Panther Encounter

Hello everyone,

I have been at Corkscrew for 4 months now, can time please slow down?

Before I got to Corkscrew I knew that my top goal was to see a panther with my own eyes. It has been a dream of mine since I went "Panther Tracking" at Big Cypress during a middle school field trip. Since I have been here I have heard of the Panther sightings that staff and past interns have had, and knew that there was a chance I could get lucky. Hayden and Shelby were able to see a Panther while out in the field which made me want to see one even more.
I am not going to lie, I did pray to the Panther gods multiple times, and asked them to bless me with a Panther sighting. I thought I was being a bit silly when I would scream to the sky and ask to see a panther, but I guess the panther gods granted my wish. Lee and I were able to see an endangered Florida Panther chasing deer one afternoon. This is how it went down:

Lee (research tech) and I were practicing getting to know the camera settings on the Canon camera we use for wood stork flights. On the afternoon of May 15th 2018 we went out for a drive in the back country. I drove while Lee was taking photos from the passenger window, we were trying to get motion shots of wildlife while I made the drive as bumpy as possible. For the first 5 minutes of the drive there was nothing but trees.

There was a huge storm rolling in which we were worried about getting caught in. Originally we thought we might see a couple deer and hogs since that is what we usually see back there, however, we were definitely in for a surprise.

About 10 minutes into the drive as I drove I saw two deer to our right. I stopped the car and told Lee to take photos of the deer since they usually run away and that would give him some motion shots. Here is a close up of one of the deer:

We watched the deer from our vehicle for about 2 minutes just waiting to see what they would do. The whole time the deer were fixated on us, probably wondering why we were staring at them, and trying to figure out if we were a threat. The two deer were next to each other the whole time since we got there. However, after 2 minutes the deer to the right was spooked by something, and ran to the right where it is in the photo above. We just assumed we had spooked it somehow from the car. In an instant I saw something right behind the deer to the left where the palm frond is next to the deer's backside. I was thinking it was a fawn at first that we had not seen before because it looked shorter, and smaller than the deer. All of a sudden both deer make a run for it with a long tan figure with a long tail that was sticking up in the air running after them. It was a Florida Panther.

When I saw the tail I immediately knew that it was a Panther, and I could not believe what I was seeing. I yelled "PANTHER" to Lee and urged him to take photos. My jaw was open, and I was trying so hard not to scream. 

After talking to staff that are more knowledgeable on the Corkscrew Panthers we believe this is one of the female panthers that roam the sanctuary. Lee and I were shocked for several minutes, and remained in the area just in case it would reappear. After this crazy encounter we continued to drive and were surprised by the high amount of wildlife we saw. This led us to believe that this incoming storm was causing the high amount of wildlife somehow.

 We saw the following wildlife:

It was a thrilling afternoon with high wildlife activity. I feel very lucky to not only have seen a panther, but to see one stalking, and attacking a deer. The coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. I wonder if I will see another one before I leave CSS. 

Until next time,

Intern Melissa 

New Resource Intern

My name is Amanda, and I am the new Resource Intern here at Corkscrew. I have lived most of my life in the small town of Granville, Ohio, which is about 30 minutes east of Columbus.

About a year ago, I graduated with honors in Biology from Grinnell College, a small school in central Iowa. I have been interested in wildlife and the outdoors for as long as I can remember, and I did my best to take advantage of the opportunities my school presented me for gaining new experiences in those areas. During my junior year, I was able to study abroad in the beautiful rainforests of Queensland, Australia, where I first became really interested in conservation. I also, under the direction of my advisor, conducted research on monarch butterflies and milkweed at Grinnell’s environmental research station. Following graduation, I interned at The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center in southeastern Ohio located on reclaimed strip mine land, where I conducted bird surveys and vegetation surveys, as well as helping out with other projects, like American Burying Beetle releases and Hellbender research.

 

Until now, most of my experiences have been more research focused. Therefore, I am very excited to participate in the Land Stewardship Internship here at Corkscrew Swamp. It is also exciting to me to get to know a new ecosystem that is so different from what I'm used to in the Midwest. In the short time I have been here, I have already learned how to identify and treat several species of invasive plants. I hope that this internship will be an opportunity for me to learn more about resource management, and help me to gain a broader perspective on what conservation and management entails.  

 

Shelby's farewell

It is hard to imagine that six months have gone by since I've been at Corkscrew. I've watched the swamp go from very high water levels after hurricane Irma, to now almost dry as a bone, and I can't help but think of all the changes in my own life since being here.

When I first started, I thought that half a year would be such a long time. Now I see how quickly the time can go, especially when you don't want it to be over quite yet.

It's teacher appreciation week, making this an appropriate time to reflect on what it means to be an educator. I think there is a misconception about teachers and how they are the authorities on everything, but this is simply not true. As an educator, I am always learning. Each and every day I am exposed to something completely brand new and exciting that I can take with me and pass along to someone else.


I can honestly say that before going into this internship, I never thought I would be introduced to so many new concepts and ideas, incredible connections, different flora and fauna, and then come out a better person and professional in the end.

Because my supervisor understands the importance of learning all that I could, I was lucky enough to cross-train in different departments here. I got to assist our resource team with prescribed fire, and the research team with their fish sampling and aquatic fauna surveys. Both projects gave me a completely new understanding of how all the different departments at Corkscrew work together towards the same goal - conserving this beautiful place for future generations.


I thought that I was a pretty good birder before coming here, but Corkscrew has seriously upped my birding game. Conducting monthly bird surveys, and being a team captain for Corkscrew and Marco Island during the annual Christmas Bird Count was not only an absolute honor, but it's mind-blowing how many new birds and their calls I have learned in my time here.

Even getting to monitor our bald eagle pair on Corkscrew's property for the last six months, and watching the chicks grow up since the week they were born until the week they fledged the nest was also such a beautiful experience that I will never forget.

Other noteworthy highlights were of course seeing a Florida panther for the first time, taking my first Florida Master Naturalist class, writing my first published article, volunteering with sparrow banding with Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW), helping on a bat project with FWC, getting to view the most beautiful sunsets from the beach, and even some personal achievements like learning to cook with my roommates and developing a regular yoga practice outside with the Wood Storks flying over us.

And last but certainly not least, I have made some amazing friends and wonderful new connections between staff, volunteers, and visitors on my tours.

 To my roommates at the Gator Hole, the one's that have come and gone, and the one that I'm leaving here- it's been wonderful getting to know each and every one of you. Keep up those sparkling personalities, and keep doing great work

-Intern Shelby