Ask Otus: Otus Wishes You A Very Scary Christmas

Otus Rufous, an Eastern Screech-owl, was born on Siesta Key and is a full-time resident there. An avid hunter, accomplished vocalist and genuine night owl, Otus is a keen observer of our local wildlife and knows many of nature's secrets. Otus will answer your questions about our amazing wildlife, but only if you Ask Otus™.

Dear Otus,

I still need a few things to put under the Christmas tree. The whole family likes nature stuff. Any ideas?

Bob in Bradenton
 

Dear Bob,

My theory of Christmas presents is that it is far better to receive than to give. But since you asked, I'll try to be as helpful as I can. Being a bookworm aficionado, I like to recommend good books dealing with Florida's wondrous nature, wildlife, and history. One of my favorites is John James Audubon's "Birds of America" (four volumes, 1827 to 1838). Unfortunately, there are only 120 original editions that are known to exist. This means that one does not come on the market very often. The last such appearance was in January 2012, when Christie's (New York) sold at auction the edition owned by the heirs of the fourth Duke of Portland (died 1854). The hammer price was $7.9 million, which is why I highly recommend that you hang on to your comic book collection for another 150 years.

Already have the Audubon folio set? Then let me recommend something more user-friendly. You see, Audubon insisted on drawing the birds life-size so the tomes stand 3.5 ft. tall, making them a bit unwieldy for bedtime reading.

BOOKS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Here are two books describing the most amazing facts about Florida's hidden history. The first will make you want to go out and explore more of what fabulous Florida has to offer. The second will make you appreciate and enjoy even more than before what Florida is to us.

"The Ghost Orchid Ghost" by Doug Alderson. "A naturalist encounters ghosts and other mysteries in Florida's water wilderness." specifically, in Florida's many renown swamps, such as the Everglades. Alderson's format is perfect for the entire family's participation and enjoyment. He presents eerie encounters, tales based on local lore and legends, many from the Muskogee and Seminole peoples, and they are meant to be read aloud. He even gives tips on how to read them, as well as estimated story-telling times. For example, at the end of "Snake Woman" he writes: "An absolute must for telling this story is to shake a hand rattle at the appropriate time, mimicking the buzz of a rattlesnake's rattle. " Excellent advice if you are indoors but perhaps superfluous if you are outdoors telling this tale by the campfire! After you have read to the wee ones and they have fallen sound asleep with visions of Skunk Ape and Ghost Gator dancing in their heads, you can read Alderson's "Author's notes", which detail the history of these swamps' spooky legends. That will help you decide which Florida national park you and your family would like to explore during a day- or over-night trip.

Let's say you opt for a family visit to Everglades National Park. Alligator Alley will take you there. What do you know about this road? Here is a bit of its interesting history. A section of Interstate-75, this stretch of highway opened in 1969 as a two-lane toll road. The American Automobile Association bitterly opposed its construction as early as 1959. The AAA, together with the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Miami and many municipalities in-between, championed the widening of the Tamiami Trail. The AAA condemned the contemplated toll road as completely unsuited to motor vehicle traffic and useable only as an “alley for alligators”. The name stuck. Other pejoratives did not: “Suicide Lane”, “A Gross Abortion”, a “Toll-Road-to-Nowhere,” etc. Today Alligator Alley, widened to four lanes between 1986 and 1992, is also known, less romantically, as Everglades Parkway/State Road 84.

At last, you are speeding down Alligator Alley safely ensconced in the plush comfort your SUV, complete with a GPS system, full climate control, satellite radio, and an array of safety features at your fingertips. Your children are playing video games and texting friends and one is whining that a mosquito has gotten into the car. You've passed the mangrove and cypress swamps, teeming with mosquitoes but home to the fabulous Florida panther. It is dusk now. You look out on the seemingly impenetrable River of Grass, as the Everglades are nicknamed, rife with alligators and snakes. Suddenly, you feel a slight frisson, that primitive tingly response to nature's dangers when darkness falls. Don't be scared: Be terrified! Author Patrick Smith has magically transported you and your family to Florida's "good old days". The year is 1858 and there is no DEET, no GPS, no A/C. It is just you, your family, your dreams and hopes of a making a better life, and Mother Nature – Florida style!

"A Land Remembered" by Patrick Smith is a historical novel spanning three generations of folk who made Florida what it is today. From dirt poor to dirt rich; the dirt riches derive from Florida's soil. As it is something of a classic among Floridians, I am providing readers who are unaware of this extraordinary saga to the Amazon link for a description because I want to get straight to the heart of the family matter here. Patrick's son Rick Smith promises this book will make young readers anxious to read. "Anxious to read"?! That is quite a claim to make in today's world of gifting children the latest rage in soon out-dated techie toys. I quote Rick directly:

"A Land Remembered Turns Children into Avid Readers! I've heard many times from parents who say they could not get their child interested in reading until they introduced them to "A Land Remembered" and that the child would not put the book down once they started reading it. If you can see it through a child's eyes, it is quite understandable. Suddenly realizing that the Florida they live in today was once wilder than the Wild West, that there was a time when men [and children!] had to find off bears, rustlers, alligators and all the rest. Children love stories with horses, dogs, cowboys and indians". To this end, he has created a two volume student version, for ages 9 to 13. This version has been very successfully used by schoolteachers in Florida schools.

It is one great adventure story for children. For adults, an adventure vividly rich in detail and so very human in its understanding of the loves, the dreams, and the hopes of the MacIvey family as they struggle to make Florida their true home. I could not put it down.

For the more mature readership, as well as the young budding epidemiologist, I recommend The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, available new in paperback from Amazon for $7.79. As many of my readers know, I spent this summer in Hollywood collaborating on the TV series "3rd Roc from the Moon” (By the way, "Roc" is not a typo. The Roc is a mythical bird sometimes spotted on Siesta Key by a certain Eastern Screech-owl—that's me!) Naïf that I was back then, I picked up a copy of "The Hot Zone" thinking it would lead me to "in" places in La-la land and to "hot chicks." Ha! Instead, it told the true and terrifying story of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Author of the macabre and seasonal Casey Key resident Stephen King wrote that "The Hot Zone" is “one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever read”. He should know.

Ebola HF first appeared in 1976 in Africa. It kills up to 90% of all persons infected with the virus. These deaths are neither gentle nor easy; they are downright gruesome. According to the World Health Organization, there is no treatment or vaccine for Ebola HF.

"The Hot Zone" begins in the heart of Africa with an ex-patriot Frenchman's visit to the petrified forest of Kitum Cave, where, for millennia, elephants clamber their way to its salt licks. The mummified corpses of the baby elephants, who fell through crevasses and died, are silent testimonials to Kitum Cave's dangers. Some halfway through the book Ebola appears in a place you would never imagine—Reston, Virginia. For those of you who are unfamiliar with suburbs in the Washington, DC area, Reston is an affluent "idealized" bedroom community — one of the first of its kind in our nation. So, when in 1990 Ebola breaks out there in a laboratory facility, it's a shock and quite a scare. Written in layman's terms, and bringing both victims and epidemiologists to life, this book is a page-turner on steroids.

In case you are wondering what The Hot Zone has to do with Florida. I say, "Hopefully nothing, ever!" But I did advise you earlier on that I am a bookworm aficionado. And this is Florida. That means that any book you leave in your beach cabana for a couple weeks will quickly spawn the delicious juicy larvae of the Death Watch Beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum), aka "bookworm." That's a good bonus and a great excuse for reading.

OTUS