While my field study focused on birds, I could not help but be amazed at all the wildlife around me. The mangrove is an ecosystem just teeming with life and I wanted to be able to share it with my classmates.
I began my study at 5:40 in the morning to observe birds leaving their nests and feeding at first light. I however only observed 7 species and a total of 16 birds over a period of 1 hour and 12 mins.
On Wednesday, June 8, 2022. I revisited the tarpon mangroves to assess the effects of salinity on the mangrove as this particular area has a mangrove directly connected to the inlet and one that is not.
I observed many tree crabs, a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), whelks, nerites, and peculiarly two iguanas.
Although it is not strange to see Iguanas in Florida, I had never seen any in the area unlike with at Red Reef where they are rampant. Those were the only two observed during the entirety of my study.