July 24, 2012

Archive

Choctawhatchee Audubon meets Aug. 2

Jeff Waldorff, one of the Emerald Coast’s finest bird and nature photographers, will present a program featuring his amazing work at the regular monthly meeting of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society on Thursday, August 2. Mr. Waldorff is a consummate composer of light, color, and form, and his uncompromising approach yields the most beautiful scenes that modern digital technology can produce. His images of black skimmers cutting the water with their uniquely large lower beaks are among the best in the...

FWC announces 2012-13 hunting season dates

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the upcoming 2012-12 hunting season dates. Please note: The statewide hunting season for gray squirrel on private lands has been extended. From now on, it will open the second Saturday in October and close the first Sunday in March. This season, the dates will be Oct. 13 – March 3. Northwest Florida is Zone D 2012-2013 Florida Hunting Season Dates (Seasons and dates do not apply to wildlife management areas) Season Zone...

Walton County fishing report for July 18

Fishing is great! Choctawhatchee Bay: Great fish stories this week. Folks are reeling in tripletail in Bay along with redfish. The trout are back on along with a few black drum and flounder. Lots of mullet Creeks/river: Bass and hybrids being caught at the mouth of the river. Offshore: Folks are catching everything out there! Tripletail, kings, dolphin, Spanish mackerel and bonita. “Don’t pay attention to the weatherman’s prediction, all you need to do is get out there and you...

Spiny lobster seasons begin soon

Special two day season July 25-26, then regular season starts Aug. 6 The 2012 recreational and commercial spiny lobster seasons will open soon, beginning with the two-day spiny lobster recreational season July 25 and 26. The regular commercial and recreational lobster season starts Aug. 6 and runs through March 31. The special two-day season occurs on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July each year to let recreational fishermen collect spiny lobsters before commercial lobster traps are placed in...

Walton County Health Department issues mosquito-borne illness advisory

Numbers serve as important reminder for Florida residents and visitors to take proactive measures against mosquitoes WALTON COUNTY — This is to advise that there has been increased mosquito-borne disease activity in areas of Walton County. Several sentinel chickens have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The risk of transmission to humans has increased. Walton County Health Department reminds residents and visitors to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that may cause encephalitis disease. Walton County Mosquito Control, South Walton...

FWC officer recalls favorite photos

From the FWC – Doing the unexpected by Stan Kirkland, FWC Many of us have our favorite photographs and remembrances of people and wildlife. Sometimes the unbelievable happens and the images are all the more unforgettable. I’ve seen a lot of photographs over my career but my favorite is of co-worker and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wildlife biologist Adam Warwick saving a drugged 375-pound male black bear from certain drowning in the Gulf of Mexico at Alligator...

North Walton pitcher plant bog boasts international fame

One native Sarracenia hybrid named after landowner Tucked behind the fence line of a North Walton County farm is a wetland bog of international intrigue. A pitcher plant bog that is, along the banks of Walton resident Leah Wilkersons’ pond. Since the early 1930s, Wilkerson’s family lived and worked their cattle ranch on 72 acres of rolling hills in the New Harmony area. Early on, Leah’s father dug a multi acre pond and burned the surrounding land to create healthy...