Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Save The Habitat

  • Rare Fork-Tailed Flycatcher

    Rare Fork-Tailed Flycatcher

    Birdwatching is often about patience and timing, and sometimes it rewards you with unforgettable moments. During a recent visit to Bahia Beach Nature Preserve in Ruskin, Florida, we experienced such a moment when we encountered a fork-tailed flycatcher. This rare vagrant to North America dazzled with its graceful flight and striking appearance, making it a highlight of the birding journey.

    The Fork-Tailed Flycatcher: A Snapshot of Elegance
    The fork-tailed flycatcher is a slender bird known for its strikingly long, deeply forked tail that gives the species its name. Its plumage contrasts beautifully, with a jet-black cap, gray back, and pristine white underparts. Measuring 14 to 15 inches in length, the tail alone accounts for much of its size, making the bird’s silhouette unmistakable in the field.

    Fork Tailed Flycatcher Perched On End Of Stick
    Fork-tailed Flycatcher Perched on the End of a Stick

    Native to Central and South America, the fork-tailed flycatcher thrives in open habitats such as savannas, grasslands, and marshy areas, often near water. While it primarily resides in its southern range, some populations migrate seasonally, and a few individuals occasionally venture as far north as the southern United States. Such sightings are rare, making my encounter in Ruskin even more special.

    A Day to Remember
    We arrived in the early afternoon on a cool and sunny day. As we strolled through the preserve’s pathways, we quickly noticed a group of photographers and birders and knew that was where the flycatcher would be. Perched elegantly on a branch above the water, scanning the skies for prey, was the unmistakable fork-tailed flycatcher. Its elongated tail feathers fluttered lightly in the breeze, and its watchful gaze seemed almost regal.

    We positioned ourselves to get the sun to our backs and set up our cameras. I was initially shooting with my Canon R5 equipped with an 800mm lens. As I adjusted my settings, the bird took off, showcasing its acrobatic flight skills as it darted after an insect. The agility of its movements and the beauty of its silhouette against the afternoon light were mesmerizing. After several attempts, I captured a series of shots as the bird landed again, briefly resting on a nearby perch.

    Fork Tailed Flycatcher Balances On Small Twig
    Fork-tailed Flycatcher Balances on a Small Twig

    Photographing this bird was no easy feat. Its constant movement and the interplay of light through the bushes tested my skills and patience. I decided to go back to the car and switch to my Canon R6 camera which has a feature called Raw Burst Mode which captures images for a brief half second before actually snapping the shot. This feature is enormously helpful to capture the flight of a bird like the flycatcher that takes flies off frequently. Changing cameras was well worth it.

    Fork Tailed Flycatcher Takes Off To Chase Bug
    Fork-tailed Flycatcher Takes Off to Chase a Bug

    The Beauty of Vagrancy
    In North America, the fork-tailed flycatcher is considered a rare vagrant. Factors such as weather patterns, food availability, or navigational errors may push these birds far beyond their usual range. Such unexpected journeys make sightings like mine at Bahia Beach Nature Preserve even more remarkable. This bird stayed for less than two weeks before moving on. It serves as a reminder of the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of bird migration.

    A Call to Explore
    The fork-tailed flycatcher’s appearance in Ruskin is a testament to the richness of Florida’s ecosystems and the surprises they hold for those willing to look. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just beginning your journey into the world of avian wonders, places like Bahia Beach Nature Preserve offer the chance to witness moments that stay with you forever.

    For me, the fork-tailed flycatcher will always symbolize the thrill of discovery and the rewards of persistence in nature. I hope my story inspires others to pick up their binoculars, step into the wild, and embrace the unexpected.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the galleries listed.

  • Florida Snail Kites

    Florida Snail Kites

    As promised from my last post, here is the story about our recent trips to the Fort Myers area to look for snail kites. I’ve written about snail kites in the past because they are such fascinating birds with an equally fascinating story. The Everglades snail kite subspecies is unique to central and south Florida. They are beautiful birds, a little smaller than an osprey. Adult males are striking with gray bodies, a white band above their tails, bright orange feet, and red eyes.

    Snail Kite Male Rests At Top Of Dead Tree
    Snail Kite Male Rests at the Top of a Dead Tree

    We ended up making two trips a few days apart because we learned that damage caused by Hurricane Ian 20 months ago changed the habitat and moved the kites to a different area. We also learned from a local resident photographer about where to likely find the kites. So, the second trip turned out to be amazing. We saw close to 20 snail kites! Typically, if we saw kites, it would be anywhere from 1 to 5. To see 6 to 10 would be considered a great day. They were feeding in a network of canals that were full of snails.

    Snail kites are raptors that feed entirely on apple snails. At one time Florida only had one native species of apple snail and it was found mainly in the Everglades. But over the years, the Everglades watershed has changed dramatically with surrounding development and man-made attempts to better control water flow. With the habitats disappearing, apple snails, along with the snail kites disappeared and they were put on the endangered species list in 1967. According to one source, the number of kites fell to less than 100 in 1972. But they’ve made a remarkable comeback, ironically due to an invasive species of apple snail.

    Snail Kite Male Flies By With Fresh Snail
    Snail Kite Male Flies by with a Fresh Snail

    Usually most invasive species of plant or animal have an alarming effect on the environment. A great example is the explosion of the python population in the Everglades which has had devastating impacts on the native wildlife. It’s thought that the foreign snails were introduced to the US from South America and were used mainly in aquariums. When they outgrew aquariums, people released them into the wild where they thrived. But the invasive snails have benefited both snail kites and limpkins since the snails are their only diet.

    Of course, there’s always a “but”. In the case of snail kites, the invasive snails were as much as 3 times larger than the native Florida variety. The problem for kites was the larger snails were much more difficult to lift out of the water and their beaks couldn’t reach all the way into the shell to dislodge the meat. So, kites have evolved. A recent study showed that snail kites have grown by an average of about 12% over the past several years so they have the strength to carry the larger snails. Their beaks have also grown about 12% longer to enable them to reach all the way into the snail shells. It’s a very interesting story about how something bad has helped something else. I don’t know the eventual impact foreign snails will have on the environment. But for now, there are two species of birds that are happy!

    I’ve included several links to stories about snail kites and the apple snails that have changed their lives.

    A few more pictures from the trips are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the gallery listed.

  • Peculiar Spring Season

    Peculiar Spring Season

    It’s been over 6 weeks since my last post. We always anticipate the winter and spring seasons to be some of the best times for wildlife photography here in Florida. Many birds migrate here, while many more migrate through our area in April and early May. But this year has been oddly quiet in several of the usual hotspots. We didn’t observe the numbers of waterfowl this year and the spring migration for several songbird species seemed almost non-existent. A little research may have revealed one of the reasons for the changes. According to weather experts, we are experiencing our first “El Niño” climate pattern in 5 years. We’ll have to wait for our next “La Niña” season to see if there is any connection. For whatever reasons, 2024 turned out to be somewhat disappointing.

    Despite the downturn, there were some highlights. We managed to find a flock of green-winged teal that made a small lake near St. Petersburg their winter home and provided some great photo opportunities. The number of our local wood ducks appears to be on the rise. It was also a good year for painted buntings visiting our feeder. There were days when we would see 3 males along with a female. We had never seen more than 2 males in the past. For the first time, hummingbirds were at our feeders all winter. We found a bird called Chuck-will’s-widow. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one. They are part of the same family as whip-poor-wills and nighthawks and look very similar. This bird was sitting on her nest.

    Chuck Wills Widow Sitting On Nest
    Chuck-will’s-widow Sitting on Her Nest

    As we head toward summer, the wildlife environment changes. Different migrants arrive, while others become more active and visible. It’s the time of year for magnificent kites. Thankfully, it seems like some of the catastrophic habitat damage caused by hurricane Ian in 2022 is recovering. We went to south Florida last week to check on snail kites. I’ll be posting another update on that trip shortly.

    A few more pictures from the past few months are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the galleries listed.

  • Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto

    Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto

    For the past 9 days, our daughter and granddaughter have been visiting us from Japan. Of course, anyone who comes here wants to go to the beach so last week we took a trip to Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg. They have a huge beach that is good for shelling. While the ladies were walking the shore searching for shells, I wandered over by one of the large tidal pools to watch a reddish egret fish for its breakfast.

    In the United States, the reddish egret is typically only found along the shores of the Gulf of America. They are not a common bird but we often see several at Fort De Soto Park. In fact, the park has become a destination for birders and photographers looking for a reddish egret.

    They are very entertaining when they begin hunting for food. They work the shallow waters of the tidal pools where small fish get trapped by the receding waters. The egrets will run through the water, often with their wings raised like a cape to herd the fish into areas that are easier for them to grab.

    Reddish Egret Striking Water For Fish
    Reddish Egret Striking the Water for a Small Fish

    For more information about reddish egrets, follow the links below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the gallery listed.

  • Little Winter Wonders

    Little Winter Wonders

    One of my favorite birds is the green-winged teal. They are beautiful small ducks that migrate here every winter. While green-winged teal are a common species, they can be difficult to find because they prefer smaller shallow ponds with plenty of cover. Last year we were dealing with the high water left over from hurricane Ian which created numerous areas for them to inhabit that were inaccessible for us. So, we had virtually no good photo opportunities all season.

    Green Winged Teal Preening In Morning
    Green-winged Teal Preening in the Morning

    But this year we found a park near St. Petersburg where a modest flock has taken up residence for the winter months with a group of blue-winged teal. Thankfully, they have been close enough to shore for some good pictures. The duckweed that they enjoy seems plentiful so hopefully they will stick around for a few more weeks.

    Follow the links for more information on these pretty little ducks.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the gallery listed.

  • Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

    As the end of 2023 approaches, it’s time to reflect on the past year. Although I didn’t get out as much as in years past, some of the photo opportunities were amazing. In February we located a bird that I had never seen in the wild. In fact, in 2022 we drove over 3 hours down past Lake Okeechobee to search for the same species but came up empty. However, this year we were successful in finding one over by Orlando.

    Vermillion Flycatcher Perched In Tree In Sun
    Vermilion Flycatcher Perched in a Tree in the Sun

    Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg was the real showcase spot. Weather played a huge part during the year. Back in the spring, a couple of cold fronts conveniently pushed through and created a fallout of migrating birds. We saw many tanagers, grosbeaks, buntings, warblers, and orioles. I captured some pictures of birds that I hadn’t seen in years. My favorite moment was coming across a male scarlet tanager who was so exhausted and hungry that he hopped within 10 feet of me sitting in the grass. He was more focused on food than his own safety.

    Scarlet Tanager On Ground Eating Large Bug
    Scarlet Tanager Male on the Ground Eating a Large Bug
    Blue Grosbeak Male Perched On Old Palm Frond
    Blue Grosbeak Male Perched on an Old Palm Frond

    In September, hurricane Idalia accomplished something that no other storm has done for decades. The track of the storm created a corridor for many iconic American Flamingos to flee Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico north to the United States. The event captured news outlets across the country as some of the birds were spotted as far north as Wisconsin. Several showed up along the west coast of Florida and there are still reports of sightings.

    American Flamingo Calling To Others
    American Flamingo Calling to Others

    Unfortunately, the remnants of hurricane Irma in 2022 along with the heat wave and drought during the summer had an impact on several of our favorite bird spots. We lost a great bald eagle nest in Lakewood Ranch and our best place for seeing endangered snail kites near Fort Myers was severely damaged during the hurricane. It appears a large population of apple snails was wiped out, which is the main food source for the kites.

    It looks like 2024 will get off to a good start. Migrating waterfowl have returned to the region and are much more accessible this year because of the lower water levels. Many areas continue to recover from the storms and habitat is improving. We participated in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count last week and were surprised to see one of the flamingos that remain in the area. Hopefully that will be a good omen for next year. We’re keeping our eyes on a report of a very rare duck that’s been seen over in Palm Beach County. If he stays around for a few more weeks, I think I see a road trip on the horizon. Stay tuned.

    All the best to everyone. Thanks for keeping up with us during the year. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Have a Happy New Year!!

  • Bok Tower Gardens

    Bok Tower Gardens

    This past week we took a trip over to Lake Wales to visit Bok Tower Gardens. It’s one of our favorite spots to go for hummingbirds. Bok Tower Gardens is a beautiful place built atop one of the tallest areas in all of Florida. It was originally built by Edward and Mary Bok in the early 1920s and was meant to be a bird sanctuary. He was a Pulitzer Prize winning author and the editor of Ladies Home Journal for 30 years.

    Large Purple Crepe Myrtle Along Trail
    Large Purple Crepe Myrtle Along a Trail

    The gardens are beautiful with many native plants. Because it’s Florida, there’s always something in bloom. The property sits in the middle of huge citrus groves and the views stretch for miles. That also means the air is filled with sweet fragrances in the spring when the trees are full of blossoms.

    Polydamus Swallowtail On Red Jatropha Flower
    Polydamus Swallowtail Butterfly on a Red Jatropha Flower

    The tower was finished in 1929 and contains a 60-bell carillon. It is known as the Singing Tower. The Boks gifted the gardens and tower to the US and the tower was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark by President Calvin Coolidge. The music is played by a carillonneur. There have only been 4 full-time carillonneurs in the history of the tower. The current carillonneur, Geert D’hollander, has been there for 11 years. The bells are played each half hour during the day with short concerts twice daily.

    Singing Tower At Bok Tower Gardens
    Singing Tower at Bok Tower Gardens

    The gardens are a mecca for hummingbirds, butterflies, and many other species of birds. Sometimes there are uncommon visitors during the fall and spring migrations. A few years back a hummingbird native to the western US made an appearance. This year another has returned. It’s called a rufous hummingbird and they are generally found west of the Rocky Mountains. The last time one was spotted in the gardens, it stayed for several weeks. With any luck this one will do the same. But, in case this one decides to continue south, we wanted to capture some shots before it left. Unfortunately, the adage “you should’ve been here yesterday” held true. We thought we saw a rufous, but we weren’t certain. It can be difficult to correctly identify specific birds when they are juveniles because their adult feathers haven’t filled in. Either way, we didn’t get the shots we hoped for. We’ll keep watching for updates from the park. Hopefully we’ll get another opportunity.

    For more information about Bok Tower Gardens, check out the link below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Hurricane Idalia Flamingos

    Hurricane Idalia Flamingos

    Every now and then there is a silver lining to a major hurricane. Despite all the damage that occurred with hurricane Idalia last week, there were some positive things that happened that astonished communities all along the Gulf Coast. For the first time in decades, American flamingos were spotted in several places after the storm. Even though flamingos are often associated with Florida, the reality is that, outside of places of captivity, there are only a few wild flamingos in the Everglades near Miami.

    Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on Wednesday, August 30. The following day, a group of 17 flamingos was spotted between Clearwater and St. Petersburg. As word got out about the initial sighting, more reports started to come in from other areas along the coast down to Fort Myers. Speculation was that the birds were carried from their native areas of Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula when the storm intensified in the region and quickly headed north. There were even reports of flamingos being rescued due to exhaustion.

    On Friday, we journeyed out to Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg in search of these rare birds. Being connected to the birding community helped tremendously. My friend Art Nadelman was receiving emails and text messages with updates. We checked out several areas in the park and talked with other photographers, but it seemed like everyone was striking out. As we started to head back home, a text came in about a sighting nearby. Apparently, a pair had flown into an area we just left. We found one of the two birds a long way from where we were standing and were able to get some photos.

    After hearing that the birds were still being seen in the evening on Friday, we decided to go back to the park the next morning hoping they hadn’t left overnight. It turned out to be a great decision. When we arrived at the park, there was a group feeding in the tidal pools along the beach. But, by Friday night, the flamingos had become one of the top news stories and the park was quickly flooded by photographers and people wanting to see them. It didn’t take long for the masses to get too close to the birds and they flew off. But we got word that they didn’t go too far and were even more accessible. Fortunately, we were able to get great shots.

    Group Of American Flamingos Preening At Edge Of Lagoon
    Group of American Flamingos Preening at the Edge of a Lagoon

    Fort De Soto is a wonderful park. It has miles of beautiful beaches and since its located right at the point where Tampa Bay flows into the Gulf of America, it’s known to birders and photographers alike for its amazing access to so many species of shore birds. One of the most sought after is the reddish egret. I’ve posted stories about these beautiful birds in the past. While my wife Pam was busy shell hunting, I photographed one of the reddish egrets along with a few other birds. And you never know what other critters you may find in the sand and receding tidal pools.

