What Lives On Assateague Island? - The Mammals

Lots and lots of creatures live on Assateague Island, and/or in and on the surrounding waters. Despite the often harsh conditions that occur in a coastal environment, a wide variety of animal species have managed to find a niche on, or around, Assateague, which stretches from southern Maryland to northern Virginia in the Atlantic Ocean.  Each of the island's different ecological zones provide habitat for a multitude of animals; these include birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.  Today, I'll write about the mammals - those air-breathing, warm-blooded creatures like us, who walk upon the ground or swim in the ocean.
   More than twenty-five types of mammals live in or around the island of Assateague; the most well-known are the wild ponies.  They are descendants of feral horses and ponies; the first-known being the blinded Spanish pit ponies that were ship-wrecked on the island from the galleon La Galga, and were noted in a report to Spain by the Spanish ambassador.  The people of coastal Maryland and Virginia were taxed upon ownership of livestock, and they allowed their stock to run free on Assateague to avoid payment of said taxes, and, so, the "wild ponies" of Assateague came about.  The 80-plus ponies living on the Maryland end of Virginia receive only contraceptive darts for care; the ponies in Virginia belong to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, and are kept on Assateague via a contract with the US government.  The ponies feed primarily on salt-marsh cord grass, but also consume beach grass, greenbriar, bayberry, poison ivy, and many other types of vegetation that are not in the usual horse's diet.
   Other large mammals also roam the parks (the Assateague National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge) grazing and browsing on low-lying vegetation.  They are the indigenous Virginia White-tailed deer, and the non-native Sika deer, a miniature type of Asian elk, who were introduced to Assateague in the 1920s.  On-going research is evaluating the ecological effects of Sika deer on both native vegetation communities and their effect upon other wildlife, including the native white-tailed deer.
   The other other mammals range in size from small rodents, to bats, to furry critters, to large marine mammals - including the bottlenose dolphin and several species of whale that feed in the island's offshore waters.  Besides the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, the Atlantic white-sided dolphin, and the common dolphin are frequently seen around the island - in the ocean and in the channels and bays.
Whale sightings include the fin whale, humpback whale, pilot whale, sperm whale and right whale. Seals are occasionally seen resting on Assateague Island, also; usually sighted are the harp seal, harbor seal, and, rarely, the hooded seal.
   Red foxes build dens in sand dunes and roam the island hunting for mice, birds, insects, and berries. Opossums  and raccoons provide the important environmental service of waste removal, feeding on the island's carrion, as well as insects, larvae, berries and small rodents.  The only marsupial in North America, the opossum give birth to premature young which complete their development in a pouch on the outside of the mother's body.
   Rodents such as the meadow jumping mouse and meadow vole live in grasses bordering both salt- and freshwater wetlands.  They feed on seeds, wetland plants, and in the case of the jumping mouse, insects.  Though seldom seen, both river otters and muskrat make their home in the island's marshes and adjacent waterways.
 A listing of mammals on and around Assateague Island:
Chincoteague/Assateague ponies
Red fox
Whales - fin, humpback, pilot, right, and sperm
White-tailed deer
Bats - little brown, red, and silver-haired
Delmarva fox squirrel
Raccoon
Eastern cottontail rabbit
Dolphins - Atlantic bottlenose, Atlantic white-sided, and common
Sika deer (miniature Asian elk)
Mice - house, meadow jumping, and white-footed
River otter
Rats - Norway and rice
Least shrew
Muskrat
Virginia opossum
Meadow jumping vole
Seals - harbor, harp, and hooded

