Bucket List Trip - The Channel Islands

 Thursday October 20th

A few weeks ago, I went out to California. Never been this far west before, so there were a lot of lifers for me to enjoy. This trip was centered around a pelagic trip out of Ventura on September 30th.

Scorpion Cove at Santa Cruz Island

When I booked the pelagic trip with Island Packers, I added a trip out to Santa Cruz Island for the 29th. A visit to Santa Cruz Island within the Channel Islands National Park has been on my bucket list for a very long time. The Island Scrub-Jay is only found in the Santa Cruz Island, as are the Santa Cruz Island Fox. The island also hosts dozens of endemic and rare plant species. The naturalist in me was keen to visit such a unique place. There are whales, seals and dolphins too.

Santa Cruz Fox Island

Wavy Turban shell

The Channel Islands are clearly visible from the mainland as it is only a 32 mile away. So the ferry ride across the Santa Barbara Channel was usually only an hour long. On both the trip out and on the return Humpback Whales were feeding and a few Common Dolphins. Was too concerned on missing getting photos of the cetaceans because tomorrows ten-hour pelagic trip would offer a wealth of opportunities. Unfortunately, my pelagic trip was cancelled due to bad weather.

 The day-trippers, like myself, had about six hours to explorer. Lots of visitors were campers and backpackers. Fox boxes were located at the visitor cent and each camp site, because the endemic island foxes are quite crafty in snatching any campers of visitors' food left unsecured. The ravens were just as bad. 

The endemic Island Scrub-Jay

I chose to do my birding and nature hiking around the Scorpion Campground and a hike up the Scorpion Canyon and to Cavern Point. 

 

White-crowned Sparrow

Island Loggerhead Shrike
an endemic subspecies to the island

House Finch sitting in some dry milk thistles.

Slender Iceplant

Tagged Common Ravens seen at the campgrounds.

Greene's Dudleya

Chasing Birds - Panhandle & Gainesville Days 3 and 4

Monday January 18th

Had some great leads for birding the next two, but just couldn't fit everything in. Today was time spent around Tallahassee. Visited Lake Jackson Mounds State Park and Torreya State Park. I would have usually included Florida Caverns State Park as well, but most of the property is still closed because of the damage from Hurricane Michael more than than two years. Michael was a devastating storm.

White-crowned Sparrow at Lake Jackson

I am not just interested in birds, but all genres in our natural world.  The Red Hills region around Tallahassee has a unique ecological environment for Florida. as the state is known for its more tropical climes. The Red Hills zone is composed of  plant communities more common to the southern Appalachian Mountains then in southern Florida. 

Orange-crowned Warbler

First stop was at the Crowder Road Land on Lake Jackson just outside of the state park. Last year at this time the lake was loaded with buffleheads and ruddy ducks. But today just coots and moorhens. Lots of American Goldfinches in the trees plus American Robins, a Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Chickadee and an Orange-crowned Warbler. Lots of Chipping Sparrows and a least one White-crowned Sparrow too.

Coralberry at Lake Jackson Mounds State Park

Birding at Lake Jackson Mounds State Park was slow. Was greeted by a pair of White-tailed Deer at the parking lot, spent my time birding and looking for interesting flora. Some of the birds today included Bald Eagle, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Wren , Carolina Chickadee, Pileated Woodpecker, American Goldfinch and Pine Warblers. Lots of interesting flora - various oaks, hickories, beech trees, southern magnolias, hollies, Carolina laurelcherry and coralberry,

Underwood's Trillium seen at both state parks today

Apalachicola River

Moved onto Torreya State State Park. This park, located along the bluffs of the Apalachicola River, is very interesting in its unique geology, rare flora and civil war history. Again the birding was very slow, but the flora was interesting the rare Florida Torreya Tree, more oaks and beech trees, southern magnolias, American sycamore, sweetgums, American Hollycommon hoptree, tulip tree, oakleaf hydrangea and needle palm.

Florida Torreya Tree

American Holly

Slender Yellow Woodsorrel

Needle Palm

Tuesday January 19th

Finally stop on this trip was back to Gainesville and Paynes Prairie State Park. Florida has a few Whooping Cranes left from the experimental reintroduction of a non-migratory flock. Looks like a site in Mississippi has been more successful.

Whooping Crane Conservation Association has a lot of information 

But currently, a lone whooper can be observed at the end of the Bolen's Bluff Trail at Paynes Prairie State Park. Walked the mile plus to the end.  Spent about a half hour at the observation tower looking for the bird. eventually located it a long way off to the east near the resting bison..  Paynes Prairie has a herd of bison roaming the prairie, all cows.  The bulls were relocated to a farm for everyone's safety. A herd of Spanish horses also roam the park.

Other birds included Sandhill Cranes, a large number of Snail Kites, American White Pelicans, Red-shouldered Hawks, Tufted Titmice and Carolina Wrens

American Sweetgum

Dwarf Saw Palmetto

Species Seen

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Canada Goose, Muscovy Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, American Black Duck, Mottled Duck, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Clapper Rail, Sora, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Limpkin, Sandhill Crane, Whooping Crane, American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Wilson's Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Bonaparte's Gull, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer, Common Loon, Wood Stork, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Snail Kite. Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Merlin, Nanday Parakeet, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Black-and-white Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal

The Tomato Fields, Plus

Thursday November 23rd

White-crowned Sparrow

Our wintering birds are starting to show up in our sunny corner of Florida. We always enjoy their arrival and sometimes rarities are among them.  Last winter we had a pair of Brants visit us for a few weeks.  This past week, another goose species has shown up. A juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose has been located in a pasture along North River Road. Any wild goose species is uncommon in our area, but I don't recall any reports on Greater White-fronted Geese.

