Road Trip - St Marks

Sunday January 21st

Its a cold and windy Saturday morning in the Panhandle. Yesterday I had birded in Gainesville and in Tallahassee, today I  had arrived at St Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

The Vermilion Flycatcher seen in February 2016

Rusty Blackbird

For birders, visiting St Marks, especially in the winter months, can be a lot of fun. Many wintering species seen here can be quite uncommon to rare in southern Florida.

In preparing for this visit, I had spent a lot of time reviewing ebird reports from this venue. A couple of interesting species being reported had disappeared before we got there. A brewers blackbird that had been an easy pick in the lighthouse parking area and a beautiful, male vermilion flycatcher that had also been a easy pick up at Stoney Bayou impoundment. The flycatcher had returned to this spot for at least three years, Saw it on my last visit. But it disappeared a few weeks ago. 

Lots of good birds are still on hand though.

Some targets today included Rusty Blackbirds, American Black Ducks, Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, White-faced Ibis, Common Goldeneye, Nelsons Sparrow and more. Didn't get all of them, but did, finally, was successful with locating Rusty Blackbirds. A fellow named Don Morrow was nice enough to share the location of a flock at the double bridges. A good start.

Further on, along Lighthouse Road, stopped at Stoney Bayou. Lots of birds but so many were staying on the far shore in an effort to get out of the cold wind blowing across the water. Suspected and later confirmed at least one White-faced Ibis was on hand, plus White Ibis, Greater Egret, Snowy Egret, Coots, Buffleheads, Scaups, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron.

Yellow-crowned Night-herons

are not common here

Next stop was at the headquarters and picnic ponds area. Lots of American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, Mallards, Rudy Duck, Coots, Pintails, Redheads, Black-crowned Night-herons and a lone Yellow-crowned Night-heron. Missed on the American Black Ducks and the reported Eared Grebe wasn't seen today.

Dave and Tammy caught-up with me at this point.  They had stopped at the Biltmore Avenue Pond first today for another try for the Ross's Geese. No Ross's, but did relocate the Greater White-fronted Goose.

Black-crowned Night-herons are common

We moved onto the Lighthouse.  Lots of ducks - American Wigeons, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Lesser and Greater Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Cormorants, American Oystercatchers, Buffleheads, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers.

Redhead

Canvasback

American Wigeon

Pintails

Common Goldeneye

Greater Scaup

Spent a few more hours enjoying the refuge. We checked the helipad area for red-cockaded woodpeckers and henslow's sparrows. Dipped on these, but added Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Swamp Sparrow, Sedge Wren, House Wren, Bald Eagle and Brown-headed Nuthatch. 

A good day

Back to the Tomato Fields

Wednesday December 6th

A Crested Caracara dining on a road killed Spotted Skunk along Church Road

After work Wednesday morning, I headed back to the flooded Tomato Fields along Oil Well Road near Ava Maria. The water levels at the Tomato Fields are usually drying up by now, but we still have water and birds. A scope is important here.

Greater Scaup

Mostly American Coots, Mottled Ducks and Blue-winged Teal are present with a few Green-winged Teal on hand.  The numbers of Northern Shovelers had risen, and other water fowl remained a bit sparse. Included A male Greater Scaup a few Lesser Scaup, and a lone Northern Pintail.  A ruddy duck has been reported, but I hadn't seen any. 

Northern Pintail

Also in much lower numbers was a mere eight American White Pelican. Other species seen included Common Gallinule, hundreds of Glossy Ibis, Rosette Spoonbills, and the usual waders. A pair of Bald Eagles are nesting in a tall pine on the back side of the field.

Also made a stop at the two bridges location. Sighted a Snail Kite, Limpkins, Black-belled Whistling Ducks and large numbers of Anhingas and Cormorants.  Had stopped to look for any western kingbirds, but none spotted today.

Lesser Scaup with the male Greater Scaup

Great Crested Flycatcher seen along Oil Well Road

Tricolored Heron seen at the Bridges

White-winged Dove seen along Church Road

Greater Scaup - Day 3 Central Florida Trip

Friday, February 17th



OK!!  Follow Me!!

Spent several hours friday morning exploring Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Traveled the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive and Bio Lab Road. The mourning started out with a nice Peregrine Falcon perched rigt along the road. Quickly added Coots, Hooded Mergansers, Blue-wing Teal, American White Pelicans, Wilson's Snipe, both Yellowlegs and Reddish Egrets. The duck population offered Greater and Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintails, Mottled Ducks and Northern Shovelers.

American Avocet

Also could add a conga-line of American Avocets, at least 80, marching in line as they feed. Found several Roseate Spoonbills, Black-bellied Plovers, Dowitchers, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnovers, Caspian Terns, Dunlin, Least Sandpipers, Forsters Terns, Royal Terns, Belted Kingfishers, and Killdeers. In the lagoon along Bio Lab Road I could add Common Loon, Horned grebe, a pair of male Buffleheads a a lone female Red-breasted Merganser. I had really hoped to encounter rails, but didn't see or hear any today.  Also dipped on the American and Eurasian Wigeons.

Blue-winged Teals

Northern Pintail

Greater Scaup

American Coot

From Merritt Island I headed down to Joe Overstreet Road east of Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Park for a shot at finding a Whooping Crane. Florida's resident whooping crane population is part of an attempt to create a migratory and a non-migratory flocks apart from the wild birds that migrate between Texas and Canada. Dipped on the whoopers, but did find a few Sandhill Cranes, Wild Turkeys, Eastern Meadowlarks, Bald Eagles, Ring-billed Gulls, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egrets and Fish Crows.  from here the trip was ending and it was time to head for home.

List for the three days totaled (113 )

Canada Goose, Muscovy Duck, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail,  Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Wild Turkey, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe,  Horned Grebe, Wood Stork, Northern Gannet,  Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican,  Brown Pelican,  Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret,  Cattle Egret, Limpkin, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel,  Peregrine Falcon, Common Gallinule,

American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling,  Least Sandpiper,  Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Snipe, Bonaparte's Gull, Laughing Gull,  Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Parasitic Jaeger, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker,  Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee,  Tufted Titmouse, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Common Yellowthroat, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, House Finch, House Sparrow.