4 WILDLIFE SPECIES TO SPOT

1 Roseate spoonbill

Like flamingos, roseate spoonbills get their pink plumage from a carotenoid-rich diet. You shouldn’t confuse the two: roseate spoonbills don’t stand on one leg and have a spoon-shaped beak. These Gulf Coast residents can often be seen in the mangrove ecosystem of Sanibel Island’s JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

2 Manatees

As temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico drop below 20°C, West Indian manatees seek warmth closer to shore They’re voracious grazers, but despite their bulk, they’re surprisingly graceful swimmers, using their tails to propel forward and their flippers to steer. Spot them from Manatee Park’s waterfront trails and in Lovers Key State Park.

3 Loggerhead turtles

Loggerhead turtles haul onto the area’s beaches between May and October, after returning from their foraging grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Hatchlings are vulnerable, so it’s vital to observe the measures put in place to protect them and avoid light pollution after dark.

4 White pelicans

American white pelicans migrate south from late autumn in search of Florida’s warmer climate. They overwinter at JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island and amid the shallows and sandbars of Bunche Beach. Note the impressive three-metre span of their black-tipped wings.