West Marsh Preserve

 Saturday May 30th

Today I went birding at the West Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres. Took the path around the impoundment, about 2 miles. The target today was to find a snail kite. The Everglades Snail Kite is a resident to the enviros here and at the adjacent Harn's Marsh Preserve, were their primary food source, the Apple Snail, thrives. Limpkins need the snails too. 

Snail Kite

https://ebird.org/checklist/S349384411

SOME HISTORY

Located on Romero Ave, in Lehigh Acres, the property was first obtained by the Lee County 2020 program, which buys environmentally sensitive properties for conservation, around 2008.  The land sits across the street from the Lee County Firing Range and lies between the Lee County Mosquito Control District and the Lehigh Acres Water Control District property.

Burrowing Owl

Female Snail Kite

More than eighty years ago, this entire property was part of Buckingham Fields, a United States Army training base where thousands of servicemen learned to serve as aerial gunners defending bombers during World War II. Over time, much of the 7,000-acre site was gradually developed. Today, the Lee County Mosquito Control District owns the original runway and uses it for aerial spraying with drones, helicopters, and planes. In the past, the district also used DC-3 aircraft for spraying. When we first moved to the area in the 1980s, we were startled by the noise of the DC-3s flying at treetop level over our house at dawn.

Black-necked Stilt

In the 1980s the Water Management District developed Harn's Marsh as a storm water retention site, which has become popular for walkers, fishing and birding.  

 

Snow Goose was a rarity seen in 2021,
found by Ron Bishop but only stayed a few days.

Prior to the redevelopment of the West Marsh Preserve into a water retention wetland managed as a joint partnership between Lee County and the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services District, it was a reliable location for Bachman's Sparrows. So, when the property was cleared and dredged for water retention there was great disappointment with the loss of this venue.

But the newly created wetlands have expanded our birding options with waterfowl, shorebirds, snail kites, wading birds, swallows and burrowing owls have now shown up.

My Life List for West Marsh

  

Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral

 February Wednesday 20

23rd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival

Cape Coral is hosting the 23rd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival on Saturday at Rotary Park.

Burrowing Owls are the official bird for the City of Cape Coral and are found everywhere. The library and the ballfields on Pelican Boulevard are good locations to get that great photograph.

Some Local Birds

 Thursday March 10th

Bronzed Cowbird
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Spending less time traveling these days in search of interesting birds. So, I've been staying close to home to enjoy the nature surrounding us here.

Burrowing Owls
Cape Coral, Florida

Monk Parakeets
Cape Coral, Florida

Monk Parakeets
Cape Coral, Florida

Pileated Woodpecker
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Eurasian Starling at
West Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

Great Blue Heron
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Gray-headed Swamphen
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Pine Warbler
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Turkey Vulture
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Painted Bunting
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Bald Eagle
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Dunlins are wintering at
Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers

Brown-headed Cowbirds
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Florida Sandhill Crane
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

A pair of Florida Sandhill Crane with their chicks
Baby cranes are called Colts
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Loggerhead Shrike at
West Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

White Ibis
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Eurasian Collared Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Merlin
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Great Crested Flycatcher
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Northern Cardinal
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Northern Cardinal
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

White-winged Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Black-crowned Night-heron
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Piping Plovers are wintering at
Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Cattle Egret
Harns Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

White Pelican on Sanibel Island

Willet at Bunch Beach, Fort Myers

A large flock of Nanday Parakeets
 seen in Fort Myers

Muscovy Ducks
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Common Ground Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Festival Park - The Groove-billed Ani

 

Friday January 15th

The City of Cape Coral has been in the development phase on property in near Kismet and Chiquita Roads for well over fourteen years. It will eventually become Festival Park, a location to support large events such as musical, sports and other activities.

Florida Scrub Jay at Festival Park

But for now, birders routinely come out here looking for the family of Florida Scrub Jays, plus Burrowing Owls, American Kestrels and Eastern Meadowlarks. Currently a Groove-billed Ani has shown up.  I got to see it a couple of times so far. However I keep dipping on the Ash-throated Flycatcher that has also arrived here. I've made several visits without success. But I'll try again later

Another interesting observation made on yesterday's visit was seeing a coyote dash across the road in front of us. Coyotes are becoming more and more commonly seen in our area.  They are even seen and heard on Sanibel Island

Groove-billed Ani at Festival Park

Burrowing Owl at Festival Park

Upland Sandpipers

Wednesday April 18th

Burrowing Owl today at Festival Park, Cape Coral

The first couple of weeks of April were a bit frustrating as far as how the Spring Migration has progressed. But as of Sunday birding activity has certainly picked up.

Today we had an unusual sighting of a flock of upland sandpipers in north Cape Coral. They were first reported by Alli Smith and have been  feeding and resting in the grassy, Festival Park location, were  we would normally be looking for resident Florida Scrub Jays and Burrowing Owls.

So Quiet

Monday July 10th

Fish Crow seen at Bowditch Point Park

It'll be a few weeks yet till the birding picks up around here. There are a few interesting birds to chase around the state like in Ft Lauderdale (Tropical Mockingbird), Sarasota (Tropical Kingbirds), Clewiston ( Shiny Cowbird) or Lake Apopka (Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Mississippi Kites, Bronze Cowbird). 

But for now we'll have to wait till the end of the month for the early arrives.

Snowy Plover seen at Bowditch Point

Currently the Least Tern and Black Skimmers colonies on Ft Myers Beach are continuing their nesting. Earlier today I had ran into Meg Rausher, who is employed to monitor these colonies. Meg shared that the breeding colonies of Least Terns, Black Skimmers, Snowy Plovers and Wilson's Plovers took a hit last month from the heavy rains and flooding surfs. Eggs and hatchlings were lost. Some of the Least Terns gave up and left the site, many others are re-nesting. Lets hope for the best.

According to the Turtle Time web site, no sea turtle nest were lost.

Least Tern seen at Carlos Point

Nanday Parakeet seen in Ft Myers

Marbled Godwit seen at Bunche Beach Preserve

Burrowing Owl seen at the ball fields at Cape Coral

A small gator seen at

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve