Editor's note: In celebration of right whale calving season on our shores, we are posting whale stories by Lauri deGaris every other Monday through the season. By Lauri deGaris The Algonquin "People …

By Pat Foster-Turley Manatees, or “sea cows” are large mammals that subsist on sea grasses and other vegetation.[/caption] Bucko and I finally made it to Crystal River, long heralded as a great …

Halo and her calf. By Lauri deGaris Right whale calf number No. 6 was born off Cumberland Island on Dec. 28, 2023. Halo is a 19-year-old mother of three known calves. Her last calf was born in 2020. …

Whenever Bucko and I feel like getting away from the hubbub that Amelia Island has become we try to find remnants of Old Florida to escape to …

By Lauri deGaris Newborn right whale calves No. 4 and No. 5 emerged from the long dark night of the winter solstice on December 22—a holiday miracle for our relations under the waves! …

This article is part of a series of 10 appearing every other Monday in the Observer during right whale calving season. Part one, the story of Pelorus Jack, was published Dec. 11 . By Lauri …

By Pat Foster-Turley 12 Days of Christmas on Amelia Island On the first day of Christmas Amelia gave to me, An eagle in a pine tree 🎄 On the second day of Christmas Amelia gave to me, Two …

By Lauri deGaris December 21, 2023, marks the astronomical beginning of winter. Mother Earth’s north pole will be tilted farthest away from the sun. We will enter the longest night of the year …

By Pat Foster-Turley A hungry squirrel consumes a mushroom. For years there has been controversy about what to do with the “extra golf course land” adjacent to the Fernandina City Golf Course. My …

By Lauri deGaris Right Whale #3360 – Horton – has given birth to her third calf off the coast of St. Catherines Island, Georgia, just south of the Savannah River. Horton is at least 21 years old. …

By Pat Foster-Turley The Cumberland ferry at the Plum Orchard dock. It seemed simple. Buy advance tickets to both the ferry and the December Christmas Tour of Plum Orchard on Cumberland Island. Board …

By Lauri deGaris The full moon of November presided over the birth of this season’s first North Atlantic right whale calf. Catalog #1612 - Juno, a 38-year-old North Atlantic right whale gave birth …

By Pat Foster-Turley I must admit I have very interesting friends here on Amelia Island. Take Sandra Baker-Hinton for instance. Sandra is a gifted artist who specializes in nature scenes, landscapes, …

Editor's note: During our right whale calving season, this is one of a series of 10 articles that explore the connectivity of our marine and alluvial environments. By Lauri deGaris The Grand Banks …

The mangroves lured me in to look underwater. I was underwater, snorkeling at last in good mangroves in Belize. It took a bit of doing. I’ve looked at the mangroves underwater a few times in an …

The other day, I was at the barn sharing time with a herd of horses when a gaggle of turkeys strutted through the pasture. A few of the horses thought the turkeys were equine-eating creatures and …

Flooded sidewalks in Placencia during a week of heavy rain. Bucko and I have found a place in the world that we keep returning to, for longer stays each time, and more to come I’m sure. Placencia, …

Editor's note: This is the second in a series of 10 articles about whales, spaced out every other Monday during the season of right whale visitors, which once again are arriving at our shores for …

A large gator can often be seen near the fence protecting it along the south Greenway. Now that I am happily able to walk distances again after my successful physical therapy I took my new skill to …

Tourists and locals enjoyed the beach on a sunny Sunday. Recently I walked for more than an hour on the beach, something I haven’t done in more than a year. It was a glorious fall day, cool and …