National Bird Day (January 5, 2022) is a day to celebrate our fine-featured friends that have always held a special place in our hearts.
Whether it’s a common wren in your backyard, a gregarious roseate spoonbill wading in shallow waters, or the spectacular eagle soaring in the skies above, we have a unique place in our heart for these beautiful creatures.
Did you know that there are 9,800 species of birds in the world? National Bird Day celebrates the wide variety of bird species, including the 850 species that inhabit the United States. Sure, they all have two wings, feathers, and a beak. But there are remarkable differences after that.
Today, celebrate our amazing friends by engaging in the birding activities:
Study the birds of Southwest Florida
Pick up a birding book such as Sibley’s Backyard Birds of Florida or National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida and brush up on your bird knowledge and the role of birds in our lives.
Visit a birding trail of Sarasota County
Celery Fields is a flood mitigation area that has proven to be one of the premier birding hotspots on the southwest coast, with over 240 species seen, including Snail Kites, Roseate Spoonbills, Sandhill Cranes, Purple Gallinules, Limpkins, Mottled Ducks, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and Bald Eagles.
Arlington Park. This small urban park is a micro-habitat that is worth stopping by. It offers a 0.7-mile paved walkway, a 1.5-acre lake, and a small, reclaimed swamp within one of the most densely developed parts of the city. You may spot Common Gallinules and occasionally a Purple Gallinule in the swamp, along with smaller waders such as Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets.
Pinecraft Park. At the south end of this 15-acre habitat, you may see just about any small migratory species passing through that will make a stopover in this oasis. Check the overlooks along the edges of Phillipi Creek, where resident species such as herons, moorhens, and ibises share the water with waterthrushes and Common Yellowthroats.
Siesta Beach. This site on Beach Road is best birded early in the morning or later in the evening when quiet and less crowded. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded along Siesta Beach. You may spot a plethora of shorebirds such as Willets, Dunlin and Ruddy Turnstone, Piping Plovers, and Migratory shorebirds such as the Whimbrel, and Brown Pelicans, Osprey, and Roseate Spoonbills.,
Here is the full list with links to various Sarasota County Birding Trail Sites.
- Arlington Park
- Blind Pass Beach Park
- Carlton Reserve (T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve)
- Caspersen Beach Park
- Celery Fields
- Crowley Museum and Nature Center
- Indian Mound Park
- Jelks Preserve
- Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center
- Myakka River State Park
- Oscar Scherer State Park
- Pinecraft Park
- Quick Point Nature Preserve
- Red Bug Slough Preserve
- Shamrock Park and Nature Center
- Siesta Beach
- Venice Area Audubon Rookery
Photo Credit: JamesBaxley(C). Sources: National Today and Wildlife Florida