Birding at the Park – May 2020
Parks & Rec staff and Lee County Bird Patrol have reported some birding and wildlife sightings at Lakes Park.
Here are some photos (thank you!).
Limpkins (Aramus guaruana) are tropical wetlands birds, and are year-round residents of Florida. They come specially equipped with a bill that is ideal for extracting apple snails from their shells. Lakes Park has had an abundance of apple snails in recent years. We noticed how plentiful they are shortly after Hurricane Irma. This may mean a great deal of them were carried along on the flood waters from elsewhere. A clutch can consist of 4-7 eggs. Limpkin chicks can swim, walk, and run from birth. CLICK here to find out more about limpkins from Cornell Lab
The killdeer plover (Charadrius vociferus) is known for being noisy, and also for pretending to have a broken wing in order to deflect attention away from the nest. It is mostly the male killdeer that builds the nest, and he may get an assist from the female toward the end of construction. Read more about the killdeer HERE.
The least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) is a member of the heron family. They are well-camouflaged, and really don’t want to be found. Least bitterns can hunt between the reeds due to their unusual ability to compress their bodies into small space. They can also hang on to a reed in order to hunt in water that is deeper than their legs are long. Here’s the link, you know what to do!
