2020-01-23 E-Edition

Our snow Birds

You can now witness the array of Florida’s migrant winter birds. Wait a few years and the opportunity could be lost.


THEY ARRIVE WHEN you aren’t looking, it seems, and never crowd the roads — the real snowbirds: blue-headed vireos, red knots, scissor tailed flycatchers, summer tanagers, gray catbirds, black-throated green warblers, yellow bellied sapsuckers, black-throated blue warblers, painted buntings, indigo buntings, and a ruby-throated hummingbird (Pictured at right). Their names alone give some indication of their extraordinary colors or styles, […]

Peace River Wildlife Center is on the move



After years of setbacks, slowdowns and backslides, the Peace River Wildlife Center — Charlotte County’s own wildlife rescue — is settling into new hospital/rehabilitation digs in Punta Gorda. PRWC has an eye toward eventually moving into a permanent hospital site while occupying a separate facility where the public can visit the critters the center saves and nurtures. Staff and the […]

One more chance



January 2020, is an extraordinarily good time to be a baby boomer. People ranging in age from 55 to 74 are about to get a second chance — all 73 million of them, including an astounding 5.3 million in Florida. Most generations never get a second chance, but boomers have been fortunate from the beginning. Not the ones who went […]

We must learn to be good stewards of the ecosystem



When driving through many communities in Southwest Florida, you will notice a rather repetitious landscape. There are ixora, bougainvillea, aboricola, ti plants, crotons, philodendron, hibiscus, Mexican petunias and so on. A common thread with all these plants is that they are not Florida natives. They are aliens, often referred to as exotics. They require a lot of costly maintenance to […]

Radio evangelist to speak at Lifeline Family Center dinner

Dr. Tony Evans, named one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world by Baylor University, will be the guest speaker March 12 at the 24th annual benefit dinner for Lifeline Family Center. About 800 community leaders are expected to attend the dinner at McGregor Baptist Church on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. […]

On the potentially hazardous discourtesy of certain bicyclists



Respect between living creatures is part of the order of the universe. You would think that the larger and faster or more agile a creature is, it would be higher on the list of creatures to avoid. This is not so, and there are several examples of this to look at for proof. A small bird will sometimes attack a […]

Box swap

Tips on acclimating a cat to a new litter box


My mother fell recently and broke her shoulder. Naturally, it was her right arm that took the blow, so she’s having to do many things not only one-handed while she recuperates, but also with her non-dominant hand. One of those things is scooping the litter box. A neighbor took care of Mom’s cat, Tracy, while she was hospitalized and undergoing […]

Pets of the WEEK

These animals are available for adoption at the Animal Welfare League, 3519 Drance St., Port Charlotte. All animals are microchipped, neutered and current with their shots. We still have the half-price adoption special from 3-7 p.m. Thursdays. For the month of January, the charge is half price for any pet that has been at the shelter for longer than 3 […]

Upcoming CHEC programs

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center and the Charlotte County Natural Resource Department will be conducting the following free programs. Unless noted, all walks begin at 9 a.m. For directions or further information, call Cedar Point Environmental Park at 941-475-0769. All programs can be found at www.ChecFlorida.org. ¦ Thursday, Jan. 23 – Join Jessie Wilder on a guided walk through the old […]