Birding

Roseate spoonbills and other wading birds are loving Florida Audubon’s efforts to remove invasive Carolina willows that have overtaken vital wet prairies inside the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary east of Naples. “Our marsh and prairie restoration efforts are helping bring birds back to areas within the sanctuary that had been overtaken by Carolina willow,” Lisa Korte, director of the sanctuary, said Friday. “Nature’s response to our restoration process is rapid." Wet prairies are a vital part of the Everglades. The low-depressions fill with moving water, grasses thrive, and critters crawl and swim in the shallow marsh. That, in turn, brings wading birds and other creatures to enjoy the cool water and poke around for a meal." The Carolina willow is among the plants and animals native to Florida that are expanding the definition of “invasive species.”

When author, art therapist, and environmental educator Holly Merker learned she had cancer she turned to her lifelong passion for birdwatching as a sort of therapy. Preview the lecture she’s giving at “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society called, “Ornitherapy: How a Deeper Experience with Nature Can Enrich Your Mind, Body, and Soul.”

A big year, at least amongst birders, is an unofficial competition to see who can see or hear the most species of birds within a given geographical area.…