B i r d i n g

Collier County Audubon Society ~ Naples, Florida

 

Birding checklists

  • Download a detailed CHECKLIST of Collier County birds.
  • Get lists for selected Collier County spots, other Florida counties, state, and North America

Local birding spots

Discover some of the best Collier County birding spots.

Report rare bird sightings

The other day I got an email reporting a Golden Eagle sighting in Naples and asking whether this was possible. I replied (after looking it up) that it was possible but unusual. This pointed out that we need a link to let folks know if they have a rarity and how to report it.

The Florida Ornithological Society's Records Committee is the only Florida entity that addresses rare bird sightings. Use the FOS links below to check the updated Florida Checklist and find out if the species is or is not rare. The Review List should be looked at to see if the species needs to be reported.

If sending a photo (best idea, if possible) check the photo gallery for ideas. It is not necessary to have a perfect photo but be careful how much the photo is "Photoshopped" as important information can be lost.

Do not be disappointed if the record is not accepted; I have submitted two records and both were rejected; this is all in the fun of the game.

--Ted Below

Birds in Decline lists pinpoint common losses

Forty years of Christmas Bird Counts plus information from the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas has identified common birds whose populations are in serious decline. Five species are spotlighted on the Florida list, or check the National list from National Audubon Society. Return to this page by using your browser's back/return button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bird Brains quiz

How well do you know birds and their habits? Try our July bird trivia question ... and try previous months' questions and answers too.

Least Bittern has Pelican tendancies

A group of fourth and fifth graders on a birding field trip finds a Least Bittern that could give pelicans a run for their money. Read about the encounter...

Frequently asked bird questions

How do you stop birds from flying into windows, discourage woodpeckers from hammering your house, know what to feed birds, find out where birds go during hurricanes? Find answers to these questions are more.

Birding links

  • Online birding guides ranging from the birding areas in Florida to Arthur Cleveland Bent's Life Histories of American Birds.
  • Learn how to create a bird-friendly backyard
  • More links to birding information

Birding miscellany

 

 

 

 

 

Bird news

Ted's 2006 Summer Observations:
  • July 21: Summer's Over
 
Ted's 2005 Summer Observations:
  • June 7 : morphing Great Blue/White Herons
  • June 22: summer White Pelican
  • August 31: a first for Collier County-- Buff-breasted Sandpiper (right)
 
Ted's 2004 Summer Observations:
  • July 1: Willets are back, some in breeding colors
  • July 5: Kingfishers are back at Corkscrew
  • July 12: A Kingfisher on Marco, plus many Sandwich Terns
  • July 14: Piping Plovers and breeding-plumed Western Sandpiper & Short-billed Dowitcher
  • July 21: Gray Kingbirds ready to go
  • July 28: More Sandwich Terns and a Long-billed Curlew
 

 

Bird notes

Kinesis in shorebird bills: Kinesis (Greek for movement)

In some (maybe all) long billed shorebirds the birds are able to open, close and sense with the tip of the bill. This allows them to probe in mud, sand, water etc. and not only feel pray but grasp it without opening the whole bill and ingesting goop.

An example of this flexibility is shown in the photo at the right: a Short-billed Dowitcher, for some reason (social display ??), is seen with what appears to be extreme Kinesis. I have verified this in three shorebird species; Willet, Western Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher.

Ted Below

 

Birding miscellany

Accidental (Birds are highly mobile; some get lost and provide new records for an area, including Collier County.)
Are Birds Free? (Even out in the hinterlands of Collier County birds are getting kicked around by man)
Coastal Waterbirds & A Mystery Booby (Fall migrations can bring some unusual and confusing species)
Common Names (What is in a name? Everything, when you want to understand what is being written or talked about.)
Eurasian Collared Dove Nesting Preferences (Here's a possible reason why they are more prolific than natives)
Hurricane Visitor (Hurricane Charley brings a new species to Southwest Florida)
Second Chance (Least Terns take advantage of a second chance to raise their young, away from people)
Seeing or Watching? (Don't twitch -- watch! Some of the best shows in town are free)
White Feathers (Most adult Little Blue Herons are all blue, but a very strangely colored one occurred in Collier County)

Steve Carbol's birding pages

from the Audugram: Swainson's Thrush ~

Backyard birding resources

Bird feeding and other backyard ideas (from Cornell University's Project FeederWatch)
Creating a bird-friendly backyard (from National Birdfeeding Society)
 
For additional links to birding information, please visit the LINKS page.

Online birding guides

Important Birding Areas in Florida
A2Z4Birders Online Guide
Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds by Arthur Cleveland Bent

Additional bird checklists

more Collier County lists -- for specific areas

 

other Florida county lists

 

Florida state lists

 

North America list

Least Bittern one-ups Pelican

From: Florida Birds On Behalf Of David Hartgrove
Date: March 3, 2009

Hi,

While teaching groups of 4th and 5th graders about birds this morning, I came across an unexpected sight. We were at Bicentennial Youth Park, in central Volusia County. It's off the south side of SR44, one mile east of I-4. This is essentially a remnant pine plantation with mixed hardwoods and some wet areas. There is a small, ephemeral stream that parallels the main road running south from the main gate. There's only a 100 foot long section that still holds a foot or so of water right now due to our extended drought. The pines, sweet bay and cypress crowd right up to the edge of this wet area.

The aquatic invertebrates class was using small dip nets in one portion of this little wet spot to pull out minnows, crawfish, etc. and identify them before releasing them back into the water. One of the teachers came back and told me there was a small bird under the edge of the little dock. She said that at first she thought it was dead since it didn't appear to be moving. Upon closer inspection, she thought it must be sick but that it had a fish in its bill. I asked her what kind of bird she thought it was. She had no idea but asked that I come look at it.

I gathered my group up and we headed down the trail past the dip net class to the dock. The teacher and I carefully walked out onto the dock and peered over the edge. I almost fell over backwards. There, staring back up at me from the least likely of places, was a Least Bittern. It had a minnow in its beak and after I watched it for a while, I realized that its crop was bulging and its overall appearance seemed swollen. Aside from the fact that it was moving very slowly, it appeared healthy.

I had all of the kids come over to the edge quietly (or as quietly as a group of 10 year olds can be) and tried to make them understand just what an unexpected scene this was. We watched as the bird looked back up at us, then we walked back down the trail. I picked up the next group and after looking at some bird pictures and listening to their calls, we walked down the trail to see if the bird was still there. Not only was he there, he now had a second fish in his bill.

Of course, the kids had all kinds of suggestions about what was going on with this bird. After watching him for a while longer and wondering why he was holding these fish in his bill instead of swallowing them, I think I determined why.

Last night here at this spot, the temperature got down to the low 30's. The minnows were possibly stunned by the cold and along came this enterprising Least Bittern. He had more fish than he knew what to do with and they weren't able to elude his rapid bill. He continued to stuff himself until he was almost unable to move. He certainly couldn't fly. Still, once in a while, another minnow would wander too close and he couldn't help reacting by snatching that one up too, even though his crop was so full he couldn't swallow it at the time.

One of the girls bent over to see better and her paper name tag came off and fell into the water. When one of the boys asked to lean over the edge and retrieve it, the bird slowly edged back out of sight under the dock, still holding onto his two fish.

I thought of the poem by Dixon Merrith (though it's often misattributed to Ogden Nash):

My guess is that the Least Bittern is still holed up under that little dock digesting his largesse and will be gone tomorrow morning. You just never know what you're going to see out there.

David Hartgrove, FCD, Daytona Beach, FL

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These pages contain links to both public agency sites and private commercial sites. The Collier County Audubon Society does not endorse any of the sites listed nor has the material on these sites been verified for accuracy.

since May 10, 2004