October 15, 2019

Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I am known as a Wharf Roach
I'm an isopod found by the sea
I live just above the high watermark
Crabs and shrimp are in my family.

(If you have ever wondered, Isopods get big. Really really BIG. Mae sure you watch the video.)

Sources: iNaturalist - Wharf Roach

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 14, 2019

  Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I am known as a Snowy Egret
My leg is currently broken
Although I still can hunt and fly,
My ultimate fate will remain unspoken

(This bird was still flying and catching fish, but he was clearly in pain, you could see him kind of wince when he landed. This picture was taken from pretty far away, the bird was on the rocks and able to fly so there wasn't anything we could do to help him. As described in the article linked below, if an injured bird can fly, making any attempt to catch it will most likely result in a lot of stress on the bird and likely its death.)

Sources: Best Friends - How to Help an Injured Wild Bird

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 13, 2019

Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I am known as a Sandwich Tern,
Look close to see my yellow-tipped bill
I also have a shaggy crest on my head
And I dive into water to eat my fill.

Sources: Cornell Lab All About Birds - Sandwich Tern

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 12, 2019

Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I am known as a Common Tern,
I like to hover, then dive to catch fish
You can identify me by my forked tail,
Slender bill and black pointy wing tips.

Sources: Cornell Lab All About Birds - Common Tern

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 11, 2019

Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I am a type of Ribbed Barnacle
I am related to lobsters and crabs
I secrete fast-drying cement and stick to
Anything that I can grab.

(Click to read the article below, Barnacles are quite interesting. I see them on manatees that have come from salt water into the brackish, but I never really stopped to think about what Barnacles are before.)

Sources: Florida Museum - Five Facts: Barnacles

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 10, 2019

Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I am known as a Laughing Gull
Today I'm looking a tad morose
I'm wearing my non-breeding plumage
Cause no one's clicked on my Tinder post.

(But seriously, check out the link below for a good comparison of the many different plumages of the Laughing Gull throughout it's life.)

Sources: eBird Laughing Gull Photos

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 9, 2019

Location: Jetty Park, Fort Pierce

I'm an Atlantic Sergeant Major
I have 5 black stripes - that  is true.
But I have never served in the army
In fact, I am still in school.

Sources: Florida Museum - Discover Fishes: Abudefduf saxatilis

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson