Friday, July 12, 2013

Long-billed Curlew

Thursday, July 11th

 
A very bad phone camera shot
of the Long-billed Curlew at Bunche Beach

I haven't been to Bunche Beach for  sometime, especially as so many of the birds have departed for there breeding grounds. However, some of the species will have already returned south in July.  Today I was lucky to find the Long-billed Curlew, assuming it is the same individually we have been seeing here for a some time, that has been a resident on this beach. Bunche Beach and Ft Desoto Park in Tampa had been the most reliable locations for seeing this species in Florida.
 
As I arrived a pair of Snowy Plovers were departing the area. Did not see too many species on this visit, but did find a Laughing Gull, a couple of Brown Pelicans and lots of Short-billed Dowitchers and Willets. Ospreys were hunting from overhead and Prairie Warblers were calling from the brush.
 
From Bunche Beach I moved onto Bodwitch Point Park on Ft Myers Beach. Here a nesting colony of Least Terns has been roped off along with a couple of turtle nest sites. Again there was not a lot of variety. Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants and Laughing Gulls were occupying  buoys and other features. Had a few Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Wilson's Plovers and a lone Sanderling. Gray Kingbirds and Eurasian Doves sat on the wires outside of the park. So basically the Least Terns were dominate species here on my visit.

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