Chick Crossing

This sign is on the edge of a seabird nesting area on south Lido Key off Sarasota.  A single rope around the area protects nests on the ground from those who can read.

Craig Tucker's Snow Birds

 We call all our winter visitors to Florida, "SNOW BIRDS".

That includes white pelicans and other seasonal residents.

Photos by W. Craig Tucker

Hooded Mergansers

 The "snow birds" are here in Sarasota for the Winter. They come down from swamps and wooded ponds of the northern half of the United States and southern Canada.  Mergansers are occasionally seen on Sarasota Bay.   The visitors pictured were cruising in The Meadows Community pond.  Check out the Celery Fields for a possible sighting.

The single bird above is a male.  He is seen with 2 females in the top photo.