Apparently it is -22F at home in NE Minnesota (not including windchill). Thus I had better not complain about the cool weather in southern Florida. However given rain and 50F to started the day, I decided I needed to bird near the car. I can handle drizzle, but I do not like getting wet.

My first stop was West Harns Marsh, and in between drizzles I found two more Snail Kites, but waaaay out in the marsh.

Snail Kite

A few minutes away is Harns Marsh where my lifer occured …

Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks (Cornell link)

In life, if you can’t be good, be lucky!

I had decided based upon research that I needed to bird West Harns Marsh. Most birders, including me tend to bird the main Harns Marsh location. West Harns Marsh doesn’t have a real parking area, and only a small gate through which to access the the trail next to the marsh. However, signs make it obvious you are welcome on foot, and the access point is right across the road from the Lee County Sheriff’s Shooting Range. The 25 patrol cars parked across the road told me security would be a non issue at this location. Thankfully, the gun range is an indoor one. Thus, any gunfire retorts are very faint.

After I was getting to leave after a hike along the marsh, one birder did show up. He was visiting from the Seattle area, and had driven 3+ hours in the hopes of seeing a Snail Kite. I thought I should join his effort, and within a few minutes … jackpot! This raptor eats only freshwater snails and its range only overlaps into the United States in Florida.

Snail Kite

Loggerhead Shrike (hunting the grasslands next to the marsh)

Yesterday morning I had a fun time at Bunsche Beach, and unlike the more popular beaches in the Fort Myers area, I had miles of beach to myself for exploration. Better yet, I saw hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of shorebirds, but this was in prime contrast to my first effort a few days earlier when I saw only a few birds. I needed to learn and “plan” this trip. Unlike when I watch shorebirds at sunrise as they migrate along Lake Superior’s Minnesota Point where the key is to be out early in the morning, birding the ocean requires a knowledge of tides. Simply put, if you bird at the wrong time relative to high and low tide you will see almost nary a bird, but plan your excursion to correspond when the tides have brought in food and the birds appear from their hidden roosts.

• According to Audubon, one of the best times to bird is somewhat after sunrise if there has been a recent high tide (within 1.5 to 2 hours). Learn more about birding the tides from Audubon.
• High tide yesterday morning was at 7:15 am, which was almost the same time as sunrise. I arrived at Bunsche Beach at 8:15 am.
• I learned not all tidal charts which claim to have local high and low tides are created equal. The tide charts that popped up in the first few Google search results were just plain wrong. I did not realize this until I happened to be on the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge website, and realized the tidal chart to which they linked had dramatically different tide times. Their “Friends” organization pointed to this tidal chart, which DID have correct data.

The other tool you will need for shorebird identification is Merlin from Cornell. Shorebirds, depending upon the time of year, have many varying plumage variations. Merlin Photo ID is a blessing (and free) for those of us who do not see Arctic shorebirds very often. Learn more about Merlin from a prior blog post.

Finally … the birds … including a very cool lifer for me, the Black Skimmer, were all over the place. I did not even realize this bird was rare for the Fort Myers area. As I was leaving the beach I walked past another birder (a local). He asked what I had seen, and I talked about the flock of Skimmers. He informed me I was lucky, and headed straight for the flock based upon my directions.

Black Skimmer (one Royale Tern & Brown Pelican)

Ruddy Turnstones

Plover Power (Piping, Semi-Palmated & Black)

Piping Plovers are a “threatened species”. Thus I will real pleased to see not one, but many foraging on the beach.

Royale Terns