January
2002 Wildlife News
Wildlife
Watching, Look Down! 
Animal tracks can be a wildlife
watchers best source of information about
an area. Through their tracks, animals
leave calling cards indicating their
presence, past, and, perhaps, future. You
can increase your chances of spotting a
favorite animal by gaining just a little
knowledge of these signs. Do you know what
kind of animal left these marks in Rocky
Mountain National Park, Colorado?
Read
Dave Zawalski's article on animal
tracking.
Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge
Reported by Bill Silliker
Aransas
NWR is perhaps best known as the
winter home for a large flock of the
endangered whooping crane. Beginning in
late fall, whooping cranes return here
from summer nesting habitat at Wood
Buffalo National Park in northern Canada
to spend the winter along the Gulf Coast.
While at Aransas, they provide wildlife
watchers with a truly rare experience from
about November into March. Aransas NWR
covers a lot of ground, much of which is
understandably off limits to people, as it
supports this very rare species that has
hovered at the brink of extinction.
Consider that only 15 whooping cranes were
counted in all of North America in 1941.
But the refuge is readily accessible by a
16 mile wildlife watching auto tour that
follows a paved refuge road.
Snorkeling
With Manatees
Reported by Chris Crowley 
During the winter months, manatees (Trichechus
manatus) congregate in the warmer waters
Florida's inland streams. In places such
as Crystal
River and Homosassa Springs, snorkeling
tours provide an opportunity to observe
the manatees closely. Licensed operators
provide these snorkeling tours and serve
as guides who monitor the manatee viewing.
Private boats are not permitted. The
snorkeling tours start as early as 7 a.m.,
with numerous boats depositing snorkelers
in the water shortly after sunrise. Since
the manatees are present only during the
winter months, the water can be quite
chilly. Even wearing a wetsuit, most of
the snorkelers don't last very long in the
water before succumbing to the cold. The
manatees have roped-off sanctuary areas
that are off-limits to the snorkelers. The
manatees gather in these sanctuaries at
night. They know the exact boundaries of
these sanctuaries. In the morning, they
seem to wait just inside the boundary for
the crowd to thin out. You can almost hear
them laughing at the snorkelers waiting
outside.
Guntersville
State Park, Alabama
By Robert Falls
The mighty Tennessee River effectively
dissects a small portion of Northern
Alabama from the rest of the State as it
meanders about the region. The river's
flow is dammed in the northeastern region
creating Lake Guntersville,
one of the most scenic areas in Alabama.
The majestic symbol of our nation is a
regular visitor to the park and
surrounding areas, and their gleaming
white heads mark one of their favorite
roosting places alongside the Town Creek
area of the Park. Short Creek, another
tributary to the lake, is host to nesting
eagles that vary in quantity each year.
When bitter cold winter weather visits its
infrequent icy grip on Alabama, backwater
sloughs cover over with ice and eagles can
be seen walking around on the ice,
chipping dead fish out to consume. Three
weekends are set aside each January as
"Eagle Awareness" weekends at
the Park and feature seminars, a banquet,
and guided eagle-watching tours that are
worthwhile, especially for the first-time
visitor.
Other
Resources for Wildlife Enthusiasts
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© 2002 wildlifewatcher.com
