If you're looking for a short day trip providing a nice, birdy location this time of year, you can't go wrong with Tierra Verde and Ft. DeSoto. Here are two short accounts of Sarasota Audubon-led trips to these locations in February:
February 8 Trip, Led by Dan Irrizary
Our first stop was just before the drawbridge to Tierra Verde. A quick scan here revealed a mixed raft of Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Loons (3 each or so) feeding not more than 50 feet offshore. We all got excellent looks at these birds that tend to be scope distances away!
From here we stopped at the Eagle pond. Mother eagle was standing by the nest, periodically checking in on her 3 week old eaglet! The male eagle was out hunting. The pond had about a dozen Pied-billed Grebes, lots of American Coots, some Common Moorhens, and several Ring-necked Ducks.
The Redhead pond and the pond just north of it were excellent this morning. The more northern pond had Pied-billed Grebes and many Lesser Scaup. The larger Redhead pond had hundreds upon hundreds of Redheads. Mixed in with them were some Lesser Scaup. We found a lone American Wigeon and gorgeous drake Northern Pintail amongst all these ducks. Several dozen Northern Shovelers were found along the north side of the pond. A lone Blue-winged Teal was spotted, as was one or two Ruddy Ducks.
From here, we went to North Beach. Winds were strong out of the north and the sky was overcast. We weren’t expecting much. There was a lone American White Pelican far off in the distance. In the lagoon were a Herring Gull, some Ring-billed Gulls, Laughing Gulls, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, and Great Egret.
Those were the highlights. Not a single shorebird was seen, but with the weather and it being low tide, they weren’t expected.
February 22 Trip, Led by Lynn Jakubowicz and Mary Heinlen
Twenty birders had a pleasant day at Fort DeSoto and the Tierra Verde duck ponds. Before the day was over we had recorded 70 species. We started our day at the far end of East Beach, where we saw American Oystercatchers, Red-breasted Mergansers, and Common Loons, as well as numerous shorebirds. Moving on to North Beach, we had a nice collection of gulls and terns, and a small group of six Wilson’s Plovers.
At the Tierra Verde duck ponds, we saw numerous ducks, including Ruddy Ducks, Northern Shovelers, and well over a hundred Redheads. One of the highlights of the day was a close view of a Bald Eagle chick on the nest with both parents nearby. Driving home over the Skyway Bridge we watched a huge flock of American White Pelicans fly past overhead.
Want to join us for other Sarasota Audubon trips this season? Check out the schedule on our website, www.SarasotaAudubon.org.
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