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Sanibel & Captiva Islands are for the birds--and
bird watchers
Visitors come to Sanibel and
Captiva from around the world to enjoy the
subtropical climate, to sit on the beaches, and to
collect shells. Many also look forward to
experiencing some of the birdlife for which the
islands are famous.
Wildlife Drive in
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is
the most popular place on the islands for watching
tall wading birds. The drive is paved, four-mile,
one-way road on a dike built in the 1960s as a
mosquito-control structure. the dike forms two tidal
impoundments, east and west, and these are the areas
where wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl come
to feed. Those of you who visit in winter should
plan your bird watching drive on days when low tide
is fairly early in the morning. When the tide is
low, fish concentrate in shallow pools, making it
easy for wading birds to capture prey and create
perfect conditions for bird watching.
Snowy egrets and great egrets are
among the more active feeders, flying over the pools
to snatch fish while in flight. Tri-colored herons
and reddish egrets also hunt busily, running in
shallow areas in pursuit of food. White ibis walk
along the edge of the water, their long, decurved
bills probing for small crustaceans -- a bird
watchers dream come true.
Roseate spoonbills are waders
that most bird watchers want to see. With their bright
pink feathers, they are hard to miss, even when many
other birds are present. Tactile feeders, they swing
their grey-green, spatulate bills back and forth
through shallow water, hoping to make contact with
prey. Wood storks, also tactile feeders, hold their
massive bills open in the water and shuffle their
pink feet in the mud to scare fish toward the bill.
On Sanibel and Captiva, there are
a number of other places for bird watching. The interior wetlands are lovely
places to walk, either early in the day or toward
sunset. Center Tract at the
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the
Bailey Tract, and Sanibel Gardens Preserve all have
good walking trails for bird watchers. Here, red-shouldered hawks call
noisily from overhead. Woodpeckers, most frequently
red-bellied or pileated, drum on decaying tree
trunks.
And when you go to the beach to
sunbathe and shell, remember that birdlife on the
beaches is exciting, too.
Wherever you encounter birds on
the islands, please remember that these islands are
their home. Give them some space and disturb them as
little as possible. Remember that Sanibel prohibits
hand-feeding of any wild birds, including gulls.
See images of birdlife local to Sanibel & Captiva
Islands.
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