Critical Wildlife Area

Big Marco Pass (Sand Dollar Island)
Critical Wildlife Area
Bird Sanctuary

Nesting Sites (March – September):

• Least Tern - Threatened
• Snowy Plover - Threatened
• Black Skimmer - Species of Special Concern
• American Oystercatcher

Over-Wintering (March – September):

• Black Bellied Plover
• Semi-palmated Plover
• Piping Plover   Threatened

Year-Round Residents:  

• Brown Pelican
• Reddish Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Peregrine Falcon
• Osprey
• Bald Eagle (occasionally)

Other Species Noted Utilizing the Big Marco Pass​ CWA:

• Great Egret
• Reddish Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Royal Tern
• Sandwich Tern
• Caspian Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Western Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Great Blue Heron 
• Little Blue Heron
• Tri-colored Heron
• Sanderling
• Black Skimmer
• Marbled Godwit
• White Ibis
• Wilson’s Plover
• Willet
• Red Knot
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Dunlin
• White Pelican
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Double-crested Cormorant