Our next stop in Florida was Myakka River State Park in Sarasota and we picked up 36 species. We started in the Weir area on the southern part of the lake. Some of the birds we saw were limpkin, black-necked stilt, sandhill crane (two flying over us), roseate spoonbill (4 or 5), adult bald eagle carrying nesting material, white ibis, glossy ibis, red-shouldered hawk (pale Florida version), little blue heron, tricolored heron, American anhinga, common gallinule, palm warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, and Forster’s tern. Next, we went to the Birdwalk area. The Birdwalk itself was closed because it was damaged from Hurricane Ian about four months earlier. However, we were able to walk near it. Some of the birds seen here were wood stork, belted kingfisher, white ibis, snowy egret, common gallinule, pied-billed grebe, red-winged blackbird, and osprey. Our last area was behind Cabins 3-5. We went there because we heard that a crested caracara was seen there a couple of days earlier. We didn’t see it but instead identified red-bellied woodpecker, northern cardinal, black-and-white warbler, pileated woodpecker, and Carolina wren, among other birds.
MY PHOTOS: wood stork, bald eagle, sandhill crane, black-necked stilt, limpkin, roseate spoonbill, white ibis
