Carlos Point

 Saturday May 14th

Black Skimmers

Spent a little time checking out the seabird nesting colony at Carlos Point on Fort Myers Beach today.

Parked at the Lovers Key State Park on Island as available parking at the south end of Fort Myers Beach doesn't exists. So, from Lovers Key I crossed Big Carlos Pass on the draw bridge which dumped me out onto Carlos Point on Fort Myers Beach. Hundreds of Black Skimmers, Least Terns and Royal Terns have gathered at Carlos Point. The Least Tern Colony is already nesting.  The Black Skimmers have gathered and will begin their own nesting colony activity soon.  As for all the royal Terns, most will leave soon to nest up around the Big Bend area of Florida.

Snowy Plovers and Wilsons Plover are also nesting. 

Least Tern

Today, a few Laughing Gulls are around with numbers of Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones. A couple of Sandwich Terns and a young Herring Gull were also present. Looked around for any common terns or red knots but didn't find any today.

Ruddy Turnstone

Least Terns

Black Skimmers

A young Herring Gull

Black Skimmer

Royal Tern

A male sanderling sporting his breeding colors

Royal Terns

Down to the Beach

 Wednesday November 11th

Haven't done very much birding lately, being stuck at home. Mostly just keeping an eye on the yard.  But with Tropical Storm Eta, or sometimes as a Hurricane Eta, lingering in the Gulf of Mexico there maybe an opportunity to encounter some pelagic birds being blown toward shore. 

An Aberrant Laughing Gull

Ended up checking on the action on the Sanibel Causeway Islands. While still under a Tropical Storm Warming, a Tornado watch and a Storm Surge watch, expected to find sea birds sheltering on the bay side of the islands, because the high winds and a high surf were crashing the gulf side.  

Lots' of Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, some Common Terns, Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, Sanderlings, Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, plus Semipalmated Sandpipers, a Black Skimmer, a FOS Dunlin, Black bellied Plover  and a Snowy Plover. The only pelagic was a single Magnificent Frigatebird.

Snowy Plover

Black-bellied Plover

Willet

Royal Terns

Common Tern

Black Tern at Bunche Beach

Sunday, August 25th

Roseate Spoonbill at Bunche Beach Preserve

Beach Bean

Its been awhile since I birded at Bunche Beach. Haven't really had the time.

 But today I arrived at the low tide and found lots of birds busy feeding on the flats.  

Had my first Black Tern of the year, in the company Least, Royal and Sandwich Terns.  

A couple of dozen Red Knots were busy feeding in the exposed sea grasses. We had Short-billed Dowitchers, Ruddy Turnstones, Least Sandpipers, Willets, Marbled Godwits, Black-bellied Plovers, Wilson, Piping and Semipalmated Plovers too. 

Black Tern

Black Tern

Black Tern

Lots of Marbled Godwits present today.

 This individual is extremely pale in coloration.

An extremely light colored Marbled Godwit

Red Knot

Red Knot

Royal Tern family

Young Royal Tern begging for a snack

Gray Kingbird

A family of Gray Kingbirds were sitting on the wires 

at the intersection of John Morris Road and Summerlin

Sea Oats

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Terns

Short-billed Dowitcher

Least Tern

Seaside Dragonlet

Ground Cherry

Ground Cherry

Seaside Dragonlet

Beach Bean

Beach Bean

Seaside Oxeye

Buttonwood

Red Mangrove in Bloom

Roseate Spoonbill

Carlos Point

Tuesday September 2nd

Reddish Egret

While Hurricane Harvey was tearing up Texas, we had our own rain soaking event. Much of the low lying areas in Cape Coral and Island Park have been flooded for days. The flooding has shut down access to Six-mile Cypress Slough, which is are local hot spot to encounter fall migrants. Other local sights to watch is include Rotary Park in cape Coral and Kiwanis Park in Port Charlotte

One effect of recent storm action

Was able to access the beach though and I chose to visit Carlos Point on Ft Myers Beach which did offer some good birding.  Didn't see any of the Least Terns and Black Skimmers that had been using Carlos Point as a nesting colony.  But did encounter lots of American Oystercatchers, a Whimbrel, Marbled Godwits, Willets, Black Bellied Plovers, Wilson's Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings, Snowy Plovers  and Western Sandpipers

Gallery

Fosters Tern

Black Bellied Plover

American Oystercatcher

Whimbrel

A Spider Crab washed up on the beach.

Note the fly checking it out

Snowy Plover

Royal Tern

Sanderlings

Marbled Godwit

Whimbrel and a Sanderling