    Reddish Egret Walking Through Tidal Pool
    Reddish Egret Walking through a Small Tidal Pool
    Fiddler Crab Crouched Next To Sea Grass
    Fiddler Crab Crouched Next to a Piece of Sea Grass

    For now, our hope is that some of the displaced flamingos will find our area to their liking and make this their new home. Only time will tell. But as of Monday evening, several were still here. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. I’ve attached a couple of links to recent articles.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Highlands County

    Highlands County

    There is a great park located near Sebring, FL called Highlands Hammock State Park. The topography of the park is like a lot of areas across Florida with a very diversified landscape. At the far back of the park is a flooded swamp with a large tree canopy. It has a jungle feel. In the middle area of the park, the terrain transitions to an upland forest with huge live oak trees. There is a very nice campground and recreation area here along with several walking trails.

    Our favorite place in the park is called the primitive area. It is a large open area dotted with tall pines and scrub oak brush. There is a dirt road that winds through so we can drive and watch and listen. That’s a nice feature in the summer with temperatures in the mid-90s.

    Although summer isn’t the best time to visit the park, there are certain bird species that are present in larger numbers. Those would include red-headed woodpeckers, Northern flickers, Florida scrub jays, Eastern towhees, bobwhite quail, and great-horned owls. On this day, we saw or heard 37 different species along with several whitetail deer. Our best photo opportunity was with a male great-horned owl who posed for us for several minutes.

    Great Horned Owl Watching From Pine Branch
    Great Horned Owl Watching from a Pine Branch

    The drive over to Highlands Hammock takes us through mostly agricultural and pastureland. There are many fields of crops like citrus, tomatoes, and blueberries along with plenty of cattle. These areas also offer chances to see crested caracaras, bald eagles, wild turkeys, and lots of egrets, herons, and sandhill cranes. There is a citrus grove just a few miles from the park that is home to a family of crested caracaras. We usually see one of the family members every time we go to the park. This day was no different as one of the adults stood watch on top of an orange tree for a few minutes.

    Crested Caracara Sitting Atop Orange Tree
    Crested Caracara Sitting on Top of an Orange Tree

    For more information about Highlands Hammock State Park, check out the link below.

  • Bahia Beach Preserve

    Bahia Beach Preserve

    One of our favorite spots for bird photography is a little place in Hillsborough County, FL called Bahia Beach Preserve. It sits on the east side of Tampa Bay only ¾ of a mile from the bay and just ¼ of a mile from the Little Manatee River. Because of its proximity to the bay, it can be a magnet for water birds.

    Bahia Beach Preserve has provided some amazing photo opportunities for waterfowl in the past. We’ve usually visited the preserve during the winter months after the migratory birds have arrived. But we decided to give it a try after reading some promising reports from local birders. It did not disappoint. We made two trips over the past 10 days.

    One of the birds we were hoping to see was an American Avocet. Their general range is across the western US, but some do travel closely along the far southern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico during the winter.

    American Avocet Resting In Shallow Calm Water
    American Avocet Resting ion Shallow Calm Water

    Avocets have long necks and legs. Their black and white markings are striking when they fly. Avocets are mostly white, but their head, neck, and upper chest turn a brownish-peach color during breeding season. Their long, thin, black bills turn up at its tip. The bill is really the only way to distinguish the males from the females. The bill of the female is more upturned at the tip while the bill of the male is slightly longer. They like to feed in shallow waters like small ponds or pools along tidal mud flats. Avocets swing their bills from side to side through the water to stir up prey. They eat mostly aquatic insects and small shrimp.

    American Avocet Taking Flight
    American Avocet Taking Flight

    In addition to the Avocets, we also found many other water birds such as egrets and herons. As a bonus, we also came across several colorful roseate spoonbills.

    Roseate Spoonbill Trio Feeding In Quiet Water
    Roseate Spoonbill Trio Feeding in Quiet Water

    Follow the link below for more information on Bahia Beach Preserve.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Cortez

    Cortez

    This week we took a little trip out to the village of Cortez, which is located on the shores of Sarasota Bay where it empties into the Gulf of America. Cortez is known for its commercial fishing fleets. There are still places to go to get fresh shrimp and several kinds of fish caught daily.

