July 17, 2019
Carlos Point - Fort Myers Beach
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| American Oystercatcher |
Today, on my visit to Carlos Point on Ft Myers Beach, I have finally cross paths with a trio of American Oystercatchers. Hadn't seen any since last November. Since our Red Tide disaster last summer many species have become scarce, no doubt due to the lose of food sources or perhaps to a higher than normal mortality rate. But improved conditions some species are returning to our shores.
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| American Oystercatcher |
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Snowy Plover
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| Black Skimmers with juvenile |
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| Juvenile Black Skimmer |
Arrived later than normal today. I like to be done by 10 am during the summer to avoid the heat and lightening. So it was a bit hot and I could see that Black Skimmers and other shorebirds were trying to cool down by keeping their bills open to dissipate heat.
The Least Tern and Black Skimmers nesting colonies were still active, with hundreds of birds. They were a bit defensive still, so needed to take a wide berth to keep them more comfortable. It appeared that few birds were still on a nest, and lots of juvenile birds were around
Snowy Plover families were active as well. Only spotted a single Wilson's Plover, so not sure how well they had fair with nesting. Last month I had observed several young Wilson's Plovers, so perhaps they had already fledged
Other species present included Ospreys, a Magnificent Frigeatbird, Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, a lone Common Tern, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones, a lone Marble Godwit and a number of Black-bellied Plovers.
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| Least Tern |
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| Juvenile Black Skimmer |
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| Marbled Godwit |
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| Sanderling |
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| Black Bellied Plover |
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| Willet |
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| Ruddy Turnstone |
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| Brown Pelican |
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Gray Kingbird
A pair of Gray Kingbirds were found the other end
of the island near Bowitch Point Park |
What's Blooming at the Beach
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| Seashore Purslane |
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| Inkberry berries |
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| Dune Sunflower |
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| Cuban Jute |
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| Madagascar Periwinkle |
