Smyrna Dunes

Another foggy morning in coastal Florida - In spite of limited visibility, 27 avid birders showed up to “see what we could see” (or not) at Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna, Florida.

Smyrna Dunes Park spans over 184 acres of pristine coastal wilderness and offers a blend of natural beauty and recreational opportunities. The park features a unique mix of habitats, including salt marshes, dunes, and maritime forests, providing a habitat for a variety of wildlife. Visitors can explore the park through a network of trails and boardwalks, all of which lead to the beautiful sandy shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Birdwatchers find the variety of habitat a perfect place to spend a morning or late afternoon spotting and photographing some of the 233 species that have been seen at this locale.

One of the most prolific birds at the park is the Common Ground Dove. It may be “common”, but their coloration, small size and fondness for skulking around the ground vegetation make spotting this bird a challenge. We potted this bird along with two others close to the beginning of the boardwalk. While it may look similar to a Mourning dove which is more familiar to many new birders, it is considerably smaller, has a “scaly” appearance , and has pink legs and pink at the base of its bill.

The boardwalk eventually leads to the beach where we immediately find a group of Sanderlings. These little gems are often seen at the water’s edge scurrying back and forth as the waves roll in and then recede. The fog is still with us making for muted looks and sadly muted photographs!

Snowy egret

Once we reach the beach, we head north towards the jetty. At first, the jetty is hard to see through the fog even though it is only several hundred yards away. We hope to find Ruddy turnstones, Snowy egrets, and even a Purple sandpiper searching for crustaceans, fish and insects along the rock formation. Finally, the fog is beginning to lift as we approach and we do find two of the three hoped for species….the turnstones and the egrets. Both are here in pretty good numbers and they do not mind us coming relatively close to them to get good looks and decent pix. This is always a premier photo-op stop when in New Smyrna and worth the effort to get here whether by foot or my riding up the beach. Smyrna Dunes Park….a fine place to explore wild Florida.