    But our visit wasn’t for seafood, it was to try and find a group of nesting Magnificent Frigatebirds. We got a tip that there were large numbers of them seen in Cortez. They are found along the coast in the southern United States, most commonly in Florida, and Mexico, and the Caribbean.

    Magnificent Frigatebirds are unique and peculiar. They are large seabirds that appear to be a mix of a few other species. They have the head and bill of a cormorant, the wings of a nighthawk and the split tail of a swallow-tailed kite. They are the only seabirds where the male and female look different. The males are all black and have a bright red pouch on the throat, which they can inflate like a balloon to attract females. The females are bigger than males and have a white chest. Juveniles have varying amounts of white on the head, chest, and belly. They start with a white head and belly and have a pale tan streak on their upper wings. They have the largest wing to body difference of any bird species. They tend to take flight later in the day when winds and thermals are greatest. As a result of their massive wingspan, they can drift on thermal winds for days while barely flapping their wings. Even though they have webbed feet, they rarely land on water because their feathers are not waterproof.

    Frigatebird Male Flies By Right With Red Neck Pouch Inflated
    Magnificent Frigatebird Male Flies by to the Right with his Red Neck Pouch Inflated

    The Magnificent Frigatebird feeding and nesting habits are also unusual. They primarily eat small fish and squid, which they grab from the surface of the water without getting wet. They also eat plankton, crabs, jellyfish, and other items on the surface of the water. They can be a common sight around fishing boats, where they wait for scraps to skim off the surface of the water. Sometimes they will even eat hatchling turtles, young terns and other birds, and eggs. What makes their feeding habits unusual is the way they steal food from other birds. Sometimes Frigatebirds will harass other birds until they regurgitate recently captured food, and then swoop down to steal the meal before it hits the water. Like swallow-tailed kites, they will swoop down and drink from small freshwater ponds and lakes. We were hoping to capture some shots of them swooping to drink but they didn’t cooperate that morning.

    Large Flock Magnificent Frigatebirds Leaving Island
    Large Flock of Magnificent Frigatebirds Leave their Island to Soar

    However, we were successful in finding a nesting colony. Frigatebirds breed and roost in colonies, with nests often very close together. The female usually builds the nest with materials brought by the male. It’s typically just a simple flimsy platform of sticks. They typically build their nests in mangroves and in low trees and shrubs on islands. In our case, we found their colony on a small island covered with mangroves. What’s unusual about the breeding habits of Frigatebirds is the relationship between parents and their young. They care for their young for up to a year after hatching. This is the most extended parental care cycle in the avian world. Juveniles often don’t leave the nest for 6 months and females will continue to feed them until they are one year old. The parents never leave the nest unguarded until young are half-grown, as other members of colony will eat their eggs or young at an unattended nest. Because of the long breeding cycle, most females likely don’t breed every year.

    Frigatebird Male With Red Neck Pouch Flies With Juvenile
    Magnificent Frigatebird Male with Red Neck Pouch Flies with a Juvenile

    When the juveniles finally leave the nest, they practice stealing “food” from one another by playing games with sticks. They hold sticks in their mouths and chase each other. When one of them drops the stick, the other dives below to retrieve it. I’ve included some links to articles with more information about these interesting and strange birds.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Fort Myers

    Fort Myers

    One of our best destinations to look for the uncommon snail kite is a large marsh just outside of Fort Myers. The kites nest in the area and the waters around the marsh are full of enormous apple snails, which is the main diet of snail kites.

    This day was not the best for snail kites. But their relatives, the swallow-tailed kites, put on quite a show for us. We know that there is a significant roosting area for the swallow-tailed kites not far to the east of this marsh. We were fortunate that a large group of them chose to feed above us. They are amazing to watch as they circle and glide chasing bugs and frogs and lizards.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Glides By To The Right
    Swallow-tailed Kite Glides by to the Right

    We’ll head back later in the summer after the young kites have grown and their parents are actively hunting for food. There will also be more apple snails that have hatched providing a better food supply. Stay tuned.

    For more information about this endangered species, go to the link below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

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