Birds

Sharing the Beach with Birds

June 28, 2011

I was disheartened this morning to read a story by Lisa Neff this morning in The Islander newspaper about black skimmer nesting grounds on Anna Maria Island being vandalized three times in the past week during the night. This is the time of year when many of our beautiful beach birds are trying to give [...]

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Birds That Could Not Hide From Me

February 1, 2011

This year most of my field trips were in watery habitats, so the birds I saw tended to fall in that category. As a result, I saw fewer songbirds this year. Here’s the list of birds I saw during the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival (with help from more experienced birders): Mottled Duck Blue-winged [...]

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Dead Birds Falling from the Sky Becomes Top News Story

January 7, 2011

Most people don’t pay much attention to birds, probably because people don’t look up very often.  We generally don’t have any idea how many birds there are around us at any given time. A big flock of crows might catch our attention, and the classic V-shape of geese in the autumn sky is always worth [...]

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Learn About Beach Birds

October 30, 2010

Birds are often the most visible and audible animal at the beach. Terns and gulls gracefully circle and dive; long-necked herons and egrets stalk the shoreline; and tiny peeps race back and forth along the seashore. But there are many kinds of gulls, terns, herons and peeps. Many come from far away lands and are [...]

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Snowy Plover vs. Siesta Key Beach Access #7

September 10, 2010

Most of us enjoy watching the birds at the beach. But few of us pay much attention to what the birds are actually DOING at the beach. Looking for a handout, we assume. Some species of birds actually lay their eggs right out on the beach. In the sand. In full sun. Sounds stupid, doesn’t [...]

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Sanderling – Common Shorebirds on Florida Beaches

March 28, 2010

One of the cutest and most common shorebirds found on Florida’s beaches is the Sanderling [Calidris alba]. It is also one of the whitest. Visible fieldmarks aside, you could identify this bird by its behavior alone. It is a very small bird (8 inches) with short black legs and runs rapidly up and down the [...]

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Learn How to Take Care of Baby Birds–Volunteer at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

March 23, 2010

Baby bird volunteers are needed immediately at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida. Volunteers will receive training and information at the Baby Bird Training Workshop on Saturday, April 3, 2010; 10:00 a.m. at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.  Volunteers will work in  aviaries and in the avian hospital feeding and caring for the babies. No experience is [...]

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Report Florida Sightings of Banded Shorebirds at BandedBirds.org

March 1, 2010

Have you seen a shorebird with colored bands or numbered flags on its legs? You can report your sighting at BandedBirds.org. The web site asks for a description on the bands, the location of the sighting, the date and time, the weather, the birds environment, the size of the flock and how many banded birds [...]

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A Scrub Jay Adventure at the Space Coast Birding Festival

January 28, 2010

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com I first met the friendly scrub jays when I went on a camping trip to Oscar Scherer State Park in Sarasota as a kid. These beautiful jays have no fear of humans. Since they are so habitat-specific, few people get to see them. I became reaquainted with this species [...]

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Handfeeding Hummingbirds

November 17, 2009

I hardly ever see hummingbirds anymore, so it’s really cool to see this person hand-feeding one. Thanks to Sharon Steitler at BirdChick.com/wp/ for posting this video.

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