Golf & Nature- a Marine Biologists View of the Saint Thomas Golf Tournament

My buddy Nancy Siver asked me to be a Hole in One Inspector-Judge, I, not having played golf since the late 1950s was not too sure I was qualified, but Nancy said the job was a piece of cake. So I did not have a reasonable back out. I got a list, a golf cart; Leroy was going to be the other judge, so we set out to locate the second hole. It took us a few false turns, but pretty soon we got there. I got the tee, Lee Roy took the green. Pretty soon Steve & Carroll Smith arrived to tee off. They saw the sign for $10K and I think it un-nerved their skills. They were the first of many groups that seemed a bit uneasy about the challenge. Some offered bribes but Lee Roy and I can’t be bought (cheaply). In the end and it was a long afternoon, the closest anyone put a ball on the green was about 10 ft (3 m). Our folks are very tech savvy; the majority used laser rangefinders to determine the distance from the tee to the flag (the consistency in the range was plus or minus tens of feet). They actually publish the distance on the score card if you care to look; I know, it is so much cooler to shoot the distance with the laser.


Between the dramas of hitting balls I had ample opportunity to watch the multitude of birds that share the golf course with the humans (note they are unpaid and unofficial members of the club). They seem to coexist and are not much bothered by the folks driving hither and yon in the golf carts and then they jump out whack the ball and off again chasing the illusive par. The first bird to catch my eye was a Pandion haliaetus (Osprey or fish hawk, much in the news this week for nesting on a big crane in a Tampa shipyard). There stood the magnificent Pandion viewing the golf match from high above, in a nest on a pole. I took a few photos, because I crossed the line, Pandion started to cry and I backed off. Next was a flock of Phalacrocorax auritus (double-crested cormorant), they were situated on a concrete water control device, at the water hazard left of hole two. They were resting and drying their wings. There was a chorus of crows that flew over repeatedly giving me a serenade similar to our choir singing their hearts out. Who knows why crows (Corvus ossifragus) make so much calling? (Perhaps they are trying to gain Louise’s attention for a chance to perform with a master) My best encounter happened when Nancy Siver’s team were teeing off. Her Pro (Mr. Johnson) was about to smack the hole in one, when descending to the field to the right was a magnificent Ajaja ajaja, aka Platalea ajaja (Roseate Spoonbill). The Ajaja set down in a small tidal creek just ahead of the tee. I got some great photos of this guy, the pink color was so bright and beautiful; it made the day and the experience worth the wait.

Being a HIO Judge was a great way to spend an afternoon, watching nature and my friends playing golf. Thanks for the opportunity.
Submitted by Walt Jaap

Photos Walt Japp