STORKS ON LAKE 3 AT CELEBRATION



Wood storks have an ugly face, but are pretty when flying.

We haven't seen many here.  Lots in the Ft. Myers area.

Using his beak to find food.

 At one time, wood storks were endangered.



This shows the pretty black wingtips when flying.

2011 Fri. Feb. 25
We were supposed to be back to Orlando on Sun. Feb. 20, but Bob’s health issues caused a delay in returning. We got back to the resort about 9:15 last night, so with no groceries, we decided to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Cypress Palms is about a block off of Rt. 192, and between the resort and the highway are a Cracker Barrel, Uno’s Pizza, Chili’s, Krispi Cremes, and a couple more restaurants plus a CVS drugstore. Lite lunch here, then to Celebration for coffee and a treat (although Bob is sharing a lot after being warned by his doctor). Walked a little around part of lakes 1 and 2. Then we went to Target for grocery shopping. Home for supper.


FL WEATHER: High 84, low 62. Partly cloudy in the morning, mostly sunny in afternoon.


FL NEWS: Scientists try to explain rash of baby dolphin deaths in Gulf:

So far this year, 29 fetal-sized calves have been found dead on the beaches of the northern Gulf. A typical year sees only two such reports, usually in March, says National Oceanic and Atmospheric official Teri Rowles. She adds that it's too early to tell whether the deaths are tied to last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Rowles calls the surge of deaths, most likely from stillbirths, "very concerning." Although the stranded calves appear in varied states of decomposition, all of them died within the last few months. Necropsies of six dead calves are underway at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Miss., which will include tests for toxins linked to oil spill. Counting adults, 48 dolphins of all ages have been reported dead on beaches in the region in the last two months. State and federal fisheries officials are continuing existing programs that monitor dolphin health, looking for signs of trouble, as well as performing water quality tests that have intensified in the Gulf since last year's oil spill. "Effects can be cumulative, where animals weakened by chemical exposure face cold weather or some long-term trend that leads to sudden losses among their most vulnerable," he said.Mogerman notes that some toxicologists have warned that chemicals found in crude oil and in the dispersants used to battle the spill have been linked to reproductive effects in mammals such as dolphins. Some bottlenose dolphin populations remain year-round in bays and estuaries in the Gulf, while others travel up and down the coast. If genetic testing reveals the dead calves all belong to one stationary group, then investigators will focus their efforts on finding a cause for the increase in deaths there.