Beautiful Migrants Headed Your Way!

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Red-eyed Vireo

Prothonotary Warbler

Hooded Warbler

Scarlet Tanager, female

Scarlet Tanager, female

Orchard Oriole, female

Happiness is... a Gumbo Limbo tree loaded with fruits at the Sanibel Lighthouse park if you are hungry migrants such as these. These migrants depend on finding food when they arrive in SW FL after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. The fact that Sanibel's code is to keep native vegetation on its properties insures there will be fruit and insects available for migrants and helps conserve these birds. Think of helping both migrant and resident birds on your property by planting plenty of native trees and shrubs. You will be rewarded with the sight of beautiful avian jewels and the birds will thank you. Soon these migrants will be arriving near you! Enjoy them by keeping your binos handy and getting our The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region or Western Region.

Here They Come! Buntings, Tanagers, Grosbeaks and More Migrants Flooding Into FL Now

Scarlet Tanager

Looking out from the Sanibel beach across the Gulf of Mexico. The buntings were landing in the dune vegetation.

Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting eating Dune Sunflower seeds

Palm Warbler

Blue Grosbeak

Red-eyed Vireo

Buntings, Vireos, Tanagers, Warblers, Grosbeaks, and more birds are crossing the Gulf of Mexico and flooding into southern Florida now. We just saw many of them at the Sanibel, Florida, lighthouse park and I took the above photos today. It is so very cool to be standing near the beach and suddenly seeing birds landing near you that have just made it the 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. I just wanted to cheer and congratulate them. Many of the Indigo Buntings were landing in the dune vegetation and eating the seeds of the dune sunflowers, chowing down and refueling after their long journey. Others, like the Red-eyed Vireo, were in the tropical vegetation eating the fruits of the Gumbo Limbo trees. It's very exciting and addictive to see these eye-candy birds, it just makes you want more. Well there are many more birds to come, so, if you live in Florida and the Gulf Coast states, get out there and look because here they come!
Note, all photos here taken with my Canon SX 50 HS camera. If you have this camera and want my tips for using it, email me. Email link is at the top right of this blog.
Lillian