The Chesapeake Bay - Part 2

I remember, as a child, riding the ferry across the Chesapeake Bay on our way to Chincoteague.  When I was born, my father was in the US Navy, and we were stationed at Oceana, Virginia; then at Millington, Tennessee, then Corpus Christi, Texas.  Dad retired from the Navy on my fifth birthday, and we moved to Gainesville, Florida.  Anytime we visited Mom's home town, which was usually once or twice each year, we took the ferry from Norfolk to Cape Charles, Virginia.  That happened until 1964, when I was 8 years old; in April of that year, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened.  I was astonished that you could drive both over and under Chesapeake Bay and did not have to take the ferry.  I can even tell you that we crossed the Bridge-Tunnel in my Uncle's brand new Jeep Wagoneer - my sister, Mom, and I in the back seat, and Aunt Ruth in the front passenger seat, with Uncle Claude driving.  I remember seagulls flying alongside the car, and how scared I was when we entered the first of two tunnels.  Now, 52 years later, I enjoy the scents of the salt water and the rhythmic beat of the tires across the joined slabs of the road bed - as well as the sight of the gulls flying beside the car.  For me, the Chesapeake Bay has always meant that I was almost home...
    The Chesapeake Bay is home to many fauna that either migrate to the area, or live there year round.  There are over 300 species of fish and many shellfish and crab species. Some of these creatures include the Atlantic menhaden, the striped bass, the American eel, the eastern oyster, and the blue crab.  Birds include ospreys, great blue herons, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons; the last two listed were threatened with extinction by DDT: their numbers plummeted, but have risen in recent years.  The piping plover is a threatened species which inhabits the wetlands around the Bay.
    Larger fish, like the Atlantic sturgeon, as well as several varieties of sharks, and stingrays visit the Chesapeake.  The waters of Chesapeake Bay have long been regarded as one of the most important nursery areas for sharks along the east coast.  Megafaunas  like bull sharks, tiger sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, basking sharks, and manta rays are also known visitors.  Bottlenose dolphins are also found in the Bay.  The unconfirmed sightings of humpback whales seem to be proven, as four dead humpbacks have washed up recently along the Eastern Shore.  The endangered North Atlantic right whale, as well as fin, minke, and sei whales have also been seen within and near the mouth of the Chesapeake.  Loggerhead turtles are also known visitors in the Chesapeake.
    The Bay is mostly known for its seafood production - especially blue crabs, clams and oysters.  In the middle of the 20th century, the Bay supported 9,000 full-time watermen and their families.  Today the Chesapeake is less productive than it used to be .  This is due to runoff from urban areas along the western shore of the Bay, runoff from farms on the Eastern Shore and from the Susquehanna River watershed, over-harvesting of marine life, and the invasion of foreign species into the waters.
    In the 19th century, the plentiful oyster harvests in the Chesapeake led to the development of the skipjack, the state boat of Maryland, which is the only remaining working boat type in the United States that is still under sail power.  Other characteristic bay-area work boats include sail-powered boats such as the log canoe, the pungy, the bugeye, and the motorized Chesapeake Bay deadrise, the state boat of Virginia.
    In contrast to harvesting the wild oyster, oyster farming is a growing industry in the Chesapeake Bay that helps maintain the estuary's productivity, as well as a natural effort for filtering the impurities, such as excess nutrients, from the water in an effort to reduce the effects of man-made pollution.  The Chesapeake Bay Program is using oysters to reduce the amount of nitrogen compounds entering the Bay's waters.  Oysters are hermaphroditic and will change gender at least once during their lifetime; they often begin life as a male, and end life as a female.  There are numerous ways to cook and eat them (besides raw on the half-shell), as well as many recipes and sauces to accompany oyster dishes.  According to Kendra Bailey Morris, of the National Public Radio in 2007, "The Chesapeake oyster - sometimes called Chesapeake white gold - has a flavor and texture that begs connoisseurs to come back and shuck just a few more."
    The Chesapeake is also famous for its rockfish, a regional name for striped bass.  Once on the verge of extinction, rockfish have made a significant comeback because of legislative action that placed a moratorium on rockfishing, which allowed the species to re-populate.  Rockfish are now allowed to fished again, but only in strictly controlled and limited quantities.

    Chincoteague Island, my maternal family home, was long famous for its oysters and clams.  For many years, Campbell's Soup Company had an exclusive contract for the oysters and clams caught, or raised, in and around the island.  For quite a few years only Chincoteague oysters and clams were used in Campbell's soup.....  The island had problems with pollution, and our shellfish production took a huge dive.  The waters are now cleaner, and our oysters and clams are being noticed again.

