A pair of ospreys nesting on the historic Boca Grande Trestle is a familiar wildlife sight around Placida and Gasparilla Sound. The remaining trestle structure gives these fish-eating raptors an elevated place to build their nest, watch the surrounding water, and raise their young. From the boat, I can often observe the pair tending the nest, returning with fish, or watching the water below for their next catch. I always give an active nest plenty of space so we can enjoy the encounter without disturbing the birds.
Exploring the historic Boca Grande Trestle by boat gives you a different view of this part of Southwest Florida. From the water, the old structure becomes more than a piece of local history. It is also a place where I regularly watch ospreys, brown pelicans, great egrets, dolphins, and other wildlife.
Every visit is different. Sometimes the birds are everywhere. On another day, a dolphin may suddenly appear beside the boat and disappear before I can reach for my camera.
Wildlife Around the Boca Grande Trestle
Join Captain Pavel on the waters of Southwest Florida for encounters with bottlenose dolphins, ospreys, and brown pelicans. Click the image to watch the YouTube video and experience some of the coastal wildlife regularly seen while exploring by boat.
The waters around Boca Grande support an impressive variety of wildlife. Because I spend so much time here by boat, I often see the same species using particular trees, pilings, shorelines, and shallow-water feeding areas.
Birds are usually easier to photograph than dolphins. A perched osprey may give me several minutes to prepare a photograph. Dolphins rarely cooperate.
They may surface or jump beside the boat two or three times in quick succession. The entire show can last only five or ten seconds. By the time I lift my camera, they sometimes seem to know exactly what I am doing — and disappear.
Ospreys — The Sheriffs of Boca Grande
Ospreys are regular visitors around the historic Boca Grande Trestle near Placida, where the old structure provides excellent perches above the waters of Gasparilla Sound. From the boat, I often watch these powerful fish-eating raptors scanning the water, carrying fish, or resting on the remaining trestle structure.
Among the birds I encounter, the osprey is one of my favorites.
I think of ospreys as the sheriffs of Boca Grande. They sit high above the water and watch everything happening below.
An osprey may remain perched for a long time while searching for fish. Then, suddenly, it leaves its lookout and dives toward the water.
Watching one return with a fresh catch is always impressive.
Their elevated perches around the waterways also make them excellent subjects for wildlife photography. Unlike dolphins, they occasionally give me enough time to get the camera ready.
Brown Pelicans and Great Egrets
Brown pelicans are a familiar sight around South Gasparilla Island and throughout the coastal waters of Southwest Florida. From the boat, we often see them resting along the shoreline, gliding just above the water, or suddenly diving after fish. But sometimes they aren't watching the water for their next meal—they're watching me. Pelicans quickly notice when I've caught a fish, especially one I may release back into the water. They know that a released fish can mean an easy meal, and they are often ready and waiting for their opportunity.
Brown pelicans are another familiar sight around Boca Grande. Their fishing technique is very different from that of an osprey.
Pelicans patrol above the water before diving after fish. They also gather near places where fishing activity provides an easy opportunity for a meal.
The great egret, meanwhile, usually takes a quieter approach.
Egrets spend long periods standing or slowly walking through shallow water. They watch carefully before striking at a fish. Their patience makes them fascinating to observe from the boat.
Different birds use different hunting strategies, but all of them depend on the productive waters surrounding Boca Grande and Gasparilla Sound.
Flamingos in Southwest Florida
Seeing an American flamingo in Southwest Florida is an unusual encounter, and I have been fortunate enough to see flamingos twice while boating. Neither time was I expecting them, and unfortunately I was not ready with my camera.
One of my most unexpected wildlife encounters in Southwest Florida has been seeing American flamingos. I have personally spotted them twice while boating in the coastal waters between Manasota Key and Pine Island Sound.
The first time, I saw two flamingos flying overhead. They appeared so unexpectedly that I was not ready with my camera before they disappeared.
On another trip, while I was operating the boat, I spotted flamingos perched in a tree beside the trestle. Their bright pink plumage immediately stood out against the coastal landscape, but once again, the encounter happened before I was ready to take a photograph.
These unexpected sightings are why I am always watching the shoreline, trestles, islands, and open water for coastal wildlife in Southwest Florida. You never know what you may see next.
Dolphins Can Steal the Show
A memorable encounter at Boca Grande Sandbar as bottlenose dolphins became curious about the boat's anchor rope and began playing around it. Click the image to watch the YouTube video and see this unexpected wildlife encounter during an adventure with Captain Pavel.
Birdwatching may be the focus around the trestle, but dolphins frequently change the plan.
A dolphin can appear beside the boat without warning. Sometimes several travel together. At other times, one may surface briefly and disappear.
These encounters are especially enjoyable because they are never scheduled or staged.
Wildlife decides when the show begins.
That unpredictability is one of my favorite parts of exploring Southwest Florida by boat.
Seeing Boca Grande Wildlife From the Water
An osprey family on navigation marker 12 shows how these coastal raptors have adapted to life around our waterways. Navigation markers provide elevated platforms above the water, giving ospreys excellent locations for building nests, raising their young, and watching for fish below. From the boat, I often see adult ospreys and their young occupying markers along Southwest Florida's channels. I always give an active nest plenty of space and slow down when appropriate, allowing us to observe the birds without disturbing them. Encounters like this are one reason I am always watching more than just the channel ahead.
Exploring Boca Grande by boat provides a perspective that is difficult to experience from shore.
From the water, we can quietly observe birds perched above the shoreline, pelicans feeding near the passes, egrets working the shallows, and dolphins traveling through the surrounding waterways.
For photographers, the boat also provides opportunities to see wildlife from different angles.
However, wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed. These are wild animals moving naturally through their environment. That is exactly what makes each encounter special.
Private Boca Grande Wildlife Boat Tours
A friendly bottlenose dolphin approaches the boat in Lemon Bay near Stump Pass in Englewood, Florida. Click the image to explore Dolphin Watching Tours with Captain Pavel and discover where dolphins are commonly encountered while cruising the coastal waters of Southwest Florida.
If wildlife is one of your interests, I can include wildlife watching as part of a private boat tour around Boca Grande and the surrounding waters.
Every trip with Florida Gulf Discovery LLC is private and customized for your group. Depending on conditions and the length of the trip, we can combine wildlife viewing with scenic cruising, barrier islands, beaches, sandbars, dolphin watching, or photography.
There is no fixed wildlife schedule. Instead, I use my experience on these waters to watch the places where birds and marine life are commonly active while we explore the area.
That uncertainty is part of why I enjoy exploring these waters.
Every Trip Is Different
Exploring the historic Boca Grande Trestle by boat gives you a close-up view of one of the area's most recognizable landmarks and an excellent place to observe local wildlife. Ospreys frequently use the remaining trestle structure as elevated perches while watching the waters of Gasparilla Sound for fish.
One day, an osprey may be watching the water from above. On another trip, pelicans may be diving while dolphins suddenly appear beside the boat.
Occasionally, Southwest Florida gives us something much more unusual — even a flamingo.
The wildlife, tides, weather, and changing conditions make every trip around Boca Grande different.
Join me, Captain Pavel with Florida Gulf Discovery LLC, and discover Boca Grande from the water on your own private boat tour.
