Some SWFL wildlife starting to rebound in one year after Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian clobbered the Southwest Florida coast, and it hit wildlife hard as mangrove trees were crushed and animals sent scrambling as the Category 4 storm made landfall.
But lucky for Mother Nature, wildlife in Florida has evolved with hurricanes over the millennia, so the mangrove trees, wading birds, nesting sea turtles and raccoons should all recover to pre-Hurricane Ian levels at some point.
They're not there yet.
The News-Press recently spent most of day roaming coastal areas in search of wildlife, and we found plenty of birds, crippled mangroves and a spattering of small mammals.
Where once rabbits roamed the beach and nibbled on the lush vegetation at places like public access 10 on Bonita Beach − the plants and trees are gone, and so are the rabbits.
While roaming several miles of trails in Lovers Key State Park, one rabbit and one raccoon were documented. There were zero sightings of gopher tortoises, although the park as a large tortoise preserve area that was littered with nests before Ian.
Spotting a racoon at Lovers Key State Park
What about the Gopher tortoises?
Gopher tortoises like high, dry ground with sandy conditions, and they've been found in large numbers at places like Barefoot Beach.
Most of those nests were filled in when about 10 feet of storm surge swept over the barrier island park last September.
Severely damaged mangroves making strides
The mangrove forests are a mixture of dead and rebounding trees.
Some of the tree islands in areas like Estero Bay are showing signs of new mangrove growth, and some scientists speculate that the white version of mangroves may strategically die during large storm events so they can send all their energy to the propagules and the next generation.
Die-off on some of the islands documented by Florida Gulf Coast University professors and researchers show that half of more trees are wilting and turning brown.
It also depends on where the mangroves are located, physically. Mangroves facing the coast were hit hardest, while those on the leeward side of the islands are still mostly intact.
Mangroves are a natural defense mechanism against tropical storms and hurricanes as they absorb wave energy as storm surge is slamming the coast.
Bird population is coming back
The birds that use mangroves seem to be on the rebound as many juvenile brown pelicans were seen throughout the region.
From black skimmers to plovers to reddish egrets, shoreline and wading birds are out in great numbers ― roosting and nesting ― and they're no longer hidden by the green foliage of the mangrove trees and sea oats.
Sea turtle nesting season has been at record levels across the state this year, and local turtle experts say Hurricane Idalia last month had more impact on sea turtle nests here than did Hurricane Ian in 2022 as nesting season was nearly complete by the time Ian hit.
Manatees and dolphins have been seen locally since Ian, and The News-Press spotted one endangered smalltooth sawfish at Bunche Beach.
More photos of post-Ian wildlife in Southwest Florida
Connect with this reporter: Chad Gillis on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers coast wildlife show signs of comeback after Hurricane Ian
