March in Florida

Watching a Pair of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis)

I’m so excited for March to arrive next week!  Not only is it my little girl’s birthday month, it’s also a wonderful time to be outside in Florida!  There is a lot going on with wildlife in the month of March.  Birds are courting and nesting, reptiles are on the move again, flowers are blooming, baby mammals are being born, frogs and toads are singing when it rains, and fish are spawning.  And all of this happens while the weather is pleasant to be outside in Florida!  Here are a few March happenings that you should be able to experience with your child.

Birds

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

It’s breeding season for our big Florida birds.  Since these birds are big, you should be able to easily notice that their feathers look extra nice and fluffy at this time of year.  They are wearing their breeding plumage to attract a mate.  Strong, healthy birds are generally well-preened, full of feathers, and have additional decorative feathers just to prove to a mate that they would make a successful parent.  This is the best time to look for these big beautiful birds, and your child can even learn to identify some of them.  For example, it’s really easy to identify great blue herons (Ardea herodias), snowy egrets (Egretta thula), and green herons (Butorides virescens).

Another type of fun bird to watch for (I mean listen to) are the woodpeckers.  They are announcing their territories by banging on loud objects, such as hollowed out trees.  There are all sizes of woodpeckers, but even the smallest can easily be heard at this time of year.  If you are lucky, you’ll hear Florida’s largest woodpecker, the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus).  Because of their size, they tend to drum very loudly on trees and can be heard from quite a distance away if there is no interference from urban noises.  On a side note, the pileated woodpecker has a distinct call that is also fun to listen to with children.  In fact, their call was often used in old Tarzan movies to help make the jungle sound more “wild.”  It’s fun to listen to the sounds of the jungle in old movies.  I often hear peacocks too.

Amphibians and Reptiles

These cold-blooded animals will finally be able to feel enough warmth from the sun to get out and be seen after a long winter cold spell.  After all, cold-blooded animals need warmth to move.  Many of them dig holes underground, hide under leaf litter, or even stay in water as much as possible to keep a little warmer when air temperatures drop.  But in March, it’s warm enough for them to leave their shelters, move around, and get ready for mating season.  

Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris)

Frogs and toads start to move closer to bodies of water or areas where water will sit for a long period of time after a rain.  If it rains during the day and stops or is just drizzling at night, turn your outside lights on after the sun goes down.  After an hour or so, take your child and a flashlight outside to look for frogs and toads.  They tend to come to outdoor lights in search of food.  They eat many of the insects that are also attracted to outdoor lighting.  Don’t forget to take time to be quiet and listen to all the frog calls in your area.  How many different calls does your child hear?  If you would like to identify any of the frogs you hear, here’s a great website:  https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/Frogquiz/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.lookup

Reptiles are also enjoying the warmer weather.  In Florida, it’s a great time to spot an alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) or turtle lying on the banks of a body of water soaking in the warmth from the sun.  Snakes are commonly spotted around gardens as they come out of their winter hiding places (and we start working in our gardens to prepare them for the spring and summer).  Just be cautious when digging through leaf litter.  Even our little native Carolina or green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) are coming out to explore in the warm air.  However, they still have a lot of competition from the invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) who may be seen in higher numbers in central and south Florida.  Both anole species can be observed bobbing their heads and flaring out their dewlaps in territorial, dominance, and courtship displays.  Ask your child why the anole is acting the way it is.  Help lead your child to the answer and look around for the recipient of this form of communication.  And remember, the anole may be talking to you!

Have fun exploring the wildlife in March!