(By Kim Ryan) February 15th marked the official start of Snowy Plover (Charadrius Nivosus) nesting season in the state of Florida. Typically, on Sanibel, the first nests are located in late March or early April which makes spring a great time to get out on the beaches of Southwest Florida to look for shorebirds and seabirds.
Figuring out who’s who in the avian world can be tricky. Good thing Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation is hosting a virtual classroom session and a guided beach walk so you can learn how to identify Southwest Florida shorebirds.
“We will go over the most commonly observed species on our beaches, how to tell them apart from one another, and how to identify some of our less-common visitors as well,” said SCCF Shorebird Biologist Aubrey Albrecht, who regularly monitors the islands’ beaches.
Participants may choose to attend the virtual class only, or attend a guided walk led by Albrecht in addition to the presentation. (Walks are limited to those who attended the virtual presentation.) Due to COVID restrictions, groups will be kept to 10 and participants must socially distance and/or wear masks if in close proximity to others. There are three kinds of tickets available:
1) Virtual classroom session only on Monday, March 14th at 9-10am.
2) Virtual classroom session (Monday, March 14, 9-10am) and walk on Wednesday, March 16, 8-9am.
3) Virtual classroom session (Monday, March 14, 9-10am) and walk on Thursday, March 17, 8-9am.
For more information or to register GO HERE.