they’re easier to see when they’re crowded around Keep reading Cold Snap–Or At Least Colds–May Push Back Florida Invasives  Florida’s harsh cold spell is a bonanza for animal watchers, if not for the Florida animals themselves. Manatees are gathering around power plants and hot springs. Iguanas are dropping from trees in a kind of cold coma. Cold-stunned turtles are warming up in hotel rooms. Pythons are sunning themselves. And waterfowl are migrating down from other states, says Gary Morse, a spokesman for Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission. Manatees: The manatees are the ones wildlife officials are worried about. They’re native, endangered and hate the cold. Sea cows need water at least 68 degrees to survive. Last year at least 56 died of cold stress, the FWC says. This year they’d like people to give them a break and back off for a bit. “They are stressed from the cold and from not eating. We advise people not to approach them in these times,” Morse says. “Our mere presence as human beings can cause them to flee the very thing they need.” The FWC already pulled two frigid manatees from cold water and sent to a zoo and an aquarium to warm up. Sea Turtles: Sea Turtles often turn up at the same hot spots that draw manatees. But if they don’t they become sluggish and eventually get cold-stunned and beach themselves. Rescuers are swooping in and taking them to the The Turtle Hospital on the Keys and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center have resorted to putting them up in hotel rooms and kiddie pools, respectively. View AnimalTourism.com Keep reading Iguanas Dropping, Manatees Gathering, Pythons Surviving in Florida’s Cold  Birding Bob (also known Dr. Robert DeCandido) send a report from Thailand. Birding Bob is a biologist who leads popular tours in Central Park. Here’s where his pictures are posted. Thailand (mostly raptor) photos: Surprise Surprise…near this national park (Kaeng Krachan in Thailand), there is a very slow (dial-up) internet service. I can now send and receive messages albeit very slowly. So, do you want to know about the 10 foot King Cobra that was within about five feet of me (I did not move – more on this is a second); or do you want to know about the Red-legged Crakes, Orange-headed Thrushes; Great Pitta, Mouse Deer and some others that I was watching from a blind? Well, the two stories really are one – let me begin by writing that two of the folks I know here approached a few local poachers to set up water holes (well the poachers had the water holes already set up – about seven), and my two friend promised to bring tourists and charge them money and pay the poachers a fee. So on Wednesday afternoon a few minutes after I arrived, I found myself walking into the forest – and then sitting down in a fairly comfortable hide (= blind; there are about six hides near this first water hole). Not much happened from 2-4pm but then as the light got a bit dimmer, all sorts of birds began to arrive. The absolute highlight were the Red-legged Crakes who chased Keep reading Cobra Watches Central Park’s Birding Bob as He Watches Red-legged Crakes in Thailand |
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