Some Recently Seen Birds

 Wednesday November 24th

Some of the birds spotted around Lee County this month.

Loggerhead Shrike
Seen at Harns Marsh - Lehigh Acres, Florida

Florida Scrub Jay
Lehigh Acres, Florida

Tufted Titmouse
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Blue-headed Vireo
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Black-and-White Warbler
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Pine Warbler
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Downy Woodpecker
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Pine Warbler
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Tufted Titmouse
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Festival Park - The Groove-billed Ani

 

Friday January 15th

The City of Cape Coral has been in the development phase on property in near Kismet and Chiquita Roads for well over fourteen years. It will eventually become Festival Park, a location to support large events such as musical, sports and other activities.

Florida Scrub Jay at Festival Park

But for now, birders routinely come out here looking for the family of Florida Scrub Jays, plus Burrowing Owls, American Kestrels and Eastern Meadowlarks. Currently a Groove-billed Ani has shown up.  I got to see it a couple of times so far. However I keep dipping on the Ash-throated Flycatcher that has also arrived here. I've made several visits without success. But I'll try again later

Another interesting observation made on yesterday's visit was seeing a coyote dash across the road in front of us. Coyotes are becoming more and more commonly seen in our area.  They are even seen and heard on Sanibel Island

Groove-billed Ani at Festival Park

Burrowing Owl at Festival Park

Cinnamon Teal

 Monday December 14th

Made another two day road trip, last week, with stops at Silver Springs State Park, Sweetwater Wetlands in Gainesville, Daytona Beach and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Rhesus Monkey habitat at Silver Springs State Park

Stopped first at Silver Springs State Park east of Ocala. Silver Springs is famed as the home territory for troops of feral Rhesus monkeys who's presence are due to monkeys having escaped into the forests almost hundred years ago. Eventually they will be removed as obnoxious exotics, but for now they have been culled to reduce their numbers. Until recently a small number of feral squirrel monkeys had existed in areas near to the Gordon River in Naples, Florida. But licensed trappers were allowed to cull these monkeys.  They are probably extirpated at this point.

Sandhill Trail

It started as a cold day while I hiked the Sandhill Trail, which featured a sandhill Long-leaf Pine ecosystem.  Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, American Robins and Downy Woodpeckers were active. Some of the flora in this habitat included the Long-leaf Pines, Sand Pines, American Turkey, Live, Sand Post Oaks and Myrtle Oaks, Saw Palmetto, Black Cherry American Olive, Leafy Elephant's Foot and Coastalplain Golden aster.

Sand Pine

River Trail

 Before leaving leaving Silver Springs walked the  River Trail.  A different, more riparian ecosystem then the sandhill area. Some of the flora here included Bald Cypress, Live and Water Oaks, American Sweetgum, Pignut Hickory, Southern Magnolia, Red Maple, Dahoon and American Holly, Sugar Hackberry, Silverling, American Beautyberry, Sparkleberry and Walter's Viburnum

 At the trail head was immediately met by an active Hermit Thrust. Not a lot of other birds seen or hears, aside Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers , a few waders and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. 

Sparkleberry

A single Bufflehead was present today

Gainesville is less than an hour north from Ocala and had several venues in mind to bird, but wanted to start at Sweetwater Wetlands. Have had some very nice visits here in the past and rusty blackbirds had
been roosting here up till a week ago. Birding was a bit disappointing. Water level were too high for shore birds and snipes and for some reason I didn't notice any sparrows either. The venue can be very  good for waterfowl. For some reason black-bellied whistling ducks weren't present during my visit. But we had a great many Common Gallinule and American Coots. Plus some Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Leaser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks and Ring-necked Ducks.  Did hear a Sora calling. 

Limpkin seen at Sweetwater Wetlands

Day Two

Daytona Beach wasn't really my target venue.  Had planned to make a stop at Ormand Beach to see if gannets were present and Sabastian Inlet or Ponce Inlet to look for purple sandpipers. But I really needed an extra day on this trip to handle all these possible stops. Perhaps a five to seven day trip next month could be accommodating.

