tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post8015743658521158518..comments2023-12-30T23:16:06.627-05:00Comments on Around the Bend: Florida EscargotDebMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13300704299561968668noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-57063534926072724022013-01-07T10:22:41.708-05:002013-01-07T10:22:41.708-05:00Nice to see that your blog is still around! I enjo...Nice to see that your blog is still around! I enjoyed the video and photos. After hearing about the Tarzan-like sound effects produced by the limpkin, I had to listen to it at allaboutbirds.org, and it was impressive. Locally I think our woodpeckers do the best impression of jungle bird calls.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-63387231695246609042013-01-06T18:26:56.825-05:002013-01-06T18:26:56.825-05:00Your post makes me want to explore Florida. I hav...Your post makes me want to explore Florida. I have only been there once or twice---now I think I would like see these parts of the state. I can't believe how much you saw in such a small (relatively) area--Linda HoffmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-42449367303536568472013-01-06T16:13:47.527-05:002013-01-06T16:13:47.527-05:00Deb, thanks for the research and the answer to the...Deb, thanks for the research and the answer to the apple snails disappearance was right in my own backyard! The changes in the Wakulla River were the effects of hurricanes, I believe. The manatees love to eat hydrilla, so that would explain why they have moved here in ever increasing numbers. Judy Bentley and Ron Pagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08323408271640160275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-46344977332829280912012-12-30T19:16:24.544-05:002012-12-30T19:16:24.544-05:00Hi Judy--thanks for your note. We saw our first li...Hi Judy--thanks for your note. We saw our first limpkin ever at Wakulla Springs many, many years ago! Here is what I was able to find out in answer to your question:<br /><br />"Limpkins disappeared from Wakulla Springs State Park nearly 15 years ago after presumably occupying the river for thousands of years. A 1994 flood during the apple-snail breeding season seemed to drive limpkin numbers to single digits. The arrival of invasive hydrilla in 1997 followed by a drop in water quality may have provided a final shove. Occasionally, a lone limpkin returns to Wakulla for a rare but brief visit." That is from this recent article, and it has more interesting info about limpkin populations in the area:<br /><br />http://www.visittallahassee.com/blog/2012/sep/19/lone-wacissa-limpkin/<br /><br />Deb Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07462338214868102468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-12432357148331562072012-12-30T15:43:12.973-05:002012-12-30T15:43:12.973-05:00Wakulla Springs State Park, near where we live in ...Wakulla Springs State Park, near where we live in north Florida, used to have a large population of limpkins and apple snails. It was also the location for the Tarzan movie starring Johnny Weismuller, so that may be the basis for the association of limpkin calls with Tarzan sound effects. When the apple snails started disappearing from Wakulla Springs and the Wakulla River a few years back, the number of limpkins decreased in similar fashion. Now, there are no more limpkins and apple snails to be found in our area, but we do now host a sizeable migratory population of manatees in north Florida. The water flowing from Wakulla Springs is at a constant temperature of 60 degrees F, so it is a favorable environment for the manatees. I have never read a definitive account of why the apple snails disappeared. Does anyone know?Judy Bentley and Ron Pagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08323408271640160275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-22022700894785910922012-12-30T10:47:40.700-05:002012-12-30T10:47:40.700-05:00Ack! It is set to "Public"--not sure why...Ack! It is set to "Public"--not sure why you got the private notice. I'll see what I can do :)Deb Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07462338214868102468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566468445265119583.post-82994657989751650512012-12-30T10:34:47.200-05:002012-12-30T10:34:47.200-05:00That's so interesting about the snail so well ...That's so interesting about the snail so well adapted to the marsh. I couldn't watch the video of the snail kite. When I clicked on the arrow, it said "This video is private."Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09684731252598744856noreply@blogger.com