birds in south gulf cove (Jay: live, woodpecker, move to)

[jmh1947]

We live on a lake in VA and own property in SGC where we hope to build our forever home.
One of my great pleasures is sitting on my back porch watching and listening to the birds. When we move to SGC what species of bird can I hope to see?

Thanks in advance

[TamRE]

There are some bird watchers on City-Data. They may respond to you. There is also a guide book to Southwest Florida birds. Birds of Southwest Florida: A Guide to Common and Notable Species (Quick Reference Guides): Larry Manfredi: 9780982490563: Amazon.com: Books. Birds of Florida field guide is another good book.

I was amazed when I first moved here how many different birds there are. I see all kinds when I walk my dog. But if you live near any kind of water you will see additional types of birds. They are quite beautiful and amazing to watch.

[jmh1947]

Originally Posted by TamRE

There are some bird watchers on City-Data. They may respond to you. There is also a guide book to Southwest Florida birds. Birds of Southwest Florida: A Guide to Common and Notable Species (Quick Reference Guides): Larry Manfredi: 9780982490563: Amazon.com: Books. Birds of Florida field guide is another good book.

I was amazed when I first moved here how many different birds there are. I see all kinds when I walk my dog. But if you live near any kind of water you will see additional types of birds. They are quite beautiful and amazing to watch.

Thanks. I followed the links and found some good information. It would seem that all I will need to do is put out my feeders and they will come. I was particularly pleased to see the Carolina Wren. Such a perky little bird with a loud and lovely song.

On a personal note, I, for one, appreciate the in-depth responses you provide in this forum.

[MikMal]

Originally Posted by jmh1947

...... It would seem that all I will need to do is put out my feeders and they will come. ......

I know someone who's neighbor put a bird feeder out...attracted lots of birds. With birds and bird food comes bird poop. Unfortunately, they would like to hang out on his lanai screen roof and poop all over it. Needless to say, this lead to tension between neighbors. Just something to keep in mind.

[jmh1947]

Originally Posted by MikMal

I know someone who's neighbor put a bird feeder out...attracted lots of birds. With birds and bird food comes bird poop. Unfortunately, they would like to hang out on his lanai screen roof and poop all over it. Needless to say, this lead to tension between neighbors. Just something to keep in mind.

Thanks I'll keep that in mind. At the moment we have no neighbors around our lot at all.

[MikeM8560]

When i was in Gulf Cove. I used to have sandhill cranes come walking down the streets at times.
Nlw i never see them east of the mayaka.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by MikeM8560

When i was in Gulf Cove. I used to have sandhill cranes come walking down the streets at times.
Nlw i never see them east of the mayaka.

We're on a tidal canal off Jim Long Lake. Our back yard faces the canal, across from which is a wetland/preserve/mangrove (take your choice), and beyond that we can see the river and more wetlands. The number and variety of birds we see here is amazing, including those sandhill cranes that cross our yard frequently to get to the canal. We've also seen herons of all kinds, storks, ospreys, kingfishers, cormorants, and of course, vultures at times. We've also had a family of cardinals that took up residence on the undeveloped part of our property, and they fly across the yard to check things out there, and make their way to our neighbor's bird feeder. There are also a number of blue jays around.

And in the canal, we've also seen quite a bit of wildlife. The jumping mullets of course, but also manatees, alligators, and rarely, a dolphin. We've seen many birds catching fish and crabs and eating them on our neighbor's dock.

One of the most memorable sights I've ever seen in this little piece of paradise was a blue jay that attacked an alligator that was making its way down the canal towards the lake. I heard the jay making a racket, and when I looked there was the blue jay, swooping down from behind the gator, and he whacked the gator on the head, and flew off. The jay came back around and whacked the alligator'shead a couple more times ( approaching from behind, he knew better than to approach from the alligator's front!)before he flew off. Probably the jay thought the gator was threatening a nearby nest or something, hence the attack. As far as I can tell, though, the gator didn't seem to be fazed by the attack.

[Messing About]

We love the birds in our backyard birdbath in PC. We've had Cardinals give birth 2 seasons in our trees. As AZ Cardinals fans, transplanted from the desert...we love that!

[jmh1947]

Wow, this is wonderful. Believe it or not, whether or not I would see birds was one of my biggest concerns
Thanks so much for your input. I would have loved to see the Jay and the alligator.

[nphomeowner]

We have bird feeders and a bird bath. We get cardinals, woodpeckers and tons of blue jays. Lots of others too that I am not sure what they are but never a dull moment. We feed them peanuts and they just love them. The squirrels were abundant as they love the nuts but I think the owls have thinned their population. The bunnies also like the nuts!