Another Red-Necked Phalarope

Thursday October 2nd

We recently had an unexpected visitor to Ft Myers Beach at the south end of the island called Carlos Pointe. The other day Marie Di Rosa located a rare-to-our-corner-of-the-world Red-necked Phalarope keeping busy in a tidal pool.  The bird stayed for a few days and we were thrilled to get a chance to observe this bird so close to home. We have only had a couple of other sightings in Lee County in recent memory.

It was only last month that another Red-necked Phalarope spent a few days in another tidal pool in Siesta Key Beach near Sarasota.  Could this be the same bird? Maybe, but I don't think so.

Bob Pelkey Getting Down-and-dirty to get that eye-level shot of our bird

This pool is a very popular avian stop for many kinds of birds including this Great Blue Heron.

Red-necked Phalarope

Tuesday, September16th

A young Red-necked Phalarope on Siesta Key



Snowy Plover



Recently, a young Red-necked Phalarope had spent several days feeding in a tidal pool on a Siesta Key beach near Sarasota.  I couldn't get there for several days following its discovery and was not hopeful that it would still be on-hand.  Well It was gratifying to be able to find he was still here. This tidal pool was very active with scores of Willets, Black Skimmers, Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Red Knots, Semipalmated Plovers, Snowy Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated sandpipers,  Ruddy Turnstones, Great Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, Snowy Egrets, Rosette Spoonbill, and both Lesser and Greater Yellow-legs.

 Additionally White-rumped Sandpiper has been reported here and I really though I had scored with a Baird's Sandpiper. These are not commonly seen in Florida. Was disappointed to learn that it was only a juvy Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Tried to claim this was a baird's sandpiper, but am told its just a juvenile semipalmated sandpiper. Very disappointing

Greater Yellow-legs

Rosette Spoonbill

Black-bellied Plover

Red Knot