A Home for the Fish and the Feathered

Written by: Samantha Martinez, Environmental Educator

Biscayne Bay is known for its beauty, calming atmosphere, and views of the islands and city weather that view is from a kayak or a yacht. People from all over the Miami area enjoy the recreational activities that the bay makes possible. Here at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, we receive hundreds of wading and seabirds annually, more so than any other group of avians. This is in no small part due to the kind-hearted people who choose to bring in injured or ill wildlife they discover on their outings. Without the eyes and ears of these good samaritans, many of these animals would not make their way into care. 

An adult and a juvenile Magnificent Frigate Bird roosting on an Island in Biscayne Bay

Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the impact of  our proximity to Biscayne Bay. There are many ways in which our society unintentionally brings harm to our local environment, but luckily there are even more ways that we can make small changes in our lives to help repair it. For example, adopting safe fishing and boating practices, like casting with care and disposing of hook and line properly, helps to prevent wildlife injury and entanglement. If you ever do find a bird on the other side of your fishing line, you can always reel them in and contact Pelican Harbor Seabird Station to get them into care. You can also reduce chemical runoff by planting native plants in your yard and using natural herbicides. Additionally, you can reduce your plastic consumption, avoid littering, use reef-safe sunscreens and so much more! These small, seemingly insignificant actions, together, make such a big impact on our environment and with a little knowledge and a bit of motivation, Biscayne Bay can once again be the thriving, rich environment it is meant to be.

Each organism within the bay, from newly hatched crustaceans to the bottlenose dolphin, plays a role in which there is no understudy. So before we enjoy our weekend on the water, let us all take a moment to appreciate the tremendous importance of this ecosystem and what we can do to help preserve it and the animals, including us, who rely on it. 

Our Valuable Vultures

Written by: Lucy Wiedmar, PHSS Intern

We’ve all seen it - the ominous collection of large birds gliding high in the sky, seemingly flying in circles around a concentrated area. Often thought to signal that death is near, you ask yourself what the unlucky soul had to endure. The soaring birds in the distance, flying in their ritualistic circles, cruising the wind currents, are most likely members of the new world vulture family.

Florida is home to two native species of vultures, the Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) and the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes Aura). Both vulture species are in the taxonomic order Accipitriformes (which includes most diurnal birds of prey), and the family Carthartidae (consisting of five new world vulture species.) These two species can be differentiated by the distinct difference in head coloration, with black vultures having a solid black coloration on the head and bill, whilst the turkey vulture differs in a red/pink coloration of the head and a white-toned bill. While in the air, these two vultures can be identified by the difference in flight patterns observed among the two. The black vulture has a much more compact body with a shorter tail, a whitish patch on the outer primaries, and displays a powerful and sturdy 3-5 wing flap pattern. The turkey vulture on the other hand has a greater white-silver coloration along the lower border of their wingspan and tends to teeter while in flight, displaying significantly fewer wing flaps. 

 

Adult Black Vulture feeding her fledgling.

Adult Turkey Vulture rescued by PHSS volunteers.

 

Although turkey vultures currently outnumber their black vulture relatives in the United States, black vultures have a greatly expansive native range, outnumbering turkey vultures in the western hemisphere. Year round, black vultures can be located across virtually all of the South American continent up to the southern and eastern United States. Over the past few decades, black vultures have crept their way even further northward - as far north as New England. Turkey vultures have a similar native range, found essentially across all of the South American continent, as well as encompassing almost the entirety of the United States.

While these two species of vultures differ in many aspects, they are very similar in one main regard: their choice of prey - which happens to be most prominently the carcasses of the once living. Due to vultures' feeding behavior relying mainly on carrion, they tend to be associated with negative connotations in the media and are often portrayed in a more “sinister” light, often being depicted as unhygienic or a precursor to death. Even Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, once called the birds “disgusting creatures”. Vultures get a bad rep in the Animal Kingdom, and due to the unwarranted stereotypes placed upon them, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around these birds.

However, I am here to defend the honor of our native vultures! Contrary to the stigmatization of vultures bringing along the notion of death with their presence, they actually play a crucial role in the health and stabilization of their ecosystems. Vultures play an incredibly important role by devouring decaying carcasses. By consuming flesh from the recently deceased, vultures are able to reduce and/or eliminate the spread of certain diseases, pathogens, and harmful bacteria that depend on rotting flesh to grow, develop, and spread. Some of the illnesses prevented by vultures' ecological role are anthrax, rabies, and cholera. Additionally, vultures' diet on carrion further facilitates nutrient cycling by maintaining high fertility among soils for plants to flourish, keeping the overall primary producers of our ecosystems healthy and thriving. 

Because vultures are known “ground nesters”, they prefer to lay their eggs and raise their young in locations such as dark crevices, caves, hollow trees/fallen logs, abandoned buildings, brush piles, etc. Due to these nesting locations being significantly different than the depicted nesting behavior we see in many other birds (ie. collection of sticks, twigs, and leaves in high, out-of-reach areas), people may stumble across a clutch of young vultures and mistakenly believe they have fallen from their parents' reach. In the past, many people have “rescued” and brought in healthy, young vultures to Pelican Harbor with good intentions, but in reality are displacing these chicks from where they are supposed to be. 

 
 

Pictured above are two black vulture chicks that were brought into our clinic due to the mistaken removal from their nest

If you ever happen to run into a nest of juvenile vultures, never intervene unless absolutely necessary. Call Pelican Harbor or another wildlife rehabilitation center and see what steps to take next after finding the nest. Experts will be more than happy to assist in these situations, and will help to avoid any unnecessary disturbances!

