Lido Key Beach, off Sarasota, is one of the best locations along the west coast of Florida for birding, wildlife watching, shelling and walking. Also popular for social gatherings, it can be a bit crowded on weekends.
On this sunny, warm morning, we walked the beach, my wife shelling while I, of course, surveyed the birdlife. The usual mix of seabirds and shorebirds were observed but black-bellied plovers were especially abundant. I counted 120 individuals, resting in flocks on the sand or hunting along the shoreline; these travelers were in various stages of molting to their attractive breeding plumage and will soon depart for the Arctic tundra.
My northern gannet watch continues without success during this visit to South Florida. While the white adults have headed to breeding colonies in the North Atlantic, dark-brown juveniles often remain on wintering waters throughout the year. Since they tend to stay well offshore, they are identified by their size, shape, flight pattern and their spectacular vertical dives for fish. Alas, no sightings yet.
