Overview
Honeymoon Island State Park is located on an island between St Joseph’s Sound and the Gulf of Mexico across from the Palm Harbor area in Pinellas County, Florida. Said to be a great habitat for Osprey. According to the Florida Birding Trail[1], the island has 4 miles of beaches that attract a lot of visitors. As well, it is a good place for shorebirds and migratory songbirds.
Birds
Notable Species
A number of migratory birds as well. Orchard Oriole, Hepatic Tanager and a number of Cardinals. Theres also a Great Horned Owl Nest with young....
The Florida State Parks webpage for Honeymoon Island State Park says the park is home to the Osprey, Snowy Egret, species of Oyster Catcher, Snowy Plover, Least Tern, Roseate Spoonbill, and Great Blue Heron among others that may be found in the area.
Rarities
The Florida Birding Trail[1] says the park has the potential to sight rarities such as the Bar-tailed Godwit, Long-billed Murrelet, Elegant Tern, Northern Wheatear, Townsend's Solitaire, Varied Thrush, Mourning Warbler, and Green-tailed Towhee.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Common Tern, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Double-crested Cormorant, Laughing Gull, Sandwich Tern, Brown Pelican, Fish Crow, Stilt Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Black Skimmer, Forster's Tern
Other Wildlife
Other wildlife might also include the Gopher Tortoise and Armadillo, according to the Florida State Parks[3].
Site Information
History and Use
An island once inhabited, by Native Americans of the Tocobago tribe who lived of the marine life of the surrounding Gulf of Mexico. In the 1930’s it was purchased and developed as a honeymoon destination with the construction of cottages for that purpose. Then with the advent of World War II, it began to be utilized for the war effort in various forms. Subsequent to all that, it went through various attempts at use before ultimately becoming what it is today.
Areas of Interest
Spots within the park and surrounding area to look forward to can include its miles of beaches.
Its varying habitat which provides a wide range of places a special bird might be sighted.
The causeway leading to the island, which is said to be a good spot for shorebirds.
The Osprey Trail, which is said to be a good place to perhaps spot them nesting.
The Pelican Trail which also has two observation platforms for low tide viewing.
A nature center and periodic ranger-guided walks in some of the winter months.
Access and Facilities
Access to the park can be had by taking Causeway Boulevard off Bayshore Boulevard in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Contact Details
1 Causeway Blvd.
Dunedin, FL 34698
Tel: 727-241-6106
References
- Florida Birding Trail - https://floridabirdingtrail.com/
- eBird. 2017. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: Date August 8, 2020).
- Florida State Parks, Honeymoon Island, http://www.floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Honeymoon Island State Park. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Honeymoon_Island_State_Park
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
Content and images originally posted by Shrike ranger
