Common Eider Visiting Sanibel

Saturday, December 21st

Common Eider seen on the Sanibel Causeway
Photo courtesy of Bob Pelkey

Our little corner of Florida is an excellent place for birding.  We have the sea shore, swamps, marshes and woodland environments. Sometimes we get that special uncommon or rare bird sighting. Last spring we a nice Eurasian Widgeon spend several weeks on a small pond in Cape Coral. We could add the Razerbill invasion last winter as well. 

Currently a young female Common Eider (284) has settled-in along the Sanibel Causeway. This is very unusual to have these ducks so far south of their normal wintering zone. So Bob Pelkey and I headed over yesterday and succeeded in locating her just before dusk. A Lifer for both of us and for many other observers. 

Bob hard at work observing the eider

American Oystercatchers - Sanibel Island

Wednesday, May 23rd

American Oystercatcher at Sanibel Causeway

 Headed over to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in hopes of locating a mangrove cuckoo. The high tides really reduced the shore birds and waders. Did find a single Willet, a pair of Mottles Ducks, fifteen Roseate Spoonbills and a few waders. Did luck out with locating a calling Black-whiskered Vireo and a White-eyed Vireo at the crossover dike. A couple of years age I had success at this spot with spotting a couple of mangrove cuckoos. But today I did not hear or see any here or at other likely spots.

Roseate Spoonbills at Ding Darling

Great Blue Heron

View of Estero Bay

 On the way back home I stopped on the Sanibel Causeway beaches and got some good photos of a pair of American Oystercatchers posing on the rocks. Other birds seen included Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, Laughing Gulls, a lone Least Tern, a few Brown Pelicans


Yellow Rat Snake sunning itself on Wildlife Drive

Least Sandpipers - Sanibel Island Causaway

Saturday August 7th

   Was able to get a few photos of Least Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Plovers and Laughing Gulls along the Sanibel Island Causeway. The American Oystercatchers and Willets were not so cooperative.  Other species active along the causeway included Brown Pelicans, Double-Crested Cormorants, Sandwich Terns and Fish Crows.

Least Sandpiper