Rotary Park, Cape Coral, 1 Feb 2027 (Google Map)
Rotary Park (5505 Rose Garden Rd, Cape Coral) is a 97-acre city park that includes, among other features, a 4,200-square-foot environmental center, nature trails, a butterfly and native plant garden, a butterfly house (scheduled tours only), a playground, a dog park, picnic areas, and modern restroom facilities. Admission and parking are free. The park had its origins in the early 1980s as a project undertaken by three local Rotary Clubs in partnership with the City and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the latter providing grant funding. It was opened to the public in 2001.
Habitats at the park include open parkland with attractive hardwood plantings, human-dug ponds of various sizes, and estuary mangrove forest near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. There is an observation tower that allows for a scenic view of wading birds.
See the Rotary Park eBird website for birding information. In one recent year, we were eating our BYOL lunches and tabulating our bird list, when a Short-tailed hawk gave us some low flybys that yielded great photos!
Bunche Beach, Fort Myers, 8 Feb 2027 (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 Introduction to Field Trips). 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 that are coming in. 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.
Ollie's Pond, Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park, Port Charlotte, 15 Feb 2027 (Google Map to Ollie's Pond, Google Map to Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park)
Ollie's Pond Park (18235 Avon Ave, Port Charlotte) is about a 36-mile drive NW from the intersection of I-75 and FL 80 (Palm Beach Blvd) in greater Fort Myers. It should be a 45-minute drive under ideal traffic conditions. Take I-75 N to Exit 167. Turn L on to Harbor View Rd and continue for 3.6 mi. Continue straight onto Edgewater Dr for 2.2 mi. At the first traffic circle, continue straight to stay on Edgewater for 0.6 mi. At the second traffic circle, continue straight to continue on Edgewater for 0.4 mi. At the third traffic circle, continue straight to continue on Edgewater for 0.5 mi. At the fourth traffic circle, continue straight on Edgewater for 0.6 mi. Turn right onto Pellam Blvd for one mile. Turn L onto Wintergarden Ave for 0.5 mi. Turn L onto Gobron St for 0.1 mi, curving to the left onto Avon Ave to see Ollie's Pond Park on the right.
Ollie's Pond Park comprises eight acres with two ponds, an observation deck, and a one-mile-loop hiking trail that passes through some nice woods. Often, it is a good early-morning stop to see wading birds.. The park is located in a quiet neighborhood. It lacks modern restroom facilities, but does have a porta-potty and scattered picnic tables and benches. After visiting Ollie's Pond we will head to Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park. See the Ollie's Pond Park eBird website for birding information.
Directions from Ollie's Pond Park to Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park: Head right (E) on Avon Ave for 0.2 mi. Turn R onto Cody St for about 300 ft. Turn L onto Oxford Ave and continue for 0.3 mi. Turn R onto Pellam Blvd and continue for 2.0 mi. Turn L onto Edgewater Dr and continue for 0.6 mi. At the traffic circle, take the third exit (N) onto Midway Blvd and continue for 0.6 mi. Turn L onto Victoria Ave NW and continue for 0.3 mi. Turn R onto Doria St and continue for 0.2 mi to the park entrance on the right.
Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park (501 Donora St, Port Charlotte) is primarily a woodland hardwoods area that includes a nice, level hiking trail in a one-mile loop, with some short segments of boardwalk. The park was established as Kiwanis Park in 1977 and renamed in 2019 for a long-time local Kiwanis member, Larry Taylor. There is a small lake, Kiwanis Lake, which seems more like a moat around a human-made peninsular "island." Modern restroom facilities are available as are picnic shelters, the latter available for rental at a rate of $20.00 per hour plus tax. There is no mention of parking charges on the park's website. We will probably eat our BYOL lunches, tabulate our bird lists, and choose our "trip bird" at picnic tables at Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park See the Larry Taylor Kiwanis Park eBird website for birding information.
The Celery Fields, Sarasota, 22 Feb 2027 (Google Map)
At about 450 acres, Celery Fields (6799 Palmer Blvd, Sarasota) is Sarasota County's largest storm water control facility. In the 1880s, it was a sawgrass wetland that was drained for agricultural production. By the late 1920s, celery was the major crop in the area. In the mid-1990s, wetland restoration was undertaken. Much of the soil removed by digging the water reservoirs was piled in a mountainous hill, which from a distance resembles an abandoned landfill. The area is an extremely popular birding location. Sarasota Audubon has a nice Visitors' Center that includes a wonderful native plants demonstration garden and abundant bird feeders. Nanday Parakeets, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and both Indigo and Painted Buntings are commonly seen at the feeders. There are Martin houses near the parking lot, which are often occupied, and a hike up the hill might yield unusual birds. In 2024, members of the CBC were treated to an Ash-throated Flycatcher. For more information on birding at this, and other Sarasota County Parks, see the web pages of Sarasota Audubon Society Guided Bird Walks and The Celery Fields eBird website.
Directions: Celery Fields is about 71 miles NW from the Palm Beach Blvd/I-75 Intersection. Take I-75 N to Exit 210, the FL 780 E/Fruitville Rd ramp. Turn right on Fruitville road for 0.3 mi and make a right turn on Lakewood Branch Blvd. At the traffic circle, take the first exit (right) onto Apex Rd. Follow Apex Rd for 1 mi, and then make a left turn onto Palmer Blvd. Continue on Palmer Blvd for 0.6 mi until making a left turn at the Celery Fields entrance. Parking is free. Restrooms and picnic tables are available.
Across Palmer Blvd from the parking lot is a retention lake with a boardwalk to an observation station. Wading birds, including common egrets and herons, are generally abundant. Birds such as Soras, Wilson's Snipes, Purple Gallinules, and Gray-headed Swamphens, often give great looks for photography.
We may eat our BYOL lunches, tabulate our bird lists, and choose our "trip bird" at Celery Fields, but sometimes we continue first to Myakka River State Park (13208 State Rd 72, Sarasota, FL, Google Map), which is about 12.5 miles away, for these activities.
To reach Myakka River State Park, turn left onto Palmer Blvd and continue for 2.8 mi. Turn right onto Lorraine Rd and continue for 1.1 mi. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit (straight) and stay on Lorraine Rd for an additional 2.8 mi. At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit (left) onto FL-72 E and continue for 5.6 mi. Turn left onto Myakka State Park Rd for 0.1 mi until you reach the main park entrance on the left. The entrance fee is $6.00/vehicle (up to eight persons) or $4.00 for a single-occupant vehicle. See the Myakka River State Park eBird website for birding information.