Last month, we went to visit Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, a short drive south of Naples Florida. That is a good spot to see shorebirds and waders.
Before we drove there, I decided we should stop off at The Rookery Bay Educational Learning Center. They had had a rare bird hanging out there for more than a week. It was a Dark-eyed Junco, which is a regular winter visitor back home in Toronto Canada. The center was on the way to Marco Island, so it was worth a look and definitely an interesting addition to my Florida state list. After an hour of doing a stakeout in the parking lot, a fellow birder finally spotted our elusive quarry. Success! On to Marco Island.
Dark-eyed Junco
When you arrive at Tigertail beach, you will notice that most people ignore the large beach in front of them. Instead, they will walk past it and disappear around a corner. They are heading to the beach section which looks out onto the Gulf of Mexico. It is the place most people go to in order to enjoy the water and do some shelling. However, the first beach is where you want to remain for birdwatching. Set up your scope and look for shorebirds. (And, don’t be like me who forgot to bring my scope with me from home. Darn!) In recent days, people had been seeing Short-billed Dowitcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Wilson’s and Semi-palmated Plovers, Dunlin, Willet, and Sanderling. The day I went, there had been a die-off of fish, caused by the below-normal cold weather the previous week. The smell of all those fish had attracted Turkey Vultures. I had never seen that many there before. They were on the beach and the sandbars, carrying fish in their bills.
Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage)
The only shorebirds I had were one Willet, one Black-bellied Plover, and two Sanderlings. I may have arrived too late in the day, because there was dredging work happening on the beach and lots of fishermen working the shoreline. I did see Ring-billed Bull, American Herring Gull, and Laughing Gull, which were also attracted to the dead fish. Waders were White Ibis, Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret.
Reddish Egret
It is always worth checking the trees along the way to the beach. I saw White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireo. They were joined by a beautiful male Prairie Warbler.
As you drive through the neighbourhood to get to Tigertail Beach, check out the lovely homes along the way. Yes, some of them are quite eye-popping, but what you are looking for are smaller accommodations. Many of the homes have a perch on a small section of their lawns, surrounded by a little fence. The tenants who make appearances on these perches are Burrowing Owls. The homeowners are helping these adorable little owls, which are classified as a state-threatened species in Florida.
Burrowing Owls
Marco Island is close to Naples, so it makes for a nice half-day birding trip. The rest of the time, you can take a dip in the gulf or find some Sand dollars as a souvenir of your visit to Tigertail Beach.
Note: Photo of Burrowing Owl by Leslie Kinrys. Other photos are from Wikipedia Commons, an online source of copyright-free photos: Dark-eyed Junco by Rhododendrites; Black-bellied Plover by Dick Daniels; Reddish Egret by James St. John; Wilson’s Plover (top of article) by Alan Schmierer.
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