Fort Pickens — Gulf Islands National Seashore
1400 Fort Pickens Road Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 (850) 934-2600
Pensacola and Perdido Key beaches stretch through miles of unspoiled shoreline. Visitors won’t have to travel far to see the unique wildlife that calls the Gulf Coast home.
Rolling dunes covered in swaths of sea oats. It’s a peaceful stroll on an unblemished white quartz beach, when suddenly a shriek pierces the air.
A tiny bird swoops and dives in close, wings tucked, and rolls away for another close pass. Its fighter-jet maneuvers and v-shaped wings built for speed ensure it can’t be mistaken for an angry mini-seagull.
It’s a least tern. And watch where you step, because tiny camouflaged eggs, scraped into the sand, are likely nearby.
These valiant little seabirds defend their nests along Gulf Coast beaches in the spring and summer. Least terns are protected by state law and were once a threatened species, but Northwest Florida’s pristine beaches and thoughtful volunteers and visitors are helping them rebound.
Vast cackling colonies of least terns nest along Santa Rosa Island and Johnson Beach in Gulf Islands National Seashore. Look for them flying in pairs or solo, diving for fish in the nearshore waters. Stay out of the clearly marked nest colonies. Some pairs of terns also will nest away from the colonies, and while the nests are hard to spot, the parents will try to ward unwelcome visitors from straying too close.
Black skimmers can be found mixed in along with these colonies. The large, graceful skimmers will soar inches above the Gulf surface, skimming food from the water with their beaks.
Along the nearshore, plovers and sanderlings dart between receding waves to snare crustaceans. The Wilson’s plover is another bird that is slowly making a comeback.
Squadrons of brown pelicans are a common sight, as are the spindly, graceful great blue herons, which wade the shallows for fish, crab and will even grab the occasional lizard. The little green heron can be found inshore, often resting on boat mooring lines to steal fish that stray too close to the surface.
Osprey and Great Bald Eagles have also rebounded in recent years, and can be found circling and diving after fish in the Gulf, Pensacola Bay, Santa Rosa Sound and other protected waters. They nest in high trees or on platforms created by volunteers and utilities.
Grab your cameras and binoculars and start your birding journey along our coastline.
One of the most secretive Gulf Coast wildlife visit Pensacola and Perdido Key beaches when few will see them.
Loggerhead, Green and Kemp’s Ridley— and on rare occasions even the massive Leatherback sea turtle — crawl ashore here in the darkness. The female digs a nest near the foot of the sand dunes, then hours later crawls back to sea after laying and burying a nest with up to 130 eggs.
Some 60 to 80 nights later, tiny hatchlings dig their way out and make a mad dash for the Gulf, orienting on the ambient light of the moon over the Gulf.
Artificial lights can disorient adult sea turtles and their hatchlings trying to reach the water, so trained volunteers lend a helping hand.
Volunteers patrol the beaches at dawn to look for signs of a turtle crawl and will mark where the nest was dug. Volunteers and park service staff monitor nests with stethoscopes — and sometimes assist any disoriented hatchlings when they emerge.
Visitors who spot signs of a turtle crawl — or especially a disoriented turtle — should contact Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Pensacola and Perdido Key beaches stretch through miles of unspoiled shoreline, making it easy to spot the unique wildlife that calls the Gulf Coast home. You don’t have to be a bird lover to thrill at the osprey and Great Bald Eagles circling and diving after fish. But be sure to keep your eyes to the sky for tiny state-protected least terns defending their nests in spring and summer, black skimmers, Wilson’s plovers, brown pelicans, herons and more. And while you’re strolling those sugar-white sand beaches, watch for tracks made by the elusive sea turtles who nest on our shores. Loggerhead, Green and Kemp’s Ridley— and on rare occasions even the massive Leatherback sea turtle — crawl ashore here in the darkness. If you spot signs of a turtle crawl — or especially a disoriented turtle — contact Gulf Islands National Seashore.
1400 Fort Pickens Road Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 (850) 934-2600
12301 Gulf Beach Highway Pensacola, FL 32507 (850) 492-1595
Johnson Beach Road Pensacola, FL 32507 (850) 934-2600
2401 Bauer Rd, Pensacola, FL 32506 Pensacola, FL 32506 (850) 492-1595
15301 Perdido Key Dr Pensacola, FL 32507 (850) 492-1595
1801 Gulf Breeze Pkwy. Gulf Breeze, FL 32561 (850) 934-2600
6974 Deaton Bridge Rd. (entrance to Blackwater State Park) Milton, FL 32583 (850) 623-0235
3400 Scenic Highway Pensacola, FL 32504 (850) 436-5670
655 Pensacola Beach Blvd. Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 (850) 492-6337
3182 Taylor Rd Pensacola, 32508 (850) 934-2600
This website uses cookies to enhance your user experience on the website. Learn more.