Birds of a Feather

Are you into bird watching? If so, Stump Pass Beach State Park on the southern tip of Manasota Key in Englewood, FL is a great spot. We enjoy feeding birds at home & we're pretty good at identifying Michigan natives. But, Florida birds are a different story. So many beautiful birds unfamiliar to our neck of the woods. It wasn't our intention to go birdwatching every day but every night we returned with photos of coastal birds. We did our fair share of googling to identify them.

​The mixed group below is made up of mostly Royal & Least Terns. Royal Terns are the 2nd largest of the tern family. They feed on small fish & crustaceans. Royal Terns fly low & slow over the water looking for prey. Once spotted, they dive in head first to catch their dinner with their long, dagger-like bill. Royal Terns prefer warm, shallow waters. They nest in large colonies on barrier island beaches. The oldest Royal Tern on record was over 30 years old!

​​​Least Terns are also diving birds. They dart across waterways & feed mostly on small fish. (Extra points awarded for chivalry. Male least terns bring fish to the females during courtship.) The Least Terns flight is described as "strong, on swift, jerky, rapid wingbeats." They are known to hover above the water before plunging in for their prey. Least Terns share breeding ground with Royal Terns but with only so much beach to go around, Least Terns have also adapted to use flat gravel roofs for nesting. The oldest Least Tern known in the wild was 24 years old.

​See the big brown bird on the right side of these photos? We haven't figured out what type of bird he is yet. Does anyone know or care to venture a guess?

Mixed Company

Snowy Egrets

Snowy Egrets are small white herons commonly found along the coast. They wade in shallow waters spearing small fish, insects & aquatic mammals. Snowy Egret nest in colonies, often with other small heron, on protected islands. The males & females both take turns incubating their eggs. During the breeding season, Snowy Egret grow long, wispy feathers on their heads, necks & backs. These feathers were prized by the fashion industry. Many Snowy Egret were killed for their plumes. Reforms passed against plume hunting in the early 20th Century helped Snowy Egrets make a come-back. Snowy Egret are known to breed with other herons and have produced several highbreds including Cattle Egrets, Tri-Colored & Little Blue Heron. The oldest Snowy Egret on record was over 17-1/2 years old.

Brown Pelicans

Brown Pelicans live year around on ocean beaches, estuaries and sheltered bays. In Florida pelicans primarily use mangrove inlets for nesting making Manasota Key a perfect pelican habitat. Buttonwoods, red & black mangroves grow on the Lemon Bay side of the key. All pelicans are strong swimmers & flyers but we were impressed with their gliding ability. View our "Pelican Escort" to Sanibel & Captiva Islands HERE. Both parents feed their young, recognize their own offspring & are able to find them when juveniles are in groups. Pelicans live 15-25 years in the wild. The oldest brown pelican on record was 43 years old!

Pelicans are fearless dive-bombers. They fly above the water looking for fish then dive head first plunging into the water to stun small fish upon impact. They must have incredible eyesight as pelicans are known to dive from heights of up to 60 feet! A group of pelicans is called a brief, pod, pouch, scoop or squadron. Below is a short video of the squadron I observed fishing at Stump Pass Beach.

Sanderlings

I wrote about these little birds in our Venice blog post. They're called Sanderlings. Watching them chase the waves on Casperson Beach made me laugh. Sanderlings are members of the sandpiper family. They are migratory birds that spend August-April wintering in Florida before returning to their Arctic breeding grounds. Sanderlings are usually monogamous although females will sometimes breed with multiple males in a row. The oldest sanderling on record lived in Novia Scotia & was 13 years old.

Great Egret

A bright white, long legged wading bird typically found in shallow waters hunting for beach goodies. Hey, that sounds like me! Maybe Great Egrets are my spirit animal? Like snowy egrets, Great Egrets were also hunted for their plumes almost to extinction. They have made a healthy comeback thanks to early conservation legislation. Great Egrets can fly at speeds of 25 mph with 2 wingbeats per second. The oldest known Great Egret lived 22 years 10 months & was banded in Ohio.

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Herons were my favorite bird of all. They're huge, the largest of the North American heron, and they're not shy at all. We saw this guy almost every day begging for bait & trying to steal fish off off the lines of anyone fishing his turf. 

Great Blue Heron are on the hunt for food day & night. Their diet consists of mostly small fish but they will eat frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles, insects, rodents and other small birds. Males choose the nesting site to begin their display to attract a mate. Females build the nests with materials the males collect. Great Blue Heron typically nest in trees 20-60 feet above the ground but nests vary widely. Some may build nests on the ground, in low shrubs, or in higher trees up to 100 feet off the ground. A Great Blue Heron's lifespan is approximately 15 years. The oldest on record was found in Texas & was at least 24-1/2 years old.

Osprey Nest

Osprey build their nests at the top of dead trees but they will also use utility poles & man-made platforms to construct their nests. Osprey return to the same nest each year adding additional materials. Over time, their nests can grow up to 10 feet high. Ospreys live between 7-10 years in the wild although some can live as long as 20-25 years. The oldest osprey recorded in the wild was a European Osprey that lived to be over 30 years old.

It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's...
A Dude on a Hoverboard?!?!?

Every day was a new adventure but our evening ritual was always the same. We'd return to our condo, get cleaned up, then hit the beach to watch the sunset before heading out to dinner. Every night it was the same ol' thing...

1. Watch a spectacular sunset.
2. Listen for the neighbor behind us to blow his conch horn the moment the sun sank below the horizon.
3. Wait for the dude on the hoverboard to cruise through.

Yep, this place sure is for the birds!