Birders and eco tourists visit South West Florida

published on November 28, 2015

At Good Time Charters, we are passionate about giving our guests the best adventures that will make memories for a lifetime. We also inspire to educate about the fragile Everglades ecosystem and the endangered or threatened animals and plants that live here, which is why we formed our sister company Everglades Adventure. One such special critter we may catch sight of during a trek into the Glades is the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow.

 

Everglades National Park is home to one of eight remaining subspecies of Seaside Sparrow, the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, which is named for the southernmost point of land in the continental United States. Once upon a time this nonmigratory bird lived just about everywhere in South Florida, but the current known habitat of this endangered sparrow is restricted to five separate subpopulations.  Due to habitat sensitivity, this precious bird is the only bird limited specifically to the Everglades ecosystem.

Listed as endangered since 1967 and nicknamed the ‘Goldilocks bird” due to it’s very specific habitat needs, this tiny bird has depopulated because of the many habitat-changing events that have occurred, including water distribution alterations and hurricanes. Changes continue to threaten the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow with extinction. In an ongoing attempt to grow their numbers, their habitat is maintained by prescribed fires, and water levels are regulated to benefit the sparrow. Water management in the Everglades has been controversial because of possible negative impacts on other endangered species and human land uses.

The sparrows build cup-shaped nests about six inches off the ground, thereby making their nests vulnerable to even moderately high floodwaters and to predation by snakes and rats. Cape Sable seaside sparrows are not diet specific.  They are found taking advantage of any food available as they forage low in the grass and on the ground. They feed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, spiders, and grass and sedge seeds. Adults remove the legs and wings from insects before feeding them to their young.

 

Let Everglades Adventure be part of your next ‘once in a lifetime’ Everglades fun and fact filled adventure experience!

At Good Time Charters, our tours are led by certified Master Naturalist guides, ensuring you get an expert-led, immersive experience unlike any other—because when it comes to exploring nature, knowledge makes all the difference.

Sea What's Going On!

More from the blog

Resident dolphin of Fort myers Beach

Bottlenose Dolphins: Fort Myers Beach

seas shells of Fort myers-Sanibel beaches

Exoskeleton Delights

How is the water?

How is the red tide and water conditions in Fort Myers 2019?

Wurdemann's heron

Hybrid Herons and rare bird sightings in Southwest Florida

blue crab fort myers beach

How to gender a blue crab? It is so Crabtastic!

Fort Myers Beach Things To Do

Looking for something to do on Fort Myers Beach?

Manatee Migration Fort myers Beach

Are manatees near Fort Myers Beach yet?

GTC- Estero Bay Islands

Estero Bay Keys