Hurricane Zeta
October 28, 2020
St Vincent Archery hunters October28-November 1 -- Hunters need to be aware that Tropical Storm/Hurricane Zeta is in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit landfall on Wednesday. We still will be hold the archery hunt on St. Vincent this week. St. Vincent is not within the cone of impacts at this time, but we are on the east side of the storm. This may result in potentially heavy rains and heavy seas on Wednesday, October 28. We are allowing hunters to check in on that day but we recommend that you come prepared to secure your boats and campsites. Staff will be leaving the refuge at the end of the day to secure their homes. If you have an emergency Wednesday night, you will need to call 911. You can also choose to check in later in the week. As mentioned the storm is projected to make landfall on Wednesday and the weather should improve for the remainder of the hunt. We look forward to seeing you and please consider the severe weather as you prepare for the hunt on Wednesday.
Refuge Update
Update on the St. Vincent NWR wildlife:
Red Wolves: We do have a 2019 litter of red wolf pups this season resulting in a multigenerational pack of American red wolves.
Turtles: As of the 4th of July, we have 54 loggerhead sea turtle nests and 3 green sea turtle nests. More to come!
Birds: The wading bird rookery on Lake 5 is doing very well after the Hurricane with Snowy and Great Egrets, Tricolor and Little Blue Herons, Anhinga, and Glossy Ibis nesting among others.
This season we have already documented Snowy Plover nesting on Refuge beaches (3 fledged chicks so far), two American Oystercatcher nests, two Least Tern ground nesting colonies, and for the very first time, Black Skimmer nesting on the Refuge south of Thom's Pond.
Bats: A survey was conducted on July 28th using an Anabat recorder, and after our data is analyzed we will have a greater understanding of which bat species are present on the island.
Fishing: Fishing is open in Refuge lakes following state license and limits.
Hunts: Permits for the October 31-November 2 public archery hunt go on sale online on July 11 at myfwc.com/hunting.
Plants: We're continuing to work on removing invasive plants, and any interest in volunteering to eliminate nuisance species would be both extremely helpful and appreciated.
We have reports of several areas sporting new growth Gulf Coast Lupine (Lupianus Westianus), a FWC red listed plant.
Find out what birds are being seen at the refuge, including the most recent sightings.
eBird Tracker
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