ThinkingAfield.org

It’s the peak of growing season in most areas of the country, so it’s a great time to appreciate the rewards of your landscaping efforts – your trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers. There are more flowers yet to come, and your garden probably has some more growing to do, but it’s a great time to supplement your flowers, add a bit more color to your yard in a variety of ways, and make your yard even more bird friendly. But keep it simple this time, simple with big rewards.

Simple changes are easy: Few tasks are easier than digging a shallow hole to plant a new shrub, or turning a garden spade to add or transplant some new plants. It’s even easier to let decorative areas of lawn grow unmowed to break up the monotony of low mowed lawn, while at the same time an area of longer grass provides over for birds to dive into when needed, and the seeds produced will also provide a bit of food, if not now, then during fall, winter, or even spring when doves, native sparrows, towhees, thrashers, and others use the “new habitat.” Try starting with a small area, maybe an island of longer grass, a peninsula jutting out from bushes, or 2 feet of longer grass surrounding a tree.

Each year we whittle away at our mowed lawn, and we like how the longer grass adds a different shade of green, adds tranquil motion when the wind blows, and inserts a new texture and touch of nature we didn’t have before. We also let a perimeter of grass grow long around each tree in our yard to add a different, more lush look. It’s been said that there are 40 million acres of mowed lawn in the United States; as birders, many of us are thinking beyond monotonous expanses of mowed lawn.

A more time-consuming summer option, but one many birders interested in gardening are embracing is to take a look at what local native plants you find attractive, especially flowering plants that offer some bird food qualities too. You can probably transplant a few interesting native flowering plants from out of the way public roadside ditches, but you may have some better transplant ideas too. You may even have a native plant greenhouse in your area where you can do some shopping. Read more

Contact: Aimee Brim,
Director of Marketing & Communications
Office 850-243-9046 x30
Mobile 850-543-8059

aimee.brim@gulfarium.com

Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center Successfully Releases Four Rehabilitated Sea Turtles back into the Gulf of Mexico

Destin-Fort Walton Beach, FL. – The Gulfarium’s C.A.R.E. Center successfully released four rehabilitated sea turtles on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at Inlet Beach, Florida.

It was a beautiful morning as the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center released some of it’s recent patients. “It is always so rewarding when we release sea turtles back into the Gulf,” states Patrick Berry, Director of the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center. “All species of sea turtle are endangered so we are passionate about doing everything we can to help these animals. I am proud of our team and their commitment to give sea turtles second chances.”

All of the rehabilitated sea turtles arrived at the C.A.R.E. Center after being accidently hooked by fishermen at local fishing piers.

Silvia, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle weighing just 7lbs, was foul hooked in the right front flipper by a circle hook at Navarre Beach Fishing Pier on April 5th, 2022. Intake radiographs revealed no internal hooks but her stay at the C.A.R.E. Center was lengthened by an increased white blood cell count, indicating an infection. After a round of antibiotics, Silvia was cleared for release.

Next to head into the Gulf of Mexico was Bjorndal, a sub-adult loggerhead weighing 112lbs, who was foul-hooked with a J-hook in the left front flipper on June 22nd. Clear radiographs and bloodwork meant that it was a short stay at the center for this turtle. Read more