Bachman's Sparrow

 Sunday March 26th

Bachman's Sparrow

Had my first-of-the-season Bachman's Sparrow today at Babcock-Webb. These birds are resident at Babcock but because of their skulking nature are often missed.  Except when they on territory and can be heard and seen singing. This window-of-time goes from late March till into July and sometimes later. 

Since the devastation caused by Hurrican Ian back in September, my tried-and-true locations for finding red-cockaded woodpeckers, at Babcock-Webb, are not currently viable. I stack-out a colony site at daybreak to see the birds erupt from the nest holes.  This method was taught to me many years ago in an email exchange with Jeff Bouton. It has usually been successful till the storm has disrupted the status quo. I have crossed paths with the woodpeckers occasionally but do wonder on the status of this species at Babcock. Didn't see any today and dipped on the brown-headed nuthatch as well.

eBird Checklist - 26 Mar 2023 - Babcock-Webb WMA - 45 species

Florida Soft Shelled Turtle

Today there was also a large concentration of shorebirds at the shrinking marsh area located about ten miles east of the entrance on Tucker Grade. Counted 139 Least Sandpipers and dozens of Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers.

Sandhill Crane

Wood Stork

Double Crested Cormorants

Eastern Meadowlark

Dowitchers and Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Least Sandpiper

So What's Blooming

Gopher Apple Geobalanus oblongifolius

Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata

Rolfs' MilkweedAsclepias tuberosa ssp. rolfsii

At Babcock

 Monday, April 4th

Another visit to Babcock-Webb, in Charlotte County, today.

Northern Bobwhite

Got there early enough to see and hear a couple of Chuck-wills-widows. And again, saw lots of activity at drying up wetlands hosting American White Pelicans, lots of Wood Storks and Yellowlegs. Added a pair of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and heard several Bachman's Sparrows. Other birds included Swallow-tailed Kites, Eastern Towhees, Northern Bobwhites, Meadowlarks, Eastern Bluebirds, White-eyed Vireos, a Hairy Woodpecker, Pine Warblers, Gray Catbirds, Rosette Spoonbills, Black-crowned Night-herons, lots of White & Glossy Ibis and Common Yellowthroats.  Dipped on brown-headed nuthatch. It also appears that the palm and yellow-rumped warblers have pulled-out for their long flights north.

American White Pelicans

American White Pelicans

Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Lesser Yellowlegs

Island Glass Lizard

Lots of white-tailed deer and alligators, plus spotted an Island Glass Lizard sunning itself on the road.

Island Glass Lizard

Baby Gators

Baby Gators

Babcock-Webb

 Thursday March 24th

Red-cockaded Woodpecker seen on nest tree near to the nest hole,
 were, presumably, the female is seen

Arrived a bit too late to find a calling chucks-will-widow, as the sun was brightening up the day already. But did find two different active Red-cockaded Woodpecker nest sites. Took a little longer but singing Backman's Sparrows were heard.  And calling Bobwhites, Meadowlarks and Eastern Towhees as well.

Purple Thistle with a sweet bee

Limewater Brookweed

Carolina Ruellia

Netted Pawpaw

Purple Thistle, Leavenworth's Tickseed, Netted Pawpaw and Limewater Brookweed are in bloom. I like to check out the thistle for opportunities to photograph any butterflies feeding on the blossoms.

Corn Snake

Best observation for the day was a coyote.  I haven't seen them here in quite a while. This guy looked pretty healthy and had a blackish tail. It won't let me get close enough for a photo. Lots of deer today too.  Including dawns. The alligators were sunning themselves and a corn snake and a garter snake were spotted catching some sun too as they stretched out on the road.

Eastern Garter Snake

American White Pelicans

At the eastern end of Tuckers Grade, the impoundments are drying up. Here was a concentration of shorebirds including numerous Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitchers, plus a pair of Wilson's Snipes. What got your attention was the forty American White Pelicans resting at the site.

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Great Blue Heron

Pine Warbler

Purple Gallinule

Boat-tailed Grackle

A Day In Sarasota County

Thursday December 7th

Spent the day up in Sarasota County today with stops at the Celery Fields, Siesta Key and Myakka River State Park.

A pair of Nanday Parakeets were feeding
at the feeders at the Celery Fields

Arrived on a very foggy morning, at day break at the Celery Fields. It wasn't very birdy. Not many ducks, but An American Bittern did make a long flight across the marsh. My best birds here were a pair of Bronzed Cowbirds in the company of Grackles, Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds near the butterfly gardens.

Bronzed Cowbird at the Celery Fields

Bronzed Cowbird. Note the Red Eyes

Ring-billed Gull

At the beach at Siesta Key, a great many gulls and terns were seen resting on the shore. Nothing unusual, but the expected Herring, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls, Black Skimmers, Royal, Sandwich, Forster's and Common Terns

Herring Gulls

Sandwich Tern

Common Tern

Herring Gull

A Tricolored Heron at Myakka River

A Horned Grebe on Myakka River

At Myakka River State State, I was expecting to see a diverse number of water fowl species.

But not today. A few Lesser Scaup, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Mottled Ducks were counted.  Best bird of the day here was was my FOS Horned Grebe.  Some other species seen included Tree Swallows, Yellowlegs, a single Black-necked Stilt, Caspian Terns and a pair of courting Bald Eagles. If you like alligators there were dozens on hand.

Lots of Black Vultures at Myakka

White Ibis at Myakka

Lesser Yellowlegs at Myakka