Rookery Bay Volunteer Orlando Hidalgo recently captured special moments of a bald eagle mother caring for her juvenile in the nest and in flight. The young eagle was observed being fed and preened by its parent and later shadowing her in the air to learn hunting and survival skills. Juvenile bald eagles look dramatically different from the iconic white-headed adults.
Rookery Bay’s popular Lunch & Learn series continued its successful streak last week. The Environmental Learning Center auditorium was a full house for “Living with Bears in Southwest Florida.” This second program in the 2026 Birds, Bears and Bees series featured Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Bear Biologist Chris Boyce.
Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve participated in the Tall Timbers Red Hills Fire and Nature Festival, where locals and visitors enjoyed the outdoors, learned about the benefits of prescribed fire for native wildlife and watched a live burn demonstration.
Attending with us this year were some of our invertebrate friends collected from Lake Jackson's waters.
Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve (EBAP) staff often find interesting flora and fauna while out in the field. This week was no exception. Commonly known as a lightning whelk, Sinistrofulgur perversum, is a type of mollusk or marine snail that can be found throughout Estero Bay. This snail creates a shell that spirals in the opposite direction of other locally found marine snails. Interestingly, it is one of the few left-handed snail species!
The Central Florida Aquatic Preserve (CFAP) team recently installed the Living Waters collection in the Lyonia Environmental Center gallery, in Deltona, Fl.
Each of the five aquatic preserves within the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves offers a unique visit of protected submerged state lands, healthy mangrove shorelines, seagrass beds and oyster bars. Southwest Florida’s subtropical climate is home to a variety of animals as well, in addition to migrating birds.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and her calf passed through GTMNERR’s Middle Beach area heading south towards St. Augustine. Many staff ventured out to view this rare event. Each year from November to April, female right whales migrate from their northern feeding grounds to their southern calving areas to give birth and raise their calves.
In December North West Florida Aquatic Preserves staff participated in the annual DEP Northwest District’s Open House.
The 2025 Science Nite Series at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve ended on a high note… not so much with a bang, but an “Om.” The final evening welcomed Dr. Brent Jackson of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School, who guided participants through a thoughtful and engaging exploration of how time in nature can reduce stress, strengthen personal resilience and support overall well-being.