Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area

 Wednesday January 29th

Scott's Oriole feeding on some jelly

https://ebird.org/checklist/S211139040

I was unfamiliar with the Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area near Lake Linsey in Hernando County. But a rare to Florida avian visitor is wintering here. It's a Scott's Oriole. A western species and is way outside of the species normal range and a Lifer for me.

Chipping Sparrow

 This conservation area is managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife and has an outstanding bird feeding station at the nature center featuring water features and several feeding offerings including a feeder offering jelly.  Orioles and other species enjoy fruits and jellies and that is where anyone wanting to experience this rarity must wait. The Scott's Oriole was making very short visits to the feeder and my not return for as long as an hour. 

A Pine Siskin bathing with a House Finch

While waiting a nice variety birds came in and offered some nice photography opportunities

Carolina Chickadee

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow Palm Warbler

American Goldfinches

Pine Warbler

Red-bellied Woodpecker

House Wren

House Finch

Red-winged Blackbird

Pine Warbler

Grey Catbird

Sandhill Crane

Tufted Titmouse

Northern Cardinal

Week One of the New Year

 Monday January 9th

In the first week of this new year did a little birding in Palm Beach and Dade Counties.  Checked out some of the rural areas in the Everglades Ag Area looking for Raptors and Barn Owls. Spotted dozens of American Kestrels, three White-tailed Kites, several Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawk, an Eastern Red-tailed Hawks, Short-tail Hawk, Crested Caracara and a Barn Owl. 

Came across some flooded fields with Blue-winged and Green-winged Tea, Mottled Ducks, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers. Other sightings included Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

Chipping Sparrow
seen at Lucky Hammock - Frog Pond WMA

 

Checked out the Sem-Chi Rice Mill and was disappointed that no blackbirds or cowbirds were present and not much of interest seen at the nearby wetlands.

Glossy Ibis
seen at Wakodahatchee Wetlands at Delray Beach

Visited the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach were waking the boardwalk noticed that the rookeries of wading birds hadn't starting nesting yet. Lots of Wood Storks and various wading bird species were present. Had Black-belled Whistling Ducks, Gray-headed Swamphens and Green Iguanas

Palm Warbler
seen at Harns Marsh, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Gray-headed Swamphen
seen at Harns Marsh, Lehigh Acres

Tricolored Heron
seen at Wakodahatchee Wetlands at Delray Beach

Wood Stork
seen at Wakodahatchee Wetlands at Delray Beach

Cattle Egret
seen in Palm Beach County

Red-shouldered Hawk
seen at Lucky Hammock - Frog Pond WMA

 

Down in Dade County, west of Florida City briefly walked along the L31W Canal.  Not much spotted aside from a resting Broad-winged Hawk. At the Souther Gladys Trail 111 Canal/ Pumping Station, saw the Vermilion Flycatcher, a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds, Eastern Phoebes and a White-tailed Kite.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
seen at Lucky Hammock - Frog Pond WMA

 

Then at Lucky Hammock, I had run into a very large birding group from Tropical Audubon Society. Best sighting here was a Swainson's Hawk, plus a couple of Short-tailed Hawks. Also added were some Chipping Sparrows and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Spotted a bright Great Crested Flycatcher but would have liked to have spotted the brown-crested flycatcher seen by the Audubon birders..

On To Tallahassee

Tuesday, February 2nd

Day Two

St Marks Lighthouse

On day two of our birding trip to North Florida, Bob Pelkey and left Gainesville, skipping our missed venues from yesterday, and headed to Tallahassee.

Whooping Crane?

Savannah Sparrow

Our first stop were the cow ponds along Biltmore Avenue to see the whooping crane that has been roosting here.  Seems a local birder, Marcelle Praetorios, advised that the whooper hadn't returned to the pond last night and wasn't present today.  we also missed the canada geese as they had left the pond a short time prior to our arrival.

Carolina Chickadee

A Young Chipping Sparrow

We did see four Buffleheads, a flock of American Pipits, Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, a flock of Cedar Waxwings, Killdeer, Least Sandpipers, White Ibis, Tree Swallow, Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers and Eastern Meadowlarks.

Hummingbirds

We next visited with a nice lady in Tallahassee who has a fabulous bird sanctuary in her backyard. There, we also met a nice couple from Canada who were also there to enjoy the hummingbirds too. Bob I both had Lifers with the pair of Black-chinned and a Calliope Hummingbirds. The feeders also attracted a Ruby-throated and Rufus Hummingbirds, Baltimore Orioles, American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebirds, Chipping Sparrows, Cardinals, and even an Orange-crowned Warbler taking a drink from a hummingbird feeder.

Baltimore Oriole

Pine Siskin

Calliope Hummingbird

House Finch

Chipping Sparrow

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Black-crowned Night-heron

Our final stop for the day was at St Marks NWR. We spent the final three of day light here looking to photograph birds. First off, there were few waterfowl. The ponds near the lighthouse were virtually empty of ducks. Looks like migration is underway.

Vermilion Flycatcher

See spotted four Wood Ducks up at the visitors center, and a few Buffleheads, a few Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, a nice raft of Redheads and Lesser Scaups later. One target we did succeed in was a Vermilion Flycatcher at Stoney Bayou. Also seen were American White Pelicans,  a lot of American Coots, Common Gallinule a rare bird candidate in a Purple Gallinule at Headquarters Pond, a family of Black-crowned Night-herons, a calling Clapper Rail, a Marsh Wren, a Sedge Wren, heard a Great Horned Owl and Eastern Towhees. Shorebirds included Sanderlings, Short-billed Dowitcher, Dunlin, Willets, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.

American White Pelicans in fishing formation

Eastern Phoebe

Bufflehead

Redhead

Bufflehead

White-tailed Deer

Operation Migration

When we arrived at St Marks, we met a couple of folks from Operation Migration setting up one of there ultralight aircraft for a special event this weekend.  This is in anticipation of the arrival of the latest class of young Whooping Cranes being trained to migrate from Wisconsin to there winter home here at St Marks.

Due to the bad weather that has been plaguing the South this winter, whoopers have been held up in Georgia. From there, when weather conditions improve they will make their final push to reach St Marks. You can follow there progress at Operation Migration