Page 4 - Waterways- March '20
P. 4
Page 4, Waterways
Northern Notes
Living With The Endangered great places for kites to see curved bill, cuts the snail from the shell. Sometimes this feat
is performed while in flight!
and catch apple snails as
Snail Kite they climb to the surface to Snail kites have been protected by state and federal law
breathe. under the Endangered Species Act since 1967, making it
By Katie Roundtree, Snail kites only eat apple illegal to harass, kill, capture or collect them. This includes
Finance Director, snails, which they hunt by protection from activities that disrupt normal breeding,
Northern Palm Beach flying low over the water feeding or sheltering. The Florida Fish and Wildlife
County Improvement while searching for their Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and
District prey near the surface. Snail Wildlife Service protect nest sites by posting signs around
Our logo at Northern Palm kites do not plunge into the sensitive areas during the breeding season. Always avoid
Beach County Improvement water to capture snails and never use the bill to capture prey. posted areas, particularly from February through August,
District consists of a picture Rather, they use their feet to capture snails at or below the and stay back at least 500 feet from warning signs.
of a bird within a circle surface of the water. Only snails that are breathing air, laying Snail kites will leave their nest when bothered, but may
surrounded by our name. eggs or crawling in a few inches of water are vulnerable. not aggressively defend it from people or predators. They
Not many people know what After capturing a snail, the kite pries it open and, using its may fly away or just sit nearby until the intruder is gone.
that bird is though. It is This behavior can lead people to think that their presence is
an Everglades snail kite not bothering the birds; however, any time a nest is untended
(Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) a crow-sized hawk, which the chicks or eggs are vulnerable to predators and harsh
is easily identified by the white patch at the base of its tail. temperatures. The longer the nest is exposed, the greater the
It has a unique curved bill designed to quickly pluck snails chance of failure. The best way you can help snail kites is
from their shells. Adult males are slate-gray, while females to avoid posted nesting areas and to report any harassment
are brown with varying amounts of white streaks on the face, or disturbance to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Rewards Program at
chest and neck. A unique trait of both sexes is that they have (888) 404-FWCC (3922). Source: www.myfwc.com.
red eyes. NPDES tip: Please pick up after your pet. When pet
Snail kites can be found in Central and South America, waste is washed into lakes or canals the waste decays, using
but the Everglade snail kite (R. s. plumbeus) is the only up oxygen and sometimes releasing ammonia. Low oxygen
subspecies found in the United States. Their entire U.S. range levels and ammonia combined with warm temperatures can
is restricted to South Florida, where they can be found in kill fish. Pet waste also contains nutrients that encourage
shallow freshwater marshes, like those of the Everglades, or weed and algae growth. Perhaps most importantly, pet waste
along the shallow, grassy shorelines of lakes. Both habitats carries diseases which make water unsafe.
have a mixture of short plants and open water, making them
“Service is our number one priority”
Is Testing My 561-743-0070
Child Worth The www.palmspoolservices.com
Money?
By Jim Forgan, Ph.D.
Licensed School
Psychologist
You might wonder
if testing your child is
worth the money. The
short answer is “yes”
because testing provides
information about the best Expires 3/31/20.
way to help your child. It
also explains how your State Licensed & Insured
child learns and processes Serving Palm Beach County CPC # 1457468 • LPG#30099
information. Testing your child also helps you understand
your child’s self-esteem. Furthermore, the testing process
discovers any hidden areas that can be the underlying
cause of your child’s struggles.
Think about this. Have you ever purchased a house? As
part of the process you hired a home inspector to spend Palm Beach Beauty Salon
time doing a thorough inspection to identify problem
items that are hidden from your visual inspection. The
home inspector looks for hidden concerns that might
cause you future problems.
In that same spirit, testing your child could identify 10%
hidden concerns like anxiety or low self-esteem. If these
areas are treated when your child is young, the outcome
is much better than if anxiety and low self-esteem
worsen all the way into adulthood. Likewise, the toll OFF
from an unidentified reading learning disability that goes
undetected all the way until high school causes your child
to harbor a lot of emotional baggage. These kids often live Tues.
feeling dumb and like they don’t fit in at school. They
often associate with others who might be prone to risky New clients only
teen behavior.
Here’s a quick rundown of what happens during the
testing process. Susan
1. First we meet with parents so you can share your
concerns and we can review paperwork that helps us
create a unique evaluation to answer your most important Swafford
questions.
2. We individually test your child. formerly with Beauty To Go
3. We analyze the results and write up a written
summary.
4. Parents meet with us to discuss the results. 561-312-0457
5. Together we create a brief action plan of next steps.
The recommendations offer suggestions for helping
at home and in school. At the conclusion of the testing
process you understand more about your child and what 4595 Northlake Blvd., Suite 113 $
to do to help at home and school. Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 Products starting at 69
Contact us if we can help you understand your child.