Dolphins, Whales, & the Philippines

I've been watching the trail of dead bottle-nose dolphins, or porpoises, slowly move down the east coast. Current numbers say that at least 753 dolphins have died from a measles-like virus that is slowly spreading through the migrating pods.  Dead dolphins are now being found along the coast of Florida, and after five whale carcasses have also tested positive for the virus, scientists fear that the virus might be spreading through our air breathing, but water living, friends.  Recently, three humpback whale and two pygmy whale bodies have been found on east coast beaches that are positive for the measles-like dolphin killing virus.  If you are on the water, or at the beach, and notice a dolphin or whale that is behaving in an unusual manner, please contact the NOAA Hotline at 1-877-WhaleHelp.  Do not approach the animal, and do not allow your pets near it either - it might be contagious.  We need to help these wonderful aquatic creatures.
    The landing of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines brings back memories of Hurricane Camille for me.  Camille hit the coast with winds of 190 mph; Yolanda hit the islands at 195 mph.  Camille then had to fall apart over the mainland of the United States; Haiyan crossed the sea again and is approaching another landfall in Viet Nam.  Ouch.  Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones happen all over the world - and they are very destructive.  If you live on, or near the coast, or worse - on an island - you are pretty much at the mercy of whatever Mother Nature throws at you.
   Here in the US, we can easily look at video and photos of the devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.  You can look at the effects of flooding here in Colorado less than two months ago, on 12 September, when we had our 100 Year Flood.  (We just had another all-day volunteer work party to clean up one of the mountain towns, Salina, yesterday.)  Compared to the average citizen of the Philippine islands, we are rich, even if our income is below "poverty level" by US standards.  I'm afraid that these poor citizens - of all of the Philippine islands - will stay in the incredible limbo that the people of Haiti are still in, after their devastating earthquake.
   Please, if you can afford to donate anything, please give to the American Red Cross.  You can say that your donation is for the survivors of Haiyan in the Philippines, or for those left homeless in Viet Nam.  I have just enough to get by this month, as I took a 5-day trip to Oklahoma City last month; but, any excess money that I earn this month will be donated to the Red Cross, as soon as I get it.  Why?  Because they do good work for every person on this earth!

Dolphins and Whales

We nearly reached 60 degrees yesterday, and hit the mid 60s today. Lovey and Nedi are enjoying the warm weather, as are Tugger and Sasquatch. I finally grabbed my reserved book from the library, but am 2/3 of the way through another book. I plan on finishing the first one and then reading Ms. Prescott's novel.
  The two Boulder police officers, Samuel Carter and Brent Curnow, arrested for the killing of the Mapleton Hill elk, have resigned, effective immediately from the Boulder Police Department. They face 9 counts each; 3 felonies and 6 misdemeanors. The Fish and Wildlife office is still investigating on their end; and so is the Boulder Sheriff's Office, checking into the assistance of an on-duty deputy the night of the shooting.
  I was delighted to see in the news today that a pod of sperm whales off the Azores have apparently adopted a bottle nose dolphin that suffers from a spinal condition. Sperm whales swim slowly and generally ignore dolphins; dolphins usually pick at, tease and haze whale calves. This dolphin has a partial S curvature of the spine, and cannot swim quickly. Observers and divers watched the pod of whales interact with the dolphin for a period of 8 days. The dolphin nuzzled the whales, and the whales nuzzled the dolphin... What a wonderful world! .... And, off Hawaii, a scuba instructor and dive leader was approached by a lone dolphin, who was impaled on a fishing hook and had monofiliment line wrapped around its; nose, head, flippers and dorsal fin. The diver removed the hook and started cutting away the line. The dolphin swam to the surface, got another breath of air, and returned for the diver to finish removing the line. They had 8 minutes of interaction... and it was filmed... I wish I had been there!