May 1, 2022 - St. George Island State Park

For the last 20 years, Diana and I have spent two months in the winter on St. George Island, Florida. It’s a 21-mile-long barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Florida. It’s located about in the middle of the Florida panhandle, and it is connected to the mainland by a four-mile-long causeway. About a third of the island is a state park. Here’s a view of the shoreline at the park.

SeaOatsGeorgeIslandStatePark20220203

Here are some of the resident birds that I typically see at the park. This is a Herring Gull. At 25 inches long, it is the largest common gull on the island. It has pink legs, and black and red spots on its beak. This bird is in non-breeding plumage, so it has brown streaks on its head and neck. When it molts to its breeding plumage, the head will be all white.

GullHerringGeorgeIslandStatePark20220203

While we are there, I probably see more Laughing Gulls than any of the other gull species. They are only about 16½ inches long. This bird is also in non-breeding plumage which makes it look like it has gray smudges all over its body. Some of the Laughing Gulls molt into full breeding plumage before we leave. The neck, chest, and belly turn pure white, and the head becomes all black. They do retain the narrow white arcs above and below the eyes, and the beak turns dark red.

GullLaughingflightGeorgeIislandStatePark20220203

The third common gull on the island is the Ring-billed Gull. It is 17½ inches long. It has yellow legs and a yellow beak with (of course) a dark ring around it. This bird has some dark streaks on its head. Those will disappear when it molts to breeding plumage, and the head will be all white.

GullRingbilledGeorgeIslandStatePark20220203

A small (7¼ inch) bird, often seen scurrying along the shoreline, is the Semi-palmated Plover. In winter, it can be found all along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of the United States. In summer, it flies to Alaska and far northern Canada to breed.

PloverSemipalmatedGeorgeIslandStatePark20220203

Ruddy Turnstones are 9½ inch shorebirds. True to their name, they can be seen turning over shells and stones looking for things to eat.

TurnstoneRuddyGeorgeIslandStatePark20220203

I found this flower blooming at the park and a Facebook plant identification site identified it as False Rosemary.

RosemaryFalseConradinacanescensGeorgeIslandStatePak20220228