Recent Sightings on Sanibel

We sometimes hear guests say that they did not see much of wildlife visiting the island.

And though there are always variables in sightings based on time of day, time of year and location, the most significant reason for not seeing an abundance of wild life is the lack of looking for it, as well as the great camouflage of some of our critters.

Some of our wild life is very apparent and a short walk on the beach will allow the average birder to see pelicans, sea gulls, sand pipers, ibis,  even a great blue heron on occasion.

But there are so many more birds and creatures that live happily on Sanibel a bit under the radar.

Here is a sample of the great island residents that  have  been sighted in the last few weeks and some tips of where, when and how to spot them.

The Pileated Wood Pecker is the largest woodpecker in the United States.   You may well hear him before you see him, though, as he is a bit on the shy side. The call is a loud, far-carrying laugh, sometimes described as a "jungle bird" call due its wild, un-fettered quality.

Usually, pileated woodpeckers excavate their large nests in the cavities of dead trees. Woodpeckers make such large holes in dead trees that the holes can cause a small tree to break in half. The roost of a pileated woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. Pileated woodpeckers raise their young every year in a hole in a tree.   So a tree with a large hole may well be the home of a pileated wood pecker and worth keeping an eye on.

And while there are many heron to be seen, some quite apparent, the Green Heron may be more of a challenge to distinguish.  As with the pileated wood pecker, the sound of a green heron may precede the sight.  The green heron's call is a loud and sudden kyow; it also makes a series of more subdued kuk calls. During courtship, the male gives a raah-rahh call with wide-open bill, makes noisy wingbeats and whoom-whoom-whoom calls in flight, and sometimes calls roo-roo to the female before landing again. While sitting, an aaroo-aaroo courtship call is also given.  Keeping your ears open may result in an eye opening experience.

And one of the most enjoyable sights you may have on island is that of swallow tail kites.  Our most beautiful bird of prey, striking in its shape, its pattern, and its extraordinarily graceful flight. Hanging motionless in the air, swooping and gliding, rolling upside down and then zooming high in the air with scarcely a motion of its wings, the Swallow-tailed Kite is a special joy to watch. At one time it was common in summer over much of the southeast, but today it is found mostly in Florida and a few other areas of the deep south.

We hope you will keep your eyes and ears open and let us know what your sightings are!