Early settlers to the area spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. The first Greek immigrants arrived to this city during the 1880s, when they were hired to work as divers in the sponge harvesting industry. A red algae bloom wiped out the sponge fields in the late 40's changing the local industry to fishing and shrimp for a livelihood. Efforts have been made to restart the sponge harvest but tourism has proven to be the saving grace. I found a nice sponge to buy and the area was a great place to spend an afternoon walking the sponge docks.
In our exploration of the coast, we managed to stumble on a small park actually out in the gulf called Green Key. As warned, this is not an area for good beaches but we were excited to find a small flock of Royal Terns and 4-6 Black Skimmers. I've been looking for the Skimmers, they with their long bills, the bottom longer than the top which are dipped below the waters surface as they fly along the coastal waters. The beak has a neon orange bar that makes them easy to spot. Gary liked the Terns because of their punk hair dew.
No comments:
Post a Comment