With that being said, the next time you stumble across our large, bald, funky-looking friends chowing down on their favorite slice of roadkill, take your eyes of disgust and transform them into eyes of admiration! Instead of feeling repulsed, express gratitude to our native vultures for protecting us and our surrounding ecosystem from the harmful spread of disease. And remember, if you happen to stumble across a nest of our baby vulture friends, first call your local wildlife rehab center to help guide you through the best options based on the current situation.

References

Cats: Our Friends, Their Foes

Written by: Nicholas B. Canino, PHSS Intern

Cats are one of the most popular pets in the United States, with about 43 million households owning at least one. Their quirky personalities, neverending curiosity, and admirable features make them delightful pets to have. It is also common knowledge that these enthusiastic critters are not nearly as domesticated as dogs and still have a “wild side” to them. Much of their time is spent hunting toys on a string, pouncing on their owner’s hands, and gnawing on whatever they can get their paws on. Unfortunately, this can lead to a major issue for native animals on the receiving end of their wild nature.

Many cat owners think that it is essential to allow their cats to have free access to the outdoors around the neighborhood. This is due to a common misconception that cats require time outdoors in order to live a healthy life, but in reality, it has the opposite effect. But whether owners decide to leave them outside overnight, during the day, at all times, or even for short periods of time, these cats can do severe damage to the native wildlife that also calls that neighborhood home. Instead of having toys to hunt while inside, cats that are outdoors will choose to hunt a variety of native animals including lizards, birds, and small mammals. Many of these animals end up severely wounded or dead as a result of the cat's wild instincts.

Of course, cats are not to blame for simply complying with their natural behavior. In nature, these cats would be able to hunt and the populations of these animals would not decline so significantly. However, because of the increasing population of feral and outdoor cats in the United States, many native populations are not able to keep up. In some regions of the world, cat populations can be directly attributed to the extinction of numerous species. One study in 2013 found that domestic cats in the U.S. kill an average of 1.3 to 4 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals annually. This unfathomable number of wildlife killed each year solely from domestic cat predation is why many wildlife ecologists believe cats are a greater concern for biodiversity than deforestation or climate change.

For a long time, cat owners have overlooked the impact that their precious pet is having on their local environment. Many owners will refute this argument by stating that they feed their cats a sufficient amount of food to stop them from hunting. But, has a cat ever stopped hunting toys on a string because it was full? Likewise, many owners say they have only seen their cat bring home an animal once or twice. But, for every animal they bring home, a few were left where they were killed and many more were severely injured and left to die. That is where Pelican Harbor Seabird Station comes in.

Over the past few years, Pelican Harbor has better tracked the circumstances of admission for many of our injured and sick animals. Since 2019, we have had nearly 500 animals come in that were attacked by a cat. About 75% of these animals were birds such as Northern Mockingbirds and Mourning Doves. The other 25% includes mammals like baby opossums and squirrels that we frequently get in the summer months. Cat attacks are the second most frequent reason why animals are brought to us for treatment. Unfortunately, the survival rate for these animals is very low with less than 50% of birds surviving to release. This is due to a potent bacteria that cats carry called Pasteurella multocida, which left untreated has a grace mortality  rate. Our treatment for patients attacked by cats includes strong antibiotics to avoid infection, laser treatment for pain, and wound repair and cleaning if necessary.

Because of the high occurance of cat attacks, there is a lot that we can do at Pelican Harbor to improve the situation for our native animals. Educating guests on the consequences of leaving their cats outdoors is one of the most impactful methods we can use to reduce the negative effects of outdoor cats. We always recommend that people leave their cats indoors and only allow outside access if there is an area where wildlife cannot get to, like an enclosed patio. Not only does this ensure that our wildlife is protected, but that our cats are safe as well. While we do our part to treat our wildlife, make sure you are doing your part to protect them too!


References:

Are outdoor cats happier? - Animal Humane Society

The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States - Nature

Seeking a Stilt

Written by: Samantha Martinez, Environmental Educator

Stilt 22-948 admiring a photo of an adult Black Necked Stilt 

Envision, taking an early morning walk, softly stepping over the same side walk steps and dewy blades of grass. All the same as yesterday and the days before that. Except one thing, a small bird scurrying across your path with its tiny black speckled body, atop its disproportionately long, thin legs. This is what happened to councilman Roger Coriat of Cutler Bay when he stumbled upon a baby Black Necked Stilt. At first, he let the baby be, assuming its parents were nearby. However, later on that day he saw the stilt was still alone, wandering across a parking lot right before it began to rain. He decided to take it in and contact a fellow city employee for advice. Luckily, his contact knew just what to do. They kept the baby safe and warm overnight and contacted Pelican Harbor Seabird Station first thing in the morning where our rehabilitation team had been preparing for its arrival. An imitation environment was created using a soft carrier, shallow water dishes, and foliage as well as images of adult Stilts. Once the baby was settled in, he was offered very small pieces of fish and worms in a shallow dish of water and began eating right away. 

Stilt  22-948 in his outdoor imitation habitat

Other than the stress of losing his parents and some mild dehydration, he luckily seemed to be in perfect health. Now began the mission of finding him other conspecifics to bond with. Our Rehabilitation Manager Yaritza Acosta reached out to a group of Florida wildlife rehabilitation centers with over 200 members from different organizations across the state. Our team hoped to find a suitable foster sibling for our new patient but as of now, no other Black Necked Stilts his age have come into care. The staff continues to use images and calls of adult Stilts as well as hands-off techniques to prevent habituation and assure this patient has the best chance of surviving in the wild. He continues to do incredibly well in care and has gained almost 100 grams since his arrival. Keep up to date on our social media to get updates on this adorable patient's progress and release back to his native habitat! 

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