John Henline

 

 

 

 

 

We have all seen pictures and film of Eagles flying, but some of us have had the pleasure of seeing them in person, flying free and wild. Standing on my back porch as the sun starts to rise, watching two young Eagles flying overhead playing with each other…. Well it just doesn't get any better than that. Thankfully an increasing number of us will be seeing the American Bald Eagle flying free and wild.

 

 

 

The eagle is truly one of the best success stories of the endangered species act.

The elimination of the pesticide DDT and strict management of the eagle and its domain, combined with letting nature correct itself, produced results that are amazing. Eagles are now flourishing and returning to areas that many thought they would never return to.

 

One area that they have chosen to return to is my back yard in Central Florida. Well, my back pasture actually. I live in a "Horse Community" ( a residential development of five acre lots with deeded horse trails).

 

We have always had the usual deer, native birds, gopher turtles, raccoons, alligators, etc. and probably an occasional passing eagle. But now we have lots of eagles that roost in the neighborhood. They start flying in every evening just before dusk and will stay until the sun is up. Sometimes there is just one and sometimes there are ten or twelve. Mature adults and juveniles combined. They find their own favorite spot at the top of the dead sand pine trees that were left standing after the hurricanes in 2004. They call to each other throughout the evening with a very distinctive screech. When the house is open we can hear them all night and into the morning. Their communication isn't the most appealing bird call that exists in nature, but I can forgive that drawback knowing that they are eagles. As I turn out the horses and let the dog out for a run in the morning I have the opportunity to watch the Eagles preparing for a day of soaring and hunting. I don't think I will ever tire of watching them leave the trees one by one. You would think that they would prefer to roost in the long needle pines that survived the Hurricanes and still stand nearby, but they don't. They prefer dead sand pine trees that are 60 feet tall with most of their limbs broken off. These trees stand at the top of natural sand dunes that are scattered throughout the community. I think they like being on "top of the world", overlooking their domain.

 

The fact that these dead trees are still standing has been a very heated discussion within our community. After three hurricanes ravaged Central Florida in one season, we were left with a massive clean up challenge. Just getting rid of the debris was overwhelming. Thousands of trees were completely knocked down or were just snapped off at different heights. Obviously, the trees and debris that were blocking streets, driveways, power lines, etc. had to be removed. Many of the trees that were still standing were damaged so severely that they would die within a year. This is where the debate started. Some "experts" felt that all of the fallen trees as well as the dead or dying trees that were still standing must be completely removed from the neighborhood. They felt that these trees posed a fire threat as well as a danger of falling. An argument was also presented that these trees were an eye sore and hurt property values. These were all valid positions and many of the owners cleared their lots with a vengeance. There wasn't a single dead, dying, or damaged tree left on their lots. Of course the process of removing these trees was devastating to the rest of the vegetation that had not been as severely hurt during the storms. Other owners took a more naturalist view and were content to let nature take its course. They didn't cut or remove any trees that were not absolutely necessary to have removed.

 

Thus started the "Tree Wars". Sides were drawn. Debates and arguments escalated. The Home Owners Association waged into the fray. Committees were formed and proclamations were announced. They actually had groups of concerned members who drove around and counted the number of dead or damaged trees on each lot. Letters then went out instructing every lot owner what he or she should do with their trees (no pun intended).

 

Communities are about compromise. Everyone has to compromise a little on issues for the good of the community. The goal is to provide a comfortable and safe environment to live and raise your family. The majority of the owners eventually took down a majority of the trees. Luckly for the ealges, some of us were able to leave a few trees scattered around the perimeter of our lots.

 

After four years, a few of these trees are still standing. The dead trees have provided a great home, and not for just Eagles. Ospreys have built a nest in one dead pine a couple of lots down from me. Numerous woodpeckers including the Pileated Woodpecker are thriving with the abundance of these dead trees.

 

The American Bald Eagle can flourish in residential neighborhoods, providing a little compromise is used when balancing human wants with natures' needs. Balancing human wants with natures' needs, that is the key. I chose the Eagles over cutting dead trees down.

 

I am not sure how long these trees will remain standing? Perhaps until the next tropical storm or the termites eat them. When this happens the Eagles will probably move on to another area, but I will for ever be enriched with the time that they were here.

 

 

FIRE ANTS AND THE FLORIDA HORSE

John@JRHenline.com

www.JRHenline.com

For anyone planning on living in Central Florida or really most of the Southern United States with their horse(s) understanding insects is a must. The Fire Ant is one of the insect dangers that can have a devastating affect on your horses.

The Fire ant was introduced in the United States from Brazil in the 1930's through the Port of Mobile Alabama. There are actually over 280 species of "Fire Ants" and most of these are not particularly harmful. The species Solenopsis invicta which is in the South is very invasive and harmful. Fire ants only bite to get a grip and then sting (from the abdomen) and inject a toxic alkaloid venom, (piperidine). This sting is immediately painful and then becomes a raised puss filled blister.

