Gulfside City Park Beach - Sanibel Island

 Thursday January 9th

Gulfside Beach is a public park operated by the town of Sanibel Island. Parking is $6.00 per hour

https://ebird.org/checklist/S208610007

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull trying the Crab

Sandwich Tern

Piping Plover

Willet

American Oystercatcher

Sanderling

Brown Pelican

Ruddy Turnstone

Royal Tern

At The Beach

 Sunday May 19th

American Oystercatcher

Today, I dedicated some time to birdwatching on the beach, arriving just after dawn to sidestep the day's heat. My start at Bunche Beach was met with a less-than-ideal tide, already swallowing the mudflats. Despite this, a handful of birds were active: Sanderlings, a Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plovers, Western Sandpipers, a solitary Willet, and eight American Oystercatchers. The skies, though clear of clouds, were also devoid of birds, save for a few Laughing Gulls. 

Black-bellied Plover

Reddish Egret

Moved onto Sanibel Island and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Drive. Best sighting here was a pair of Manatees. Again, it was not very birdy. A bathing Osprey, more Willets, Reddish Egret, a young, Yellow-crowned Night-heron. Was keen to spot a mangrove cuckoo.  Haven't seen or heard one for a very long time. Dipped on the cuckoo once again.

Seems this Manatee is taking a nap

A bathing Osprey

One last stop at Turner Beach on Captiva Island. The skies were still clear. Not much here. Royal Tern, Willet, Sanderling, Osprey, Fish Crow

Sanderling

Willet

Flamingo

 Sunday September 17th

Hurricane Idalia had a significant impact on the northern Florida. One very interesting affect was the dispersal of American Flamingos across Florida and other southeastern states. Having spotted as far north as Ohio. Locally we had a large gathering of birds at Estero Bay Preserve State Park, but to reach their location required a rather difficult hike through flooded salt flats and biting insects. So for me, I elected to visit Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County to see another flamingo, nicknamed Peaches. 

Lots of shorebirds at DeSoto today

Wilson's Plover

Piping Plover

Red Knot

American Oystercatcher

Pectoral Sandpiper

Sanderling

Reddish Heron

Semipalmated Plover

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Red Tide

 Sunday, March 5th

American Oystercatcher

Yesterday we noticed reports on a large gathering of Herring Gulls at Carlos Point on Fort Myers Beach. Hundreds were seen with large numbers of American Oystercatchers, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls as well. we don't normally see so many Herring Gulls in Lee County. 

A Lesser Black-backed Gull, plus Laughing Gulls, Royal Tern and an Oystercatcher

eBird Checklist - 5 Mar 2023 - Carlos Pointe - 22 species. 

So today I drove down to Fort Myers Beach, which is still in a major recovery mode, to explore Carlos Pointe. Besides the numbers of gulls present, were so many dead fish. Victims of Red Tide. This current blow-up of red tide is not doubt to nutrient load caused by the effects of Hurricane Ian. It appears that the toxic load is so bad that even the marine worms are trying to escape.

Hundreds of these worms are seen wriggling on the surface of the sand.
 They've got the birds attention.

Wilson's Plover

Snowy Plovers

Herring Gulls

Lots of interesting species among the dead fish including a goliath grouper, other groupers and snappers, drums, snook, sea mullets, red fish, ladyfish, marine catfish, eels, worm fish, sheepshead, spadefish, cowfish, hog chokers, grunts, a blackchin tilapia, sardines and thread herrings and more

Hogchoker

Atlantic Thread Herring

White Grunt

Spotted Spoon-nosed Eel

Stripped Burrfish

Scaled Sardine

Blackchin Tilapia

Hurricane Ian

 November 9th

On September 28th Hurricane Ian ripped through Fort Myers and Lee County here in Florida. And know we are waiting on a hurricane Nicole.

Ian was extremely devastating to our coastline and so many people losing homes, businesses, their vehicles, their boats and their lives. The storm surge flooded many communities, and the hurricane force winds turned the barriers islands into piles of rubble. Myself and my family fared well all things considered.

The birding was diffidently affected. Many local birding sites were not accessible till now and the beaches will be difficult to visit for some time. I did drive up to Fort DeSoto Park near St Peterburg and few weeks ago and had some good birding there. Went to Fort DeSoto to try for the rare-to-Florida Bar-tailed Godwit. 

Birds at Fort DeSoto

Bar-tailed Godwit
a rare visitor to Florida

These American Oystercatchers were fussing
over who's going to enjoy this meal

Banded Tulip Shell

Greater Yellowlegs

Piping Plover

Least Sandpiper

Sandwich Tern

Snowy Plover

Willet

Common Tern