Our condo on Longboat Key looks out over Sarasota Bay and the complex extends westward, across the main road, to the Gulf of Mexico. Generally a great location for birding, my observations have been less than stellar on this trip. I wonder if the hurricanes played a role but this has been the least number and variety of species that I have encountered since we purchased the property, 21 years ago.
The low number of American white pelicans and red-breasted mergansers on the Bay has been especially evident. Waders, in general, have been relatively uncommon though energetic flocks of white ibis still patrol the complex; ospreys, brown pelicans and double-crested cormorants have also appeared in their typical numbers.
One highlight has been an increased number of wood stocks flying over this part of the Key. Listed as a "threatened species" in Florida since the 1970's, the welfare of these birds has been threatened by the degradation of wetlands (primarily through drainage and pollution).
