Bunche Beach, Fort Myers, 7 Dec 2026 (Google Map)
Bunche Beach is located at 18201 John Morris Rd in Fort Myers. It is an undeveloped beach that is part of the 718-acre San Carlos Bay-Bunche Beach Preserve. For many years, because of repressive and unjust Jim Crow laws, it was the only Fort Myers-area beach that African-Americans were allowed to use. The property was acquired by the county in 2001. It is named for Dr. Ralph Bunche (1904-1971), American political scientist, diplomat, and civil rights activist, who was the first person of African descent to win a Nobel Prize. Bunche won the Peace Prize in 1950, largely for his efforts to negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt in the late 1940s.
When driving from Fort Myers, continue W on Summerlin Rd to John Morris Rd, which is about two miles beyond the bridge over San Carlos Blvd. Turn left (S) on John Morris Rd and drive to the end of the road, where the parking area is located. Parking costs $2/hr, unless you have a Lee County Parks and Recreation annual parking pass (see General Introduction to Field Trip Overviews). There is no restroom or picnic area directly on the beach. Both are located at the kayak launch area, near the preserve entrance
Bunche beach has tidal sandy beach and mangrove habitats. Shore birds and waders may be abundant. Birding success is largely tidal dependent. If the tide is really high, there will be fewer birds. If the tide is really low, the birds will be far away. We try to plan our trips for relatively low tides. See the San Carlos Bay / Bunche Beach Preserve eBird website for birding details.
Depending on the quality of birding, we may have lunch (BYOL) and tabulate our list at picnic tables near the kayak launch or, more likely, caravan to another site, such as Lakes Park (7330 Gladiolus Dr, Fort Myers), ca. 8 miles away, with restrooms, picnic facilities, and additional birding. Directions: Head N for 1.2 mi to Summerlin Rd. Turn right (E) onto Summerlin for 5.5 mi. Merge onto Gladiolus Dr for about 1 mi and turn left into Lakes Park. Parking costs $1/hr or $5/day, unless you have a Lee County Parks and Recreation annual parking pass.
North Cape Flats Trail & Crystal Lake Park, Cape Coral, 21 Dec 2026 (Google Map)
The North Cape Flats Trail is located at 3915 NW 44th Pl, Cape Coral. It is part of Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park and there is no entry fee. There are no restroom facilities or picnic tables located near the trail.
The trail extends about a half-mile primarily through pine flatwoods to the mud flats and sand bars on the shores of Charlotte Harbor (a one-mile up and back). Songbirds, such as Eastern Towhees, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and warblers, may be found in the woods, while Common Loons, Horned Grebes, ducks, and shorebirds, such as Marbled Godwits, may be seen in the harbor. The shore and a nearby sandbar may have as many as a dozen immature Bald Eagles that appear to be learning how to hunt.
Following our visit to the North Cape Flats trail, we will caravan to Crystal Lake Park (4307 NW 36th St, Cape Coral), a relatively new Lee County park that was opened in July, 2025. It has restroom facilities and picnic tables, and is less than one mile away. Parking is free. Directions are simple. Head S on NW 44th Pl for 0.5 mi, then turn L (E) on Caloosa Pky for 0.2 mi. Then turn R (W) on NW 43rd Ave and continue for 0.2 mi. NW 43 Ave turns right and becomes NW 36th St, where you can see the entrance to the park on the right.
Crystal Lake is a 45-acre storm water impoundment with a trail around its perimeter. It has a human-made sandy beach for recreation and scattered marshy vegetation with some trees in other areas of the lake. We will make use of the new restroom facilities, bird here a bit, and then have our BYOL lunch at a picnic shelter, where we will tabulate our birding list for the day.
Bailey Tract & Ding Darling, Sanibel Island, 28 Dec 2026 (Google Map)
The Bailey Tract comprises about 100 acres of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Frank P. Bailey and family settled on Sanibel in the 1880s and members of the family eventually owned a general store and citrus packinghouse on the site. The land was sold to the federal government in the 1950s. The Bailey Tract includes a main 1.1-mile loop unpaved walking trail through brackish and freshwater wetlands, and freshwater ponds made when fill was extracted from the site. Parking is free at the trailhead, which is located on Tarpon Bay Rd. There are no restrooms or picnic tables on the Bailey Tract.
Once you reach the first major island intersection from the causeway, take a right turn (W) on Periwinkle and follow it to its end at a 'T' intersection. Turn left (S) on Tarpon Bay Rd, basically at Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille (2500 Island Inn Rd, a side street). The Bailey Tract trailhead is several hundred yards S of Doc Ford's, on the right side of the road. See the the Bailey Tract eBird website for birding information.
After birding at the Bailey Tract, we typically plan to head toward the Ding Darling NWR Visitor Center (1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel) for its restrooms and picnic tables. After making the wildlife drive ($10.00/vehicle), we will probably enjoy our BYOL lunches and tabulate our bird list. Of course, our guides will direct our actual activities, which might differ from those in this description. See the J.N. Ding Darling NWF—Wildlife Drive eBird website for birding details.