{"id":150,"date":"2017-12-11T01:04:18","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T01:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paddlemarco.com\/blog\/?p=150"},"modified":"2017-12-11T13:54:48","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T13:54:48","slug":"top-10-birds-we-see-on-our-kayak-tours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paddlemarco.com\/blog\/top-10-birds-we-see-on-our-kayak-tours","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Birds we see on our Kayak Tours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Mangrove Tunnels Kayak Tour<\/a> is filled with wildlife!\u00a0 Our kayak tours wouldn’t be as fun if we didn’t have amazing birds on it.\u00a0 There are dozens of birds that we could list in this write-up… but to keep it simple, we listed our favorite birds that we see on our Kayak Tours.\u00a0 Here’s the top 10:<\/p>\n

White Ibis<\/span><\/p>\n

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White Ibis eating a Mangrove Tree Crab on a Kayak Tour. – Paddle Marco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We see White Ibis on almost every kayak tour.\u00a0 We’ll see big flocks of them in the trees and we’ll spot a single White Ibis all alone walking around in the mangroves.\u00a0 This bird is low on our list when it comes to the “cool-factor” but is still fun to talk about.\u00a0 White Ibis have an 8″ inch bill and they eat mangrove tree crabs, fish eggs and insects. They fly less than 45 minutes per day because they love to walk.\u00a0 They are also the same birds that ancient Egyptians used to put on the walls when they drew hieroglyphics and many Ibises are mummified and considered sacred.\u00a0 Here on Marco Island, we call them the gang-bangers of the Island… because they walk around in packs of 10 or 15 in the middle of the street and never move out of the way for cars.<\/p>\n


\nTurkey Vulture<\/span><\/p>\n

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Turkey Vulture soars up above the kayak tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We pretty much spot Turkey Vultures (or Buzzards) on our kayak tours every day.\u00a0 \u00a0Often times they are flying low, other times they are almost as high as the eye can see.\u00a0 They are usually never alone.\u00a0 We usually spot 3 – 20 of them at a time. They hunt by smell and they can smell a dead animal from a long ways away.\u00a0 You can often find them on the side of a road or waiting for scraps from fisherman near the 951 boat ramp off Marco Island.\u00a0 We like to say… “If the vultures start circling our kayaks it means we’re not going fast enough!”<\/p>\n


\nOsprey<\/span><\/p>\n

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Osprey perched up on a branch as we paddle by!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Osprey are almost a guarantee on every kayak tours.\u00a0 These fish hawks are masters at fishing (hence their name) and they only eat fresh fish.\u00a0 We’ll see Osprey dip into the water and grab fish during our kayak tours quite often.\u00a0 Bald Eagles will chase down an Osprey and try to steal the fish, so it’s not uncommon to see Osprey vs. Eagles on our kayak tours.\u00a0 Osprey are birds of prey, so we are very lucky to see them on Sundays.\u00a0 (get it?).\u00a0 Plenty more cheesy jokes to share with you on our kayak tours.<\/p>\n


\nCormorant<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Cormorant poses for a picture during our Kayak Tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We don’t see Cormorants every day, but since Hurricane Irma, we have seen them quite a bit!\u00a0 All of the down trees and branches provide a great perch for the Cormorant to sit on and scout out fish!\u00a0 These birds will dive into the water and swim under the water for usually 30 seconds.\u00a0 Their webbed feet help them swim as good as a fish!\u00a0 In parts of Asia, some fisherman use the Cormorants to fish for them!\u00a0 They put a ring around the birds neck and the bird dives into the water and grabs a fish but it can’t swallow it with the ring around it’s neck, so the fisherman grabs the fish out of the birds mouth.\u00a0 The fisherman will let the bird eat after every 5th or 6th fish the bird catches.<\/p>\n


\nGreat Blue Heron<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Great Blue Heron sitting on a mangrove root as we pass by!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The biggest bird we’ll see on our kayak tours!\u00a0 These guys can stand about 5 FT tall!\u00a0 Often times we’ll spook one and it will let out a deep grunt or croak to warn others. They spend 90% of their waking hours looking for food.\u00a0 Not much time for fun!\u00a0 They can also live to be 20 years old.\u00a0 We don’t see them every day, but when we do, it’s always a treat.<\/p>\n


\nReddish Egret
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