The J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is part of the US National Wildlife Refuge System and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is one of the most famous reserves in Florida and an essential place to visit for any birder visiting the state.
In Fort Myers we were staying at the Hampton Inn for two nights, giving us the whole of 12 February to explore the Ding Darling reserve, which is on Sanibel island, just off the west coast of Florida. The reserve is based around the Wildlife Drive, which is a 4-mile, one-way road that takes you through mangrove wetland and subtropical hammock habitat, along which you can stop and walk various tracks. Passerines are not the primary reason people visit Ding Darling, but we did see Palm Warbler, Northern cardinal (female), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Mockingbird and Blue-grey Gnatcatcher.
The major attraction at Ding Darling is the waterbirds and we saw a good selection during our full day at the reserve, with a highlight being the Reddish Egrets that were literally dancing in the water.
The colourful Roseate Spoonbills are also a highlight of Ding Darling and we spent time photographing these beautiful birds in flight and on the pools.
On the water we also saw Goosander, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Short-billed Dowitcher and Sanderling.
With so much food available around the reserve, the Osprey were very active.
