eye of the storm, where they are trapped, or “entrenched,”
until further notice. Many of them will end up hundreds
of miles from home, riding the eye until the hurricane
dissipates. There are even some intrepid birds that will force
their way straight through hurricanes. Whimbrels have been
tracked on several occasions flying through hurricanes that
block their migration paths, reaching top speeds of nine miles
per hour in the harshest winds. Nothing says persistence quite
like a whimbrel in a whirlwind. Hurricane season coincides
with fall migration, so if birds are prepared, they have already
fattened up for their long migration flights. Getting displaced
or being forced to spend lots of energy flying from or through
hurricanes might not be fatal, but it will be exhausting.
Meanwhile, below water, salinity levels are plummeting,
water pressure is dropping, oxygen levels are evaporating, and
marine animals are swimming as fast as they can for deeper
waters. Tracked dolphin, sharks, and fish schools have been
recorded diving deep into the ocean to wait out a storm,
only returning once it has passed. Others may seek calmer
waters upstream, swimming into fresh and brackish water
habitats. Here, they may be safe from the hurricane but can
run into health trouble when their systems are overexposed
to freshwater. And just as some of us remain in place when
a hurricane comes a’calling, so too do some of these marine
critters. Post-hurricane beaches and marshes often see
stranded sharks, dolphin, and fish.
Surviving hurricane season means more than merely
making it through the storm; it also requires surviving
the aftermath. While humans rebuild and supply lines are
reopened, animals must salvage what they can to regain
SUMMER/FALL 2018 • VOLUME 40
strength and go on living. Herbivores find themselves in
a temporary time of plenty, munching on felled foliage.
Displaced birds are faced with the long flight home and
must rest and eat before their return journey. Seed eaters
and pollinators are suddenly cut off from food resources
since seeds, like acorns and pinecones, have floated away,
and flowers have been ripped from their stems. They will be
heavily dependent on bird feeders following hurricanes.
It is not all bad news for everyone, though. Amphibians
go to town mating in the now-abundant freshwater pools
created by the heavy rains. This was evidenced after the
thousand-year flood in 2015 when thousands of spadefoot
toad hatchlings stormed the Sanctuary after pouring out of a
nearby rain-rejuvenated swamp. Oyster beds and coral reefs
can colonize new areas as a result of hurricanes. Hard debris,
like trees and docks, settles into marshlands and offers oysters
new places to grow. Ripped-up bits of corals can spread and
grow in new zones by being transported on strong currents.
Plants we may have ignored until now are presented with
opportunities for regrowth and new colonization since
hurricanes will decimate many non-natives while hurricane-
adapted natives thrive.
In the end, hurricanes help weed out the weaklings and
give the tenacious survivors room for growth. Those animals
that make it through showcase nature’s persistence and
tenacity, exemplifying the genuinely remarkable abilities of
wildlife. The habitat rebounds, and we continue enjoying
our native critters as they swim, hop, flit, and slither about in
home sweet home. They made it through three years’ worth
of hurricanes and … hey! So did we. NK
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