Year Round Residents 1

Great Blue Heron: Drive around The Landings and it is hard not to see one of these large birds standing next to a lagoon or the marsh. The Great Blue has a six foot wingspan, and is found in virtually every state.

Barred Owl: A large owl that tolerates humans. Its distinctive call is often described as “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you?” It has black eyes and often hunts during the day. The other even larger owl, the Great Horned Owl has yellow eyes.

The Great Egret is one of the most common birds we see at The Landings, and is resident here year-round. Shown nesting at the Rookery in the Midpoint area of the Island in late April, they are a treat to observe as they tend to their young.

Northern Cardinal (female) The female is duller than the male with a more brownish-orange coloration. The heavy beak shows it is a seed eater.

Northern Cardinal (male) The dark red male with its black “mask” is a spectacular bird. The heavy beak shows it is a seed eater.

Red-winged Blackbird: Males are distinguished from other black birds by the red-orange patch on the wings. Females look like a different species – more like a large sparrow.

Osprey: Sometimes called the “fish-hawk”, the Osprey is truly an expert fisherman. It can hover above either fresh or salt water, and then dive at high speed entering the water with its talons to seize an unsuspecting fish.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: A common bird in our area. The orange-red coloring on the male covers the entire top and back of the head, while the female has red-orange on the back part of the head only.

Anhinga: A large water bird with a wingspan over two feet. It is often called the “snakebird” because of the way it looks when swimming with only its long neck above the water. It is often seen on shore or in a tree with wings spread to dry as it does not have water repellant oil on its feathers. It can be distinguished from the Cormorant by its sharply pointed bill while the cormorant has a hook-tipped bill.