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DESTINATION - SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Typical BIRD SIGHTINGS
Provided by SRQ Bird Alert
31 May - A pair of gray king birds started nesting outside my condo window
a few months ago and now have a chick. Looks like just one for now, but it is pretty difficult to see the nest. The
first three photos were taken today. The first, look for a puff of fuzziness and then the pointy beak of the chick.
The second is the mother (i assume) with a bug in her beak. The third, if you look close you can see a little orange
streak which is the baby's open beak as its mother feeds it. The rest were taken a couple months ago when the birds
were building the nest.
Kate Spinner
31 May - While doing my SEANET walk this morning on Longboat Key, I saw a
Whimbrel. It was first seen at 8am about a mile south of the county line, but flew north into Manatee county.
Also of interest were an adult male Magnificent Frigatebird and a juvenile Northern Gannet.
Valeri Ponzo, Sarasota
29 May - Our Englewood Friday birding group decided to check out the Old Miakka
Preserve at the end of Fruitville Rd., Sarasota and were treated to several N. Parulas, White eyed Vireos
and Pine Warblers on the 1 1/2 mile walking trail. From there we turned South on the Old Myakka Rd and stopped
at the bridge over the Myakka River and what a bonanza of birds in the field to the East. We observed 3 Wild
Turkeys, 3 Crested Caracara, 2 adult Bald Eagles and 1 Immmature, Black neck Stilt, Black
bellied Whistling Ducks, Glossy and White Ibis and well as the usual Herons and Egrets.
A great morning of local birding!
Mary Dommermuth, Englewood
26 May - The 3 Snowy Plover chicks and 2 sets of 2 Least Tern chicks
in the North Lido Key buffer zone have survived another 24 hours (as of 5pm). There should be quite a few more
tern chicks soon, and skimmer chicks later on. Most beach goers have been respectful of the zone, but
if you go out there and see anyone within the ropes, please help us by letting them know that it is not allowed.
Jeanne Dubi
26 May - I was surprised to see a Common Loon this morning on a large
inland lake containing treated waste water in northern Sarasota County. Location: Get off I-75 and go east on
University Parkway. Turn right and head south on Lakewood Ranch Blvd. Proceed until you come to a barricade and
can't go any further. Turn right proceed thru some gates and go 200 yards to an area to scan the lake.
Jeff Palmer, Sarasota
21 May - Bird Friends, Braved the storms and took the trip to Jacksonville, FL
yesterday to see the Greater Sand-Plover with Jeanne Dubi, Steve Black and Karen Jensen. Karen worked her
weather mojo and we had a full day without rain. The plover is in the same spot that it was originally spotted
and gave us great looks for most of the day.
Rick Greenspun
19 May - My husband and I decided, between showers this afternoon, to take a run
out in the boat to Stump Pass and check out the shorebirds. I was happy to see a pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons
constructing a nest in a pine tree across the canal from our house. That lot, which was formerly filled with
Brazilian peppers and where six YCNH nests had been built last year, was cleared out 9 months ago, and only a pair of
Green Herons successfully raised any youngsters on the canal this year. We watched those fledgling Green Herons
searching around on the rip-rap rocks for a snack with a parent. A Spotted Sandpiper flew out from the rocks
as well, when we motored by. There were plenty of waders in the ICW and at the Pass itself. Shorebirds were fairly
scarce, but we did see Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, Black-bellied Plovers, and Black Skimmers.
Lots of lots of Royal Terns were on the Palm Island side of the Pass, but curiously, I saw no Least or
Sandwich Terns with them. The weather started threatening again, so we turned back to come home, and found a
Great White Heron (white morph of the Great Blue Heron) on the sandbar in front of the turn into Rum Bay.
While docking the boat, I looked up and counted nineteen Magnificent Frigatebirds kettling up in the thermals
and heading south ahead of the next storm.
Susan Daughtrey, Englewood
9 May - Here is a nice Mother's Day present to our neighbors whose homes are on
the pond in Gulf Gate. The mother has six ducklings in tow, showing them their new home.
Wendy Davis, Sarasota
Please send your input about rare and/or interesting bird sightings to:
SRQbirdalerts@msn.com
SRQBirdAlerts is brought to you by Peter Rice in association with the Sarasota Audubon Society. Visit them at
SarasotaAudubon.org
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