Recently, Latonya and I made our way south to celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss! (my description, lol). We envision ourselves as future snow birds since we love the beach and its wide range of complimentary therapies. We ended up in Captiva, a beautiful spot on the tip of Sanibel Island. It was our first visit to this area of the sunshine state, and it didn't disappoint.
I learned that one of our country's top birding spots and wildlife refuges (J.N. Ding Darling) was also located on Sanibel Island and I spent the better part of four days visiting the pristine wildlife sanctuary.
Although it wasn't peak season for the otherwise diverse volume of wildlife that visit Ding Darling, I did enjoy photographing some beautiful herons, spoonbills, ibises and pelicans, but the icing on my bird cake came during my last trip around the refuge when I spotted a Mangrove Cuckoo.
This was a first for me and a bit unusual for south Florida. The Mangrove Cuckoo usually hangs out in Cuba and the coastlines of Mexico so seeing this bird was a very special treat. If you are in the area, I highly recommend visiting Ding Darling even if you are just a casual wildlife observer. The facility allows you to hike, bike or drive around the 4-plus mile road through the refuge. To learn more, I recommend visiting this website. https://www.dingdarlingsociety.org.
Til next time, this is the old Kentucky Birder hoping to see you out on the trail soon.