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John's Journal... Entry 98, Day 4

Orange Beach's Flora and Fauna

click to enlargeEDITOR'S NOTE: Former T.V. producer Joanne McDonough and her videographer husband Lynn Rabren of Orange Beach, Alabama, live their dreams by conducting private nature tours for visitors to the Gulf Shores area and by selling their custom-built Caribiana boats as fast as they can build them. This week, we'll talk to Joanne and learn how they've started their businesses, why they've chosen to design and build their own boats, and what passengers can expect to see and do on their island cruises.

Question: Tell me about the little shellfish in Orange Beach.
Answer: We have a variety of crustaceans here in this area. Everything in the sea shares with each other, and we have a lot of hermit crabs that have taken over the shells of the lighting whelks. The lighting whelks use the minerals in the seawater and the quartz in the sand to excrete the structure that creates their shells. Often birds or other species eat the whelks, and then the hermit crabs -- which don't make their own shells -- use the shells as their homes. Because hermit crabs continue to grow and the shells don't, the hermit crabs constantly are searching for new houses.

click to enlargeQuestion: Tell me about the marsh periwinkle, the round shell that has a little brown dot on it.
Answer: The marsh periwinkle is distinguished by the fact that it is a more round shell than those of the lighting whelk or the oyster drills, which are much more pointed and swirled. And the marsh periwinkle -- like the lighting whelk and the oyster drills -- tends to come out of the shell one way or another. The hermit crabs will crawl into those shells as well.

Question: Tell me about the great blue herons.
Answer: Great blue herons nest here on the sand islands. They also nest in the back bay regions along this part of the Alabama coast. However, some of this area's sand islands are the best spots to see the herons because many of the birds nest in trees that have no leaves on them. So the nests -- which are quite large -- are exposed for excellent viewing.

Question: When do the blue herons come in, and how long do they stay in this section of the South?
Answer: Great blue herons live here in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach region all year. They may migrate down into the Panhandle of Florida a bit, but we usually see then all year.

click to enlargeQuestion: What about the egrets?
Answer: The cattle egrets start to show up here in May -- and they come in groups. The cattle egrets are direct descendants of the African egrets that actually blew into South Florida from Africa in a hurricane during the 1940's. The cattle egrets have made their way up the coastline, and now we find them in many of the agricultural areas where the cows are. The birds will sit on the backs of the cows and eat the insects, but then they'll fly down here to the sand islands to roost and to breed.

Question: What about the peregrine falcons?
Answer: We usually see the peregrine falcons during October, November and December around Wolf Bay just off the Alabama Coast.

Question: And what about the osprey?
Answer: We have seen a great increase in osprey populations, particularly in Wolf Bay and back in Ingram's Bayou and Soldier's Creek. Osprey have come back strong. They mate for life, and they build onto the same nests year after year. Some of the nests are getting quite large.

Question: What are the most unusual birds you can see in this section of the Alabama Coast?
Answer: I think the osprey is a thrill to watch -- particularly when it fishes and captures something to eat. For many visitors, pelicans also are a joy to watch. They seem to be full of antics, flying and diving into the water for their catches.

click to enlargeQuestion: Can visitors who go with you also see dolphins?
Answer: The bottle-nosed dolphins live here and feed here -- particularly in the back bays. You'll see them in the Gulf of Mexico and quite often in Perdido Bay as well.

Question: Tell me about the blue crabs.
Answer: Blue crabs are a favorite, especially in the restaurants. People love throwing crab traps into the water. Sometimes during the summer you can pull up a trap with 10 to 12 crabs in it. I always throw the females with their eggs back.

For more information about Caribiana, visit the website at www.caribiana.com, or, call (888) 203-4883 or (334) 981-4442.

To learn more about the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area -- restaurants, attractions, birding opportunities, hotels, condos, fishing captains -- call the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau (AGCCVB) at (800) 745-7263, or visit the website at www.gulfshores.com.

TOMORROW: The Sand Islands

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Caribiana Island Cruises ...

Day 1 -Caribiana Island Cruises
Day 2 -How Caribiana Island Cruises Began
Day 3 -The Caribiana Boats
Day 4 -Orange Beach's Flora and Fauna
Day 5 -The Sand Islands

John's Journal