Bunche Beach along San Carlos Bay in the Fort Myers area offers a long stretch of beaches, good fishing
and a vast array of flats when the water is low which makes for great, safe strolling in very shallow water. Protective sandals are recommended. Low tide provides for one of the best feeding grounds for a variety of shorebirds, from rather small Plover types to fairly large ones like Reddish Egrets and Herons.
Above partial view of the beach dates from Oct. 2001, about an hour past low tide. In the background we
get a hint of the Sanibel Island causeway. Physical aspects of this point of access have changed
significantly due to havoc caused by hurricanes like CHARLEY and WILMA. Layouts of the San Carlos Bay sand flats have changed with every major event. But these rather immense stretches continue to
provide habitat and feeding grounds for a variety of bird species, home-based as well as migratory.
Black-necked Stilts are supposed to be nesting here, though not obvious to the curious human eye, but rather in the less accessible areas. Piping Plovers can be spotted on occasion (see further down)... Most of Bunche Beach used to be privately owned, without much supervision. People were letting dogs run here rather freely. The practice was stopped a few years ago, after Lee County bought the property from a group of investors
for a reported six million $’s... Because of a certain degree of management (Land Stewardship Plans), shore
birds and waterfowl, especially the few remainders of some threatened or endangered species, now have an improved chance at survival across the preserve. Bunche Beach then and San Carlos Bay Bunche Beach Preserve now. Never mind the semantics, it is one heck of a place to visit, especially for Birders...
I did notice some beach erosion and some expansion of the flats, as well as behavioral changes amongst
many of the shore birds, which seem to adjust more and more to human presence and activities. Some of the sunbathers are no further away than a good 100 yards from an assembly of Skimmers, Terns and
what-have-you, where the arrow points... Whether the commotion shown on the next page was caused
by Bald Eagles high up or by a speeding boat in the background was not quite clear.
The Red-shouldered Hawk, one of many, many (..!) local residents, certainly was not a factor.