Bird Watching

Mina Edison would often sit on the porch of Seminole Lodge to observe ibises, long-billed curlews, Everglades snail kites, herons and bitterns. She installed numerous birdhouses along the riverfront to attract purple martins and other species. It wasn’t long before her husband, children and the Ford family took up bird-watching as well. A new exhibition in the Edison Caretaker’s House pays tribute to “The Birds of Southwest Florida.” It runs Sept. 1 through Dec. 6.

Peaking during weeks like this one in September and October songbirds stream south on overnight flights, shorebirds and raptors move by day, and waterfowl build up on wetlands as freezes creep south. South Florida is the winter destination for some; for others, it's a stopover on the way to the Caribbean and South America.

The lush forests of the Andes mountains are home to thousands of bird species. Habitat loss and other factors are contributing to number depletions and have put some bird’s future in jeopardy.

Labor Day weekend plans usually involve family gatherings and barbecues. But for more than 100 people from all over the state, Labor Day included swooping into FGCU’s food forest in hopes of catching sight of a rare bird.

Audubon’s Everglades Science Center team is calling on bird enthusiasts across the state to search for Roseate Spoonbills and report banded birds on this form.Nearly 3,000 birds have been banded since 2003. Each band sighting will win a special sticker and contribute to critical population data for this iconic Florida species.

The Florida Scrub Jay finds itself thrust into the middle of a lawsuit designed to protect its habitat in Charlotte County.