Apple
Snails on the Menu
The Snail Kites of Grassy Waters
They sound good, don’t they? Freshwater Apple Snails are the
only delicacy that the rare Florida Snail Kites feed on; Snail Kites
are raptor-like, dark brown birds (the females are streaked with some
white feathers) that survive mainly in the Everglades and contiguous
areas. The restricted diet is one of the main reasons these magnificent
birds have become the target for extinction. With unusual behavior,
natural charm and its chance of surviving the future hanging by a
thread; the Snail Kite has become the subject matter for Peter R. Gerbert’s
latest painting “The Snail Kites of Grassy Waters,”
commissioned by private collectors in West Palm Beach.
The artist’s quest to see these rare birds in their natural
realm took him out in a canoe with professional guide Beth Burger
(Program Coordinator, G.W.P.) into the picturesque Grassy Waters Preserve
in southeast Florida. To the artist’s delight, a female Snail
Kite was spotted by Beth less than twenty yards away. The bird sat
calmly perched on the bare branch of a cypress tree, eyeing the vessel
and crew as it slowly meandered past. When something caught the inquisitive
bird’s eye, it swiftly left the perch, soaring downward and
then disappearing into the thick marsh grass.
Always being creative, the artist decided to try to capture the entire
landscape with 35mm film. Panning with his camera and taking enough
stills to complete a 360 circumference around the water-bound canoe;
then handing the camera to Beth to be included! Using some Adobe Photoshop
skills and an ingenious HTML code; the pan is animated on a brand
new web page.
