It's Not Always a Photo Op Day

Field biology is often full of great photo moments. On other days, it is a lot of hard, uncomfortable work. Today was one of those 'work' days. We spent the better part of the day installing drift fences on the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Drift fences are a sampling device used to sample terrestrial vertebrates. The one we installed today is a series of sediment fences that have conical traps at the terminal ends. The idea is that small animals encounter the 'wall' and turn to travel parallel to it until they walk or crawl into the trap at the end. The traps are monitored two times a day to see what has been caught; it is identified and then released unharmed. Drift fence sampling is a way to accurately describe and monitor small vertebrate populations in terrestrial environments. We were creating these sampling devices to monitor populations of Indigo Snakes, and endangered species on Sanibel Island. So, today it was a lot of sweat, blisters, thorns and poison ivy...just another day at the office. The best job in the world.

A Crocky Day in Paradise

Team crocodile endured a long, hot 3-mile hike today on the Indigo Trail of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. We were rewarded by a close up look at a 12-foot American Crocodile. The photo above is not her, but an alligator we saw on our way to see her. Read more about it below. Wow, what a great way to start off the week!

We also saw Anhingas, a Bald Eagle, a 5-foot yellow rat snake, and a close-up look at a 9-foot Alligator. The alligator was missing it's right front forelimb. Check out the photo we got of it. In this photo you can see that none of its bottom teeth protrude above the upper teeth - one of the ways to tell crocs from alligators.

It was a giant relief to wade into the estuary, cool off and find oysters, horshoe crabs, and a young starfish after that long hike. Wading, and the "ice in the back of the shirt trick" was the perfect end to a long, hot, animal-packed hike.

Here's to you Stevie, and the crocs we all love. Another Day in Paradise.