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

Fort Myers Beach

 Saturday December 3rd

It's been around nine weeks since Hurricane Ian devastated Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach. At this point the clean-up, repairs and rejuvenation on Fort Myers Beach has progressed well. Much of the mess has been cleared, but there is going to a long time needed for recovery. 

A curfew still exists, but non-residents, clean-up crews and contractors can access the island from 7am till 7pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Some businesses have opened and do appreciate patronage.

The FMB pier has been skeletonized and hosts tons of seabirds and the shrimp boat fleet remains beached. The public parks and beaches remain closed, probably till sometime next year. So, I did access the beach at the south end of the island at Carlos Point.  I was able to park across the pass at Lovers Key State Park, which is also closed. The scene of how the storm rearranged the beach was evident s I was walking across the draw bridge. Some of the beach has been carved out, creating a new, shallow inlet.

This end of the island is scheduled for a beach clean-up, soon.  And it is much needed. Saw much debris littering the sand like chairs, pails, a kayak, utility sinks, pieces of docks, mattress, and every manner of stuff

The birding and shelling were pretty good. Lots of shore birds but gulls and terns were scarce today. A peregrine falcon showed up, scattering the resting birds into flight. Some of the sightings included Willets, Marble Godwits, Sanderlings, Dunlins, Snowy Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Ruddy Turnstones, Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, a Herring Gull, Sandwich Terns, Royal Terns, Snowy Egrets and Red Knots.  Dipped on laughing gulls, skimmers, frigatebirds, American white pelicans and wilson's plover.

Willet

Dunlin

Red Knot

Black-bellied Plover

Mottled Duck

Red Knot and a Black-bellied Plover

Red Knot

Red Knot

Snowy Plover

New Year

 Sunday January 9th

River Otter

Ventured out to build a fresh list for a new year.  Visited venues throughout the area looking for interesting birdlife. At Torrey Island at Belle Glade saw that the Vermilion Flycatcher was still active as were a pair of River Otters.  Was told that it was suspected that the otters were being fed as they showed little concern with the walkers and birders.

Went back out to the cane fields to look for the raptors seen recently. Succeeded in relocating the White-tailed Kite, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, American Kestrels, Peregrin Falcon, Barn Owl and Red-tailed Hawks. Dipped on finding swainsen's hawk.

American Kestrel at Belle Glade Marina

Peregrine Falcon

Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Belle Glade Marina

Bald Eagles

Lots of the shorebirds and seabirds located at Bunche Beach and Fort DeSoto. 

Snowy Egret at Fort DeSoto Park

Red Knot at Fort DeSoto

Banded Piping Plover at Fort DeSoto

Red-breasted Merganser at Fort DeSoto

Caspen Tern at Fort DeSoto

Black-bellied Plover at Fort DeSoto

Brown Pelicans at Fort DeSoto

American Oystercatcher at Fort DeSoto

Limpkin at Six-Mile Cypress Slough Reserve

Fort De Soto Park

 Friday December 24th

Red Knot

As a Lister, I set a goal every year, as to how many species I can locate and more importantly get that photo of. My 2021 goal is 300 species of birds. Should have easily reach my goal earlier this if not for the numbers of birds I have dipped on or hadn't worked hard enough. Some of the awesome sightings I had seen this year included Whooping Cranes in Florida and Wisconsin, Trumpeter Swans in Wisconsin and Illinois, the Iceland Gull that showed up on Fort Myers Beach, Yellow-Green Vireo at Biscayne Bay National Park, a lifer Brown Creeper in Wisconsin, Brown and Black Noddies at Dry Tortugas National Park, a Lifer Sabines Gull out in the Gulf of Mexico thanks to Dave McQuade and Edwin Wilke and a Grove-bill Ani in Cape Coral Florida to name a few. 

Tagged Piping Plover 

What have I dipped or slipped up on chasing? Dipped on the lapwing longspur that spent few days at the Venice Airport, winter wrens or golden-crowned kinglets in the panhandle, hermit thrushes, vesper sparrow, least grebe in Miami, whip-poor-will, spot-breasted oriole, American golden plover, gray-tailed tattler in the Keys, Mississippi kite, Rose-ringed parakeet, Acadian flycatcher and Red-legged thrush that was at Key West to name a few

So, with running out days on the calendar I elected to head up to Fort De Soto for the potential of seeing the last two species needed to reach my goal. Targets were horned grebe and the American golden plover reported there. Missed on seeing the plover, which was photographed in the park today.  But added three Horned Grebes. 

With the removal of the Australian Pines, the character of North Beach has really changed, Miss all the shade. But it seems that their removal may have improved habitat for shore birds. Counted at least 15 Piping Plovers, 6 Snowy Plovers and several Black-bellied Plovers, Red Knots, Sanderling, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Dunlins and a Wilson's Plover. Other species encountered included Common Loons, Red-breasted Mergansers, Brown and White Pelicans, Laughing, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, Forsters Terns, Kestrels and Nanday Parakeets.

Herring Gull