A very distant look at the Greater White-fronted Goose

with a few Blue-winged Teal

I was able to observe the bird last Sunday morning in the company of several ardent Birders.  A scope is necessary as the bird will keep its distance. Was too far for my photography.

Yesterday I headed out early for the flooded Tomato Fields along Oil Well Road, near Ava Marie in Collier County. This time of year this location hosted numerous variety of birdlife - waterfowl, Canvasback, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Mottled Ducks, American Coots and Pied-billed Grebes. But there were Huge numbers of American White Pelicans, Great Egrets and the rest of the waders. Water is a bit deep yet for any yellowlegs, avocets or black-necked stilts.  Maybe later

The Canvasbacks wouldn't come close enough

for any good pics

waders, peeps, etc, for a few weeks before it dries up. The variety of waterfowl is a short list at this time -

A few miles east on Oil Well Road is a location called the Two Bridges. Went to this location to look for Western Kingbirds, which was located actually about a mile west of the Two Bridges. Had an interesting observation were a half dozen birds roosting in a pair of barren trees. Due to the lighting conditions I couldn't make out what they were until they flew. Snail Kites. Other species here included lots of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Blue-winged Teal, American Bittern, Anhingas, Cormorants, Limpkins, Grebes, Black-crowned Night-herons and Palm Warblers.

Next was a bit of a drive to the Big Cypress National Preserve--Oasis Visitor Center out on the Tamaimi Trail by the Everglades. David True has been reporting some nice sightings from here.  Especially sparrows. I was interested in getting a picture or two of a White-crowned Sparrow and rewarded with a bird willing to pose. 

Gator at Two Bridges

American Bittern

Western Kingbird

Payne's Prairie - La Chua Trail

Tuesday December 6th

Spent several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday birding the La Chua Trail situated on the north side of the Payne's Prairie State Park near Gainesville, Florida. I'm here looking for specialty birds we don't see much, wintering in southwest Florida. Targets today include wintering sparrows, the resident Whooping Crane, a wintering Vermilion Flycatcher and wintering water fowl.

White-crowned Sparrow

On Tuesday, there was a late start due to inclement weather. But as the rain abated about 9 am, I made my initial stop at Magnolia Parke in northwestern Gainesville. Historically, Rusty Blackbirds have been roosting here as they wintered in Gainesville. It was actually a bit early on the calendar to expect these blackbirds, and I didn't see any but did have some White-crowned Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, a Red-headed Woodpecker and Yellow-rumped Warblers. 

The weather was improving so I moved onto the La Chua Trail, arriving about 10:45 am. The only other birder I encounter was Yve Morrell. Yve is a very active birder from Naples, Florida, whom I have met several times in various birding venues. Currently she's aggressively running a recon in preparation of conducting an ABA Big Year in 2017.  Just a few weeks away.

Yve was already heading out after a successful morning. She had braved the rain and was rewarded in seeing the Lincoln's Sparrow that's been reported here. She also added Savannah, Song, Swamp and White-crowned Sparrows. As for the Vermilion Flycatcher she outlined that access to it was being blocked by construction. 

One of the wild Spanish Cracker Horses that roam the prairie

Spent four hours in birding the area. Even though the rains had stopped it was still windy. Much of  the wetlands have dried up and the Spanish Cracker horse herd could be seen to the east. Huge alligators, as usual, are sunning themselves along the canals and hundreds of Greater Sandhill Cranes are spread across the the flats.

The Sparrows are Staying Low

 Amongst the Sandhills is a lone Whooping Crane. It can be seen from the observation tower, but is a long was off. Due to distance and poor lighting, good photography was a problem. Was also a problem in identifying the hundreds of water fowl and shorebirds present by the tower, due to the bad lighting.

 Was able to identify Mottle Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeers, Wilson's Snipes, American Coots, Common Gallinules, White and Glossy Ibis and lots of waders.

Other species included an Armadillo, Ribbon Snake, American Crows, Red-shouldered Hawks, Bald Eagle, House Wrens, Carolina Wrens Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows. Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a female Painted Bunting.  But no Lincoln's Sparrow

The Florida State Bird

From here I headed over to the nearby Sweetwater Wetlands. Best sighting at Sweetwater were Northern Harrier, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Blue-wing Teal Wood Storks and Limpkins.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Wednesday, December 7th

Returned to the La Chua Trail for another morning of birding. The weather was nicer and the trail was a lot busier. The horses were out east of the trail and the bison herd was close by on the western side. Counted fifteen of them today. I believe there are probably about 50 cows, left after a recent removal of the bulls. The Bison, Cracker Horse and Cracker Cattle Management Plan

The birding wasn't much different than yesterday. So much of the same. But not all. Was able to add Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Kestrel, Black-and-White Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Marsh Wren and Roseate Spoonbill.

Savannah Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Glossy Ibis

Long-billed Dowitcher

A very distant pic of the Whooping Crane

From here I traveled to Clay County and the Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park to see the Canada Geese and Muscovy Ducks. These ducks are everywhere.                                                       Then, on the long drive home, I made one last stop.  A return visit to try for the Brewer's Blackbird at Bayport Park near Weeki Watchee, After dipping a couple of times this year, I was able to observe the blackbird in the company of a flock of Boat-tailed Grackles.

This female Brewer's Blackbird was been a winter visitor
to his area for several seasons now.

Boat-tailed Grackle