Loading...
March 18, 2010 - Long-awaited spring shows its colorsMARCH 18, 2010 1 SUFFOLKTIMES.COM etting out.-to see onda's'sea cows PAUL STOUTENBURGH draw big crowds in the winter, when the water temperature drops and they move into the warmer water a nts. We saw more than 200 `sea cows' at the Big Bend Power Plant in Apollo Beach. Last week our daughter and her husband came to Florida to escape the record snowfall and freezing temperatures NewYork has experienced this win- ter. Little did they know they were heading for that old truism "out of the frying pan and into the fire," as Florida was experiencing its own unusually cold temperatures. What made it bearable was that the sun was out, so they made the best of it. The cold did limit their beach - going, so we looked around to find something that might appeal to them. We had heard about the famous Ringling Brothers Circus complex, complete with the Ringling mansion, 4CUS ON NATURE rose garden and exqui- site miniature circus. This all sounded good to us, so we headed u toward Sarasota. We were particularly taken by the miniature PAUL STOUTENBURGH circus that took you through every phase f circus life. We couldn't believe our eyes; with just ie slightest bit of imagination, the perfect miniatures f performers, visitors, animals, maintenance people nd all the tents came to life. As the temperature continued below normal for Florida, we decided to take a drive to see where all e manatees were spending their days waiting for warmer temperatures to return. We were told they congregated at the warm -water discharge from the coal-fired plant at Apollo Beach. It was an hour's ide but well worth it. The sun was out, the ride as pleasant and we were all anxious to stretch our legs when we arrived. We were amazed to see how many cars were in the visitors' parking lot. People from all over the country ad escaped their colder - than- normal weather to sit Florida and were now checking on the manatees. ad to the license plates, people from Kansas, ode Island, NewYork, Virginia and, yes, many oridians were there to see the huge number of these 'ant vegetarian mammals keeping warm by hud- g together in this canal near Big Bend Power Plant until the Tampa Bay waters warm up again. We buttoned up our coats, pulled our hats down per our ears and headed out to the observation deck, ere we could see people pointing here and there at these slow - moving manatees, or "sea cows," as they are sometimes called. This nice viewing stand was just above the manatees. They passed close below us, lift- ing their heads out of the water for only a few seconds for a breath of air before dropping back down again. It seemed like you could see more tails than heads, perhaps because the tails are a lot larger. Manatees average about 10 feet in length and about 1,000 pounds, but some can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Some could be seen nursing as they lolled about in the canal. Once, while we watched, the bright sun came out and it seemed as though the manatees could sense it, as thev seemingly all rose to the surface WIF PEGGY DICKERSON PHOTO hard to believe this sea horse is a fish that swims in an •ight position. It lives on plankton and, most unusual, male carries the vounQ. ta�dvantage of that brief bit of warmth. The day is clear, cold and windy, a day when the water gets own right out of your eyes. The huge power plant rising up to the sky off to our ;ht spewed clouds of white steam hundreds of feet to the air as we stood watching the show of shows. le manatees were gathered in an area the size of two otball fields side by side. As we stood there shaking the cold, we'd occasionally see a manatee pass by nth scars on its back from a motor boat propeller. We were being blown about by the cold wind, so we wallcea back to an area closer to the outtall, or w - water discharge area, where we could see fish — per- haps spinner sharks — leaping out of the water. Bob pointed out one of the beautiful spotted eagle rays, with its four- foot -long, whiplike tail, slipping along close to the shoreline. Since the water around the Gulf of Mexico has not been warm enough for swimming, many visitors have been walking the beaches in heavy hooded jackets in search of shells and anything unusual that might have come ashore. One daywe came upon a huge, 12-inch- wide jellyfish that had come ashore, and when Peg walked the beach days later she saw a least three more of them. Though they are hard to photograph since they are transparent, we were amazed at their size. This most widely recognized jellyfish is identi- fied by the four crescent - shaped markings on the top of the bell. These jellyfish are usually six to eight inches wide but can be as large as 20 inches across. We found out it was not unusual to see jellyfish along the shore, particularly after storms, when they washed in from offshore. Peg was lucky one morning; I say lucky because we have never been fortunate enough to find a sea horse, but she came upon one on her early morning walk one day. At home, some of the fishermen have told me they catch sea horses in their fish traps. These sea horses, like the jellyfish we saw, might not normally be on the shore but were probably affected by some o the record -low water temperatures. We have been told that typical Florida weather is coming back and we are hoping the weather on the North Fork is going to warm up soon as well. We should be having days in the 70s and 80s, and I must say everyone is looking forward to that We shall have to start doing some more adventuring around here, as we do wherever we happen to be. PEGGY DICKERSON PHOTO hard to believe this sea horse is a fish that swims in an •ight position. It lives on plankton and, most unusual, male carries the vounQ. ta�dvantage of that brief bit of warmth. The day is clear, cold and windy, a day when the water gets own right out of your eyes. The huge power plant rising up to the sky off to our ;ht spewed clouds of white steam hundreds of feet to the air as we stood watching the show of shows. le manatees were gathered in an area the size of two otball fields side by side. As we stood there shaking the cold, we'd occasionally see a manatee pass by nth scars on its back from a motor boat propeller. We were being blown about by the cold wind, so we wallcea back to an area closer to the outtall, or w - water discharge area, where we could see fish — per- haps spinner sharks — leaping out of the water. Bob pointed out one of the beautiful spotted eagle rays, with its four- foot -long, whiplike tail, slipping along close to the shoreline. Since the water around the Gulf of Mexico has not been warm enough for swimming, many visitors have been walking the beaches in heavy hooded jackets in search of shells and anything unusual that might have come ashore. One daywe came upon a huge, 12-inch- wide jellyfish that had come ashore, and when Peg walked the beach days later she saw a least three more of them. Though they are hard to photograph since they are transparent, we were amazed at their size. This most widely recognized jellyfish is identi- fied by the four crescent - shaped markings on the top of the bell. These jellyfish are usually six to eight inches wide but can be as large as 20 inches across. We found out it was not unusual to see jellyfish along the shore, particularly after storms, when they washed in from offshore. Peg was lucky one morning; I say lucky because we have never been fortunate enough to find a sea horse, but she came upon one on her early morning walk one day. At home, some of the fishermen have told me they catch sea horses in their fish traps. These sea horses, like the jellyfish we saw, might not normally be on the shore but were probably affected by some o the record -low water temperatures. We have been told that typical Florida weather is coming back and we are hoping the weather on the North Fork is going to warm up soon as well. We should be having days in the 70s and 80s, and I must say everyone is looking forward to that We shall have to start doing some more adventuring around here, as we do wherever we happen to be.