Angelwing shell

At Daytona Beach hundreds of Laughing Gulls were lounging on the sand. Plus some Ring-billed and Herring Gulls and a lone Lesser Black-backed Gull. Additional Royal Terns and a couple of Black Skimmers.

Herring Gull

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island can be a good location for spotting wintering waterfowl.  Currently a male Cinnamon Teal is wintering here and we don't see cinnamon teal in Florida very often.  Its a western species, not commonly found this far east. 

The Cinnamon Teal with Blue-winged Teal
at stop number 4 on the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive

As a Florida vagrant, the Cinnamon Teal was a special sighting.  Other waterfowl included Northern Pintail, Blue-wing and Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Northern Shovelers and Mottled Ducks.  American Coots and Common Gallinules were plentiful on the Blackpoint Drive. Wood Storks, Rosette Spoonbills, White and Glossy Ibis, Reddish Egret, Great Blue Herons and other waders were present.  As seen were Caspian Terns, Ring-billed Gulls, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitchers, Palm and Orange-crown Warblers. 

Green Heron

Checked-out the birding activity along the Bio Lab Road.  Only a few Sanderlings and Royal Terns

today. 

But on the out of the refuge was able watch an active family of Florida Scrub Jays. Then the four hour drive home

Florida Scrub Jay

Asters seen at the St Johns River at Palatka

Spiny Fiddlewood seen on the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive

Indian Blanket seen at the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive

Lake Wales Ridge WEA

 Tuesday November 17th

At the time of the Pleistocene Epoch, the sea level around what is now Florida fell and rose several times as the North American Ice Sheets variously grew and melted.  At one point, some two million years ago, the Florida peninsula was almost completely submerged. This event left exposed only a series of small islands, which are the Sand Hills and Florida Scrub country found in central Florida today. Geologically, the zone is referred to as the Mid-Florida Ridge, or as the Lake Wakes Ridge. 

Florida Scrub Jay at Lake Wales Ridge WEA

The surviving, much has been lost to development,  Florida Scrub ecosystems are very unique with some flora and fauna found nowhere else. The most well known example is our only endemic bird, the Florida Scrub Jay. The Lake Wales Ridge also features endemic lizards in the Sand Skink and the Florida Scrub Lizard. And lots of endemic and some vey rare flora. 

Faey's Palafox

Yesterday I visited the Lake Wales Ridge WEA - Lake Placid Scrub Tract, which is near Lake Placid and an excellent example of Florida Scrub. Was greeted by a pair of Florida Scrub Jays at the trail head.

Florida Scrub Lizard

Florida Scrub Lizard

Some of the flora found in this ecosystem included Sand Live Oak, Florida Scrub Oak, Scrub Palmetto, Sand Heath, Scrub Hickory, Rusty Lyonia, Sand Pine, Florida Scrub Bluecurls, Highlands Scrub Hypericum, Fringed Star Grass, Fringed Jointweed and Sandhill Wireweed

Sand Live Oak

Florida Scrub Oak

Scrub Palmetto

Sand Heath

Scrub Hickory

Rusty Lyonia

Sand Pine

Highlands Scrub Hypericum

Florida Scrub Bluecurl

Fringed Star Grass

Fringed Jointweed

Sandhill Wireweed

Some June Pics

Sunday July 1st


Thought I would share some of my observations in June

Spotted this Swallow-tailed Kite at rest at Caloosahatchee Regional Park

Purple Martin hanging around the Franklin Locks

on the Caloosahatchee River in Alva

A young House Sparrow at the Franklin Locks

Red-cockaded Woodpecker at Babcock-Webb WMA

Ring Necked Snake seen at Babcock-Webb WMA

Great Horned Owl seen in Lehigh Acres

Florida Scrub Jay seen in Lehigh Acres

Wood Duck seen in Alva pasture

Purple Gallinule seen at Harns Marsh

Wild Turkey spotted along Church Road

Gray Kingbird seen on Ft Myers Beach

This family of ducks are probably hybrids between mottled and mallard ducks

Buckeye Butterfly

Probably a Needham's Skimmer

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Some Watusi cattle seen on a property near Alva

Sandhill Crane

Nanday Parakeets seen in Fort Myers

Sandhill Family nesting with a very recent hatching in Alva