Sunday, February 13, 2011

Celery Fields Preserve

Celery Fields Preserve in Sarasota, Floirda is a great urban birding spot.  What used to be celery fields is now a storm water catch basin for greater Sarasota.   Lots of ponds with dikes in between, spartina and phragmite marshes.
Above is a Wood Stork (Myceteria americana)




Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

Sow Thistle (Sonchus arvensis)

Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)


Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaja ajaja)
A good place to find these uncommom birds

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)

Apple snail (Ampullariidae spp)

American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Yellow Water LIlly (Nymphaea mexicana) just blooming!

Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)


Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis)

Roseate Spoonbill in the reeds.  Common Reed (Phragmites australis)

Best shot of the day, by Olivia!  Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
These little guys are FAST!

More Sandhills....this is a migratory group.  We have both migrants and residents in Gulf Coast Florida.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Blue Winged Teal (Anas discors)


Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)

This bird reminded us that we were not far from the city of Sarasota!


We had a nice day birding at Celery Fields even though it was cold and windy.  You can walk on the dikes between the ponds and marshes and see lots of different birds.
There are so many great spots along The Great Florida Birding Trail.  Comes visit and see for yourself.





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