Lake Apopka - Merritt Island

Saturday January 9th

Ran up to Lake Apopka on Saturday to do some birding on the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. Vehicle traffic is only permitted on the weekends on the Wildlife Drive, but other trail head locations are usually open everyday to foot traffic.   

Wildlife viewing is popular here, especially for birders, in the winter months when thousands of waterfowl and other birds use the marshes to wait out the freezing weather up north.

Swamp Sparrow

Arrived early on a chilly, blustery morning. Lots of wading birds like Great Blue Herons, some standing on nests, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Great Egrets, White Ibis and Glossy Ibis. Didn't spot any black-necked stilts, but lots of Cormorants and Anhingas. There are thousands of American Coots and Common Gallinules to sort through to identify any waterfowl. There are a great many Blue-winged Teal and Ring-necked Ducks, plus Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal and Mottled Ducks.  Both Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks are common year round residents here.  Other waterfowl seen today included a lone Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks and Pied-billed Grebes. Other birds today included Purple Gallinule, Limpkin, Green Heron, Swamp Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbirds, Osprey, Northern Harriers, Belted Kingfishers and American Robins. 

Dipped on spotting any American wigeons, gadwall and the ash-throated flycatcher that has been hanging out at the gate entrance to the drive.

Blue-winged Teal

American Coot

Ruddy Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Ring-necked Ducks

Glossy Ibis

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Limpkin

Green Heron

After completing the Lake Apopka drive, I had options.  Either head home or extend my day trip with a visit to Merritt Island NWR. Chose to extend the trip and arrived at Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island just past lunch and was greeted by a mommy Bobcat with her half-grown kitten making a dash across the road ahead of me. 

The marshes and wetlands had dried down some since my last visit a few weeks ago, and the variety of waterfowl had diminished. Didn't see any pintails today, but did have a lot of Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers and a large flock of Hooded Mergansers. Also present in smaller numbers Mottled Ducks, Green-winged Teal and a couple of Redheads. The cinnamon teal that has been hanging out at stop #4 wasn't seen, but this location had lots of Dunlin, Western Sandpipers and Ring-billed Gulls.  Other species seen included American White Pelicans, American Coots, Common Gallinules, Caspian and Forster's Terns, Reddish Egrets, a Wilson's Sniped, Sanderlings, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Willets, Pied-billed Grebes and Killdeer. Dipped on American avocets, gadwall, the northern pintails, any rails, sparrows or falcons

Checked out the Biolab Drive, but not much happening there. Also stopped at the visitor center feeders before heading home and ended the stop with four Painted Buntings.

A large of of Hooded Mergansers were actively feeding

White Ibis

Ring-billed Gull

Reddish Egret

Armadillo

Wilson's Snipe

Greater Yellowlegs

Lake Apopka

Friday January 17th

Heading home today from the Panhandle. Did make a side trip to Lake Apopka to check out the North Shore Wildlife Drive. Had visited last month and had some good sightings like the Ash-throated flycatcher.

Ring-necked duck and American Coot

But today, a great many people have also arrived to enjoy the day, the birds and photography.  Its much more crowded  on the drive than last month. The first the first mile or so was very busy.

At one point I stopped and asked some ladies what they were doing with a Muscovy Duck. Muscovy ducks are not commonly seen here and the ladies were concerned that the bird was a lost pet.  Especially as was kept approaching. No doubt it was used to being feed. They were trying to capture the it because they believed that it wasn't going to survive in the wild. My advise was to leave it alone.  It'll be alright.  Don't know what became of the situation after I left.

Fulvous Whistling Duck

American Coot

Lots of ducks today, but like at St Marks, the counts seemed lower. Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup and a Northern Shoveler.  Lots of American Coots, Pied-billed Coots, Anhingas, Common Gallinules, Cormorants, White & Glossy Ibis and the expected waders.  Ospreys, Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawks and a Peregrine Falcon too.

Made a short visit. Still had three hours of driving to get home and the crowds were annoying.

Blue-winged Teal

Best Look I had of this Northern Shoveler

Pied-billed Grebe

Ring-necked Duck

Common Gallinule

gator

Harns Marsh Preserve

Saturday, January 19th

Gray-headed Swamphens have become quite common.

Savannah Sparrow

Made several trips out to Harns Marsh this month. Thought I would comment on what is happening at the Marsh lately and share some pics.

There aren't really a lot of wading birds on hand lately.  A nice sampling.  the same with the wintering water fowl.  A few Ring-necked Ducks, Blue-winged Teal and Hooded Mergansers. The resident Mottled Ducks are not really that numerous as well.  Black-bellied Whistling Ducks have disappeared from the area all together.  Wood Ducks are occasionally seen.

Limpkins, Common Gallinule, American Coots, Sandhill Cranes, Anhingas, Pied-billed Grebes and Double-crested Cormorants are expected

Tri-colored Heron

A Little Blue Heron

Loggerhead Shrike

                                                                                  

Gray-headed Swamphens are easy to find and American Bitterns can be seen. Much harder sightings would be the Least Bitterns, Sora, King Rail and Purple Gallinules. Need to be on site at day break for a chance to hear or maybe even spot one. I've dipped on these  species this month so far. 

Still looking for any Wild Turkeys, Swamp Sparrows or a Grasshopper Sparrow.

A female Common Yellowthroat

Snail kites were a for-sure sighting here once, but not anymore. Seems Harns Marsh isn't suiting them lately. Quite probably,  what is happening here is that changes have been to how the water is held  for storm water control. These changes may have effected the snail kites ability to successfully hunt the apple snails that make up most of their diet. There is diffidently a lack of empty, apple snail shells, once commonly seen here, that are discarded by the feeding kites and Limpkins leave behind. Perhaps the snail population has crashed?

Ring-necked Duck

Pied-billed Grebe

Harns Marsh Preserve eBird Hotspot reports
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L830108

Palm Warbler

Raptor numbers are over-whelming lead by the large concentration of roosting Black and Turkey Vultures.  Bald Eagles, wintering Northern Harriers, resident Red-shouldered Hawks, the occasional Snail Kite, and soaring Red-tailed and Short-tailed Hawks. American Kestrels, in the winter, are seen.  Sometimes a Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Sharp-shinned hawk or Coopers will make an appearance

A Whirly Bird
The nearby Buckingham Airfield hosts Lee County Mosquito Control
 and other local agencies
This corner of Lee County was once a part of the Buckingham Army Airfield,
 a training base during WW2

A male Anhinga

Crested Caracara

American Kestrel

Wilson's Snipe

Hooded Merganser

Glossy Ibis

Sandhill Crane

Purple Gallinules have become hard to find lately. 

 My last observation was back in October

Least Sandpiper