Nature You'll See in January

By: Cleo Robertson

Welcome to January, cold as it may be. As I walk around the streets and stores, restaurants and docks, I hear the same thing…”It has never been this cold!” Not true. When I was growing up in Pass-a-Grille it would drop to the 30s every now and then and I remember we lost our orange crops several times. The big difference for me between cold then and now is heat. In the 1940’s and 1950’s the houses we lived in either had a wood stove or no stove. Since we could not afford wood, we went without heat most of the time. In addition, since my Mom did not drive and there were no clothing stores in Pass-a-Grille, we had no coats. So, three or four sweaters had to do…and they did. Today, I am thankful for the heat that pours into my house with the touch of a finger. I am also thankful I can pay for it. So, you see, I am full of thankfulness and gratitude and 2010 just began!

In my diary I wrote that on January 9, 1995 we had high winds and it was freezing all week. When someone asks me what Paradise is like in January, I usually shrug my shoulders. I don’t know. Sometimes we have high winds and we are freezing. Other times it’s balmy. This month is quite variable in weather but don’t let that put you off from walking the beaches or visiting docks and piers. There is a lot of wildlife moving around and we have many snowbirds, with and without feathers, visiting for the winter.

Sometimes people say to me, “Cleo, what are you thankful for?” “To be alive and feel it,” is my normal answer. Actually, I am grateful to be alive every year, to feel it and to spread good cheer and happiness as far as I can. My one resolution I make every year is to give myself more time. I recently read that on average, women give themselves eight minutes private time per day. Let’s see. That means I can get dressed quickly, throw on some makeup, pull my bedcovers over the bed and look out the window to see if it’s raining. Time’s up! Off to do one thing or another (how does my list get so long?). I was whining to a friend about how much I have to do and he said to me, “Cleo, who writes things in your calendar when you aren’t looking?” Me. If I have something to do, I feel worthwhile. When my calendar is empty I feel empty inside. See what I mean. I have some work to do in the New Year. Looks strange to see “quiet time” written in my calendar but that’s what I’m going to do…have more quiet time. And more time on the water kayaking with my great dog, Rhino.

Fun things to know: January can be one of the best months to see the green flash at the end of a sunset. This phenomenon occurs because of the curvature of the earth and the last color to show as the sun sets is green. It is very intense when you see it, but you have to look quickly because it is truly only a flash. The horizon has to be very clear with no clouds present but it is worth looking for—you’ll never forget you saw it. Even though I grew up here, it wasn’t until a few years ago in January that I saw my first one, so keep looking.

Fish and animals: Winter storms bring in all kinds of wonders. I found two starfish frozen on the beach one January. Since starfish are not actually fish at all, scientists prefer to call them sea star. The 5-legged one is the most common type. The nine-pointed star is rare. In fact it is very seldom one finds a perfect one because as soon as you touch one, it drops an arm in the hope that the predator harassing it will settle for an easy meal and allow it to escape. After escaping, it will grow a new leg. The ability of starfish to regenerate lost limbs is something scientists are studying, hoping to be able to repair the human body in much the same way.

I asked my friend, Bill McArthur, who came to Pass-a-Grille in 1926 what he thought was important about January. He said mullet love cold weather (see left), as do Sheepshead (see below.) We always knew mullet were good to eat as you can confirm at Ted Peter’s Smoke House on Pasadena Avenue.

However, I have also learned that Sheepshead are great fish to eat too (see the photo to the right.) When I was growing up here, my family didn’t eat them. We had enough mullet to take care of our needs and we thought Sheepshead were “dirty” fish. Little did we know. When I moved back home, I started eating these little beauties and I think they are wonderful. The average size is 2 pounds; the largest on record was 15 pounds, 4 ounces, caught in 1969. Since its’ teeth resemble those of a sheep, it became known as Sheepshead. They can be hard to catch, and I have heard that a real Sheepshead fisherman is one that lives his lifetime seldom mentioning any other fish. So go along the seawall in PAG, Blind Pass, or near Philthy Phils, or to Merry Pier and try your hand…they are tricky to catch. Often when I walk over the Vina del Mar bridge at 21st Avenue in Pass-a-Grille I see them hanging out by the pilings. They are often guests around my dock, but since they’re guests, I leave them alone. This summer a visitor caught a large one off my dock and I asked him to throw it back. In my little estuary I have been building along my seawall, I want them to feel safe.

Shells you might see: Shelling in the winter is very different from summer. In the summertime, shells are very active propagating and growing. In the winter they are mostly in the bays and inlets where they stay to keep warm. The Horse conch on the left obviously knew where to stay warm for many years. I found this shell about ten feet off shore in the Gulf. All that was showing was two little bumps but I knew that the black coating was how Horse conchs looked. It is 13” long and the largest I have ever found.

