We will be going out to our usual site on the first Saturdays of June, July, and august this summer. As usual, please get in touch with David if you don't know where to go. We will be on-site a little before sundown and usually continue until about midnight, with the best activity generally between 10 and 11 pm.
Seining trip and Bug Party! After a successful bug night last weekend, we've set a schedule for two upcoming trips. The first, on April 27, will be a seining trip to Fred Howard Park. The second will be a bug night and party on May 11. RSVP for either trip so I know how many to plan for.
Seining will be at Fred Howard Park starting at 9am. We will bring nets and holding tanks. Please bring:
-Fishing License (All 16+ need to have a fishing license and show it to me. No Exceptions, sorry.)
-Water shoes and swimwear
-Hats, sunscreen, etc.
-Towels
-Beach Chairs
-Water
-Food to share
-Cameras
For the bug night on May 11, I want to do something slightly different. We've got enough time to make an actual party out of it. I would like to get some food and drinks (pot luck) and bring out a grill. We will meet at our usual site (email me for directions if you need them) a bit before sunset, turn the lights on at dusk, and bug until we drop. Coffee will be available. If all goes to plan, this will also be the first outing with our new 1000 Watt light.
We will supply lights, sheets, and a generator, so please bring:
Long sleeves/pants
-Bug spray only if you don't plan on approaching the lights, we don't want to harm the insects or drive them away.
~David Durieux
An awesome trip, folks! Six of us were out in Green Swamp between 7pm to midnight. Weather was beautiful, with perfectly clear skies, a light breeze, and temperatures dropping from a high of 28 to a low of 14 celsius. We ran our 250 Watt metal halide light and two 4-ft fluorescent blacklight bulbs.
For once, the beetles were the clear stars of the night. We saw both species of caterpillar hunters (Calosoma spp.) that occur here, both false and true bombardiers, several large diving beetles, and our first blister beetle for this site. We even had a few fireflies throughout the evening, my first in Florida!
Not so many moths flying yet, probably because it was early in the season, but we got a fair number of interesting noctuids and a few sphinx moths as well.
On the herping front, we spotted an Eastern spadefoot toad, and an Eastern fence lizard, both before it got dark. We also had sigtings of an opossum and something loud in the bushes that was probably an armadillo.
We'll be putting out a new trip schedule soon, including a seining trip and another bug night, so watch your emails for these announcements!
~David Durieux
We will be going out to Green Swamp to blacklight for moths and beetles next weekend, March 30. This will be the first IBiNat trip of the season! Last year this site was wonderful, with lots of large moths (including luna moths), beetles, water bugs, and a fair number of herps as well.
Sunset is at 7:45, so I'll be on site a little before then. We'll stay out until 11 or 12, depending on activity. Please email me if you are interested and I'll send you the exact location.
Things to bring:
-Bug spray only if you don't plan on approaching the lights, we don't want to harm the insects or drive them away.
RSVP so I have an idea how many people to expect.
~David Durieux
We just got confirmation that there's a fish kill at Fort DeSoto from the red tide bloom, so we're going to have to postpone the seining trip until conditions improve. We'll keep you posted and we'll reschedule as soon as we can, likely later this semester.
On Saturday, September 22, we will have a seine netting trip at Fort DeSoto park in Saint Petersburg. The park has both sand flats and seagrass, so we should be able to come up with quite a diversity of fish. Historically, we have collected seahorses, pipefish, stingrays, pufferfish, and a multitude of other really cool critters at this location.
Pufferfish by Nils
The net we plan to use is a seine net 50 feet long, and about 5 feet tall. It takes at least three people to pull the net properly, and works a lot better with at least six. Typically, we drag one end away from the beach, and then loop it back to corral the fish. We then pull the net completely back to shore, capuring most of the fish in the sampling area. Then, we can have a good look at them, photograph the fish, and release them back into the water. I'll be bringing some tanks for temporary holding and photography.
