A remarkable show of water birds is now on display between Englewood and Placida just off Gasparilla Island.
Head out to Amberjack Environmental Park off Placida Road to find an amazing concentration of white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, egrets, herons, blue and green wing teal, a rare canvasback duck, glossy and white ibis, wood storks and others.
But the best show will not likely last much longer.
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White pelicans, egrets and spoonbills feed in Lemon Lake.
Lemon Lake receives rainwater and tidal brackish water from Lemon Bay. It is shallow and bright sunlight and nutrients nurture an abundant growth of algae and rooted aquatic plants, which provide food for small fish and dabbling ducks.
The predominant fish in Lemon Lake is the sheepshead minnow, a herbivore extremely tolerant of wide changes in salinity and temperature. A high density of this small fish builds up as the lake dries down from low rainfall and high evaporation resulting in this shallow body of water becoming extremely attractive to fish-eating water birds.
Enjoy this spectacle of water birds right here in our own neighborhood while it lasts.
Fact Box
William Dunson, Ph.d., professor emeritus of biology at Penn State University, splits time between Southwest Florida and his farm in Galax, Va. He can be reached at wdunson@comcast.net.
William Dunson, Ph.d., professor emeritus of biology at Penn State University, splits time between Southwest Florida and his farm in Galax, Va. He can be reached at wdunson@comcast.net.