One cold January I found a live Fighting conch on the beach and it was very cold. I took it over to the bay and it seemed to adjust fine. When I was very young Captain Hubbard at the Pier (now Merry’s Pier) used to have us carry any live shells we found on the beach over to the bay in the winter. I never knew if that was just to keep us busy or because it helped the shells survive. In any case, we did what he told us because he was Captain Hubbard and that’s just what you did! I loved that man.

In the winter, storms are what bring the shells in, so on any blustery day, scan the shoreline for shells of all kinds. A common shell, found often during the winter, is the Heart Cockle. Seldom will you find both sides still connected (although I have), but single sides can be quite plentiful. Cockles burrow in sand or mud, but not very deep. When an enemy comes near, a cockle leaps away! It bends its strong foot and pushes off the sand. A cockle can jump several inches at a time. They make great gifts. If I find a big one (without an animal inside of course), I fill it with little shells, cover it with saran wrap and give it to visitors—they love it. They are also great to hold small objects or for children to use as a scoop.

If weather south of us is real stormy, we’ll even get some rare shells on our shores. Seaweed clumps often hide these shells, so poke around a little in all that stuff that washes up and you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find.

Birds, birds, birds:
Winter is a time to watch for birds. On an early morning walk you may see some or all of the following in just a few blocks: Laughing Gulls (most common one here) , Herring Gull (largest, speckled gull), Royal Terns (males have spiked punk black hairdos and yellow or orange bill), Ring-billed Gull (has white body, black speckled tail, gray wings, and yellow legs and a yellow beak with a black ring around the beak) , little Sanderlings running up and down the edge of the water, and Willets (brown, plain looking birds until they fly and their black and white striped wings identify them), and the American Oystercatcher (black head and back with large orange/red bill which is flat on both sides for prying open oysters and other shells). If that isn’t enough, Cormorants are always diving for food, Pelicans are everywhere, and Osprey fish often.

There are also kingfishers in the bay at this time of year, I saw a loon paddling around one twilight night and the Skimmer returns with its retractable jaw, skimming the bay for food. I’ve seen redheaded woodpeckers busy on trees and poles and there are masses of migrating birds to be seen on telephone lines all over the place. I remember my Mom would have to carry a newspaper in the winter as she walked to the bus to go to the Don Cesar to work. She would use it to swat the birds that would move in on our street for a week or two each winter. If you haven’t really looked at birds around here, take a winter walk on the beach and have a nice surprise.

It’s also fun to get a bird book and have a wonderful time seeing these birds and watching their funny community habits. To learn more about birds here in Florida, go to www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search. It is a wonderful site for learning more.

Trees, plants and fruit…what to watch for:
Keep your eyes open to see things you don’t usually notice, like the plant foliage at this time of year. All fruit trees are coming to full ripeness (oranges, papayas, bananas, grapefruit), the evergreen trees get a tint of orange to them, and lots of flowers bloom that love the colder weather. My Hong Kong orchid tree always is in full bloom during cold weather, rhododendrons are showing their red, purple and pink blossoms and many other flowers will bring forth their beauty in this cold time of year. May they keep you warm for the whole month.

Summary of January
When I am home at this time of month I spend my time riding my bike (I just look at a pecan pie and my waist spreads!), enjoying our winter fruit (isn’t it awesome that God gave us citrus fruit in the winter!) and enjoying the many things there are to do here in Paradise.
To find parks and piers, shops and restaurants be sure to check out the www.stpetebeachtoday.com website which gives you a map of the whole beach and shows you where everything you might want is. This website is my gift to my community in memory of my mother, Sally Robertson, who was wise enough to move us here from chilly Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1941. She and the entire community helped grow me up and the site is simply my thanks for the great job they did. My hope is that it be used often with great fun. Every business is represented and the Emergency Page is priceless in times of need.

Even when it is cold in Florida, we are blessed because we can walk around without snow slipping us up. With warm clothes on you can walk around looking for our snowbirds, the ones with wings, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee beach-side, go through our wonderful Gulf Beaches Historical Museum on 10th Avenue in PAG, or just sit by a seawall and watch life unfold. The Orange Grove in Pasadena (across from Palms of Pasadena Hospital) has books on birds, fish, and all the other interesting things that live with us here in Paradise.

During the first week of any new year, I take a little time to review the year just passed. Did I reach any of the goals I said I would reach the year before? Who did I meet who had a great influence in my life during the year and where did I go that was exceptional? I am always surprised with the things I did accomplish and those I didn’t but always thankful I had the time to try to do everything my heart desires. Have a wonderful year and make it all you want it to be.

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