Although most discussions on fire ants concern people being bitten, they can cause extensive injury to horses that are in an infected pasture or paddock. The fire ant colonies build large underground nests that can be seen from the surface as a mound of freshly sifted dirt on top of the grass. Depending on the time of year and if it has rained the mound may be easily visible or the mound may be virtually invisible. This invisible period is when they are the most dangerous to both horses and humans. These ants are very aggressive when anything disturbs their territory and they will send hundreds of ants out to attack the intruder. They also tend to wait until they have thoroughly covered their victim and then they start stinging all at once. This is why they can do such extensive damage to a horse. A horse will unknowingly stand on a mound or will roll in a mound that they are attracted to by the cleared earth. A horse can have several hundred ants on them before feeling the first sting and then has very little ability to remove the ants once they start stinging. The initial pain of the sting is really the least of the problems for the horse. The itching that follows is where the problem starts. The itching starts the rubbing. The rubbing can then cause the stings to become infected raw sores.

OK, know that I have scared everyone from ever moving to Florida….. Let's talk about living with Fire Ants.

Treatment for a horse that has been bitten by fire ants includes external treatments and antibacterial medicines. Keeping the bites clean and the horse from rubbing are the two key treatments. A number of different treatments are available. There is an ointment called "swat" that works on smaller areas, or a topical steroid cream (hydrocortisone). Rubbing alcohol can be used on smaller areas, or a solution of bleach and water will disinfect the bites. A whipped mixture of egg whites and salt (spread over the affected skin for 30 minutes, removes the pain). Hosing the horse down with cold water will give immediate relief ( and can be done as often as needed) and if done immediately will also remove any ants that are still on the horse. Antibiotics may be needed if the bites become infected.

You MUST treat your pasture with a fire ant insecticide. The bad news is that there isn't anything that is 100% effective and I am unaware of any natural preventative or environmentally safe products. Maybe there is something, but I have never heard of them. The "good old day" remedy was to pour gasoline on the mound and light it on fire. Yes, it did kill a lot of ants but there are a number of products sold in the local garden stores that are more effective and much less dangerous. They all make claims of their effectiveness and I am not trying to plug or sell one over the other. I use bait called "Amdro". It is sprinkled around the mound (not on the mound) and the ants take the ground up corn looking insecticide down to the Queen and when she dies in theory the colony dies. The reality is that it never kills the whole colony and in a few days a new mound will appear a few feet away from the one that was treated. Treating these mounds several times is the key. Control is the essential idea with fire ants. You will never completely get ride of them all. The one down side to these baits is that they look like corn and should be used when the horses are off the pasture for a few hours.

I hope this is helpful and not to depressing. Please feel free to contact me at John@JRHenline.com or visit my web site at www.JRHenline.com .

 

 

WOOD CHEWING HORSES

 

 

The Down and Dirty Remedy

 

 

Horses that chew wood should not be confused with horses that Crib. Cribbing is the act of biting on something and sucking air. Wood chewing is just what the name implies, chewing on any wooden object. They may eat some of the wood or just leave it in a pile on the ground. This condition is extremely destructive and can be a health hazard to the horse as well. Wood chewing is generally thought to be caused by boredom. It has also been suspected that nutritional deficiencies could be a cause.

 

First, eliminate the nutritional part of the equation. Make sure that they are being feed an ample supply of good hay or grass and that a supplement of vitamins and minerals are being consumed. A salt/mineral block is also helpful. Allow a few days to monitor their behavior for signs of a reduction in chewing. If you can rule out nutrition as a cause then it is probably boredom and that's where the remedies start.

 

There are sprays and ointments that have an unpleasant taste that you can buy in your local feed store to apply to the wood surfaces. Rebuilding your barn and fence with steel is also an option. Ultimately you must correct the boredom issue. This is no easy task. Most horses are not allowed to free range on thousands of acres of green pasture. They are kept in stalls and small paddocks. Many are isolated from other horses. Move them around to different paddocks, change their routine, add objects to their stalls or paddocks to peak their interests. Just keep trying to mix things up for them and keep their lives a little more interesting.

 

STOP!!! Don't read any further if you are eating, getting ready to eat or have a queasy stomach!!!!

 

The "Down and Dirty Remedy" that I have been using, well it's a little gross and messy, but it is FREE and NATURAL! Take an old bucket and an old paint brush and put some fresh manure, from the horse that is chewing, in the bucket and add water. Mix the contents into a thick soupy like consistency and then use the paint brush and paint all of the wood that the horse is chewing on with the "special sauce". You will have to reapply fresh sauce for several days but your horse will stop chewing on wood that has been treated. After the horse has left the treated area alone for a few days you should then scrape off any residual sauce and repaint the wood. There is a common but crude saying that explains why this works but I will use the one I learned from an old Florida Cracker, "horses don't eat after themselves".

Have fun!!!!

 

John Henline