Redfin Needlefish by Nils
We will leave from SCA around 8:30 am, getting us on site by 9:30. By carpooling from USF we can save on tolls and parking fees. We will be fishing on the North Beach. Everyone present will need a saltwater fishing license (the shoreline license is free to anyone with a Florida driver's license). We have to be strict about enforcing this for legal reasons. Bring clothes that can get wet and dirty, and good water shoes if you plan on pulling the net. Hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses are a good idea.
For more information on Florida fishing licenses: http://myfwc.com/license/recreational/saltwater-fishing/
As before, we will be having a pot-luck lunch after seining. David will, as usual, supply cups/plates/utensils.
We will be continuing our tradition of regular sampling at Green Swamp. Our last trip, one month ago, was a great success with multiple large silkmoths (including two luna moths), lots of sphinx moths, large beetles, and a small assortment of herps. We've got two lights now: a double 4-ft fluorescent blacklight and a 175W metal halide. We plan to run both of these lights on our upcoming trip.
We will be going out to the same location this coming Saturday, September 8. David will be on-site by 6pm, and we can arrange a carpool leaving from USF around 5pm. Sunset is at 7:42, and that is when we will turn on the lights. The best action is usually between 9 and 10:30, and we usually stay until 11-12. In the past, insect activity has slowed around this time.
There will be little to no walking on this trip, but you will want tightly closed shoes (dark if you have them) to keep the bugs out. I normally recommend dark long pants that can tuck into your socks, and a dark long-sleeve shirt, since we can't use bug spray around the sheets. Basically, cover your skin and avoid white clothes.
Considering the success of our pot-luck at Hillsborough River State Park, let's do the same for dinner on this trip. As before, David will supply plates/cups/utensils and Nils will bring his grill. Extra picnic chairs and extra flashlights will also be extremely helpful.
If you are interested, please email David Durieux for specifics regarding location, logistics, and contact information.
I have been informed that the Circle B Bar reserve closes most of its trails this time of year, so we will wait until later in the season to do that hike. In the meantime, I have changed the location to the Hillsborough River State Park, which covers a range of habitat types as well. Besides the obvious riparian habitat, we will see oak forest, pine scrub, and this time of year there are many ephemeral pools with their associated wildlife. The plans otherwise remain unchanged.
Eastern Rat Snake at Hillsborough River State Park, by Nils Tack
We will be going to Hillsborough River State Park for a nature walk and picnic on Saturday, September 1, to celebrate surviving the first two weeks of the semester. This park has sections of ephemeral pools, riverfront, oak forest, and pine scrub, making for a diverse assemblage of plant and animal life.
(Great Blue Heron by Mary Mangiapia)
We will meet at the reserve at 9 am, hike the trails for a few hours, and then have a pot-luck picnic lunch at the visitor center before heading home. Please bring food and/or drinks to share. The trails are usually flat and dry, but I recommend sturdy shoes and sun protection. You may also want to bring binoculars, and of course your camera.
(American Alligator by Nils Tack)
We may be able to arrange carpooling from USF if anyone needs a ride there.
RSVP to David (durieudm) if you plan to attend, so we know to wait for you before we start our hike.
We had a great trip Saturday! We arrived about an hour before sunset to take some photos in daylight and set up the insect lights. This time, we brought a double 4-foot fluorescent fixture fitted with two blacklight bulbs, and a 175W metal halide bulb on a tripod. As usual, the first hour was relatively quite, with only a few small flies.
Around 9pm, and continuing through 11pm, things got crazy. We saw not one, but two Luna moths, a good half-dozen imperial moths, a handful of sphinx moths of several different species, and hundreds of smaller moths. In addition we found a fiery searcher beetle, stick insects, a bunch of toads and treefrogs, and the biggest katydid I have ever seen in my life!
Around 11:30, as we were packing up the sheets to head home, we got one last surprise: a friendly little black swampsnake crawling across the road. He was nice enough to pose for some photos before happily burrowing back into the sand.
We hope to see everyone at the next excursion, to be announced soon!
Let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to do.
(Thanks Nils for the wonderful photos)
