2014

Snowy Owls were irruptive last winter. Many Florida birders headed up to Jacksonville to see this young owl.  I failed to make a trip, therefore I missed adding it as a year bird for 2014.
 Photo provided by Bob Pelkey.

Other Species I failed to add this year included ---

Upland Sandpiper, Western Tanager, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, Cassin’s Kingbird, White-faced Ibis, Snow Bunting, Bahama Mockingbird, Snowy Owl, Vermilion Flycatcher, Wilson's Phalarope, Smooth-billed Ani,

Babcock-Webb WMA

 For 2014 I had set a goal of finding 300+ birds in the State of Florida. This is my third or fourth time setting this goal, but this year I  finally my mark with 302 species. To do this I to bird, often in the company and help of my birding friends - Bob Pelkey, Vince McGrath, Dr Jose Padilla, Stan Ogle, Walt Winton among many fine people, from the Florida panhandle to as far south as you can go, to the Dry Tortugas, plus heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.

My total for all birding for the year was actually 311 because of a couple of short visits to Illinois for family visits. In Illinois , I was able to add lifers with sightings of a olive-sided flycatcher and a yellow-bellied flycatcher. 

Other Lifers included Masked Booby, Brown Noddy in the Dry Tortugas, Winter Wren at Florida Caverns, Blue-headed Parakeet at Siesta Key, a Bar-tailed Godwit in Tarpon Springs, Sooty Tern on the Atlantic Ocean and a Black-billed Cuckoo at ix-mile Cypress Preserve. Also a LaSagre Flycatcher in Coral gables and a Rusty Blackbird in Gainesville.

Not a very long list of Lifers, but I can't get out beyond the state too often like  my friends Dr Padilla and David & Tammy McQuade who have racked up an impressive list this year. For 2015, I am going to be a bit more passive on my Florida counts, but hope to cross the border more often to reach fresh grounds.  Thinking of North Carolina and Roan Mountain, Tennessee. We'll see.

Year List - 2014

2014 Year List (311)

 

1   Black-bellied Whistling-Duck,

 

2   Fulvous Whistling-Duck

 

3   Snow Goose

 

4   Canada Goose

 

5   Egyptian Goose

 

6   Muscovy Duck

 

7   Wood Duck

 

8   Gadwall

 

9   Eurasian Wigeon

 

10  American Wigeon,

 

11  Mallard

 

12  Mottled Duck

 

13  Blue-winged Teal

 

14  Cinnamon Teal

 

15  Northern Shoveler

 

16  Northern Pintail

 

17  Green-winged Teal

 

18  Canvasback

 

19  Redhead

 

20  Ring-necked Duck

 

21  Greater Scaup

 

22  Lesser Scaup

 

23  Common Eider

 

24  Black Scoter

 

25  Bufflehead

 

26  Common Goldeneye

 

27  Hooded Merganser

 

28  Red-breasted Merganser

 

29  Ruddy Duck

 

30  Northern Bobwhite

 

31  Wild Turkey

 

32  Common Loon

 

33  Pied-billed Grebe

 

34  Horned Grebe

 

35  Black-capped Petrel

 

36  Cory's Shearwater

 

37  Sooty Shearwater

 

38  Wilson's Storm-Petrel

 

39  Wood Stork

 

40  Magnificent Frigatebird

 

41  Masked Booby

 

42  Brown Booby

 

43  Northern Gannet

 

44  Double-crested Cormorant

 

45  Great Cormorant

 

46  Anhinga

 

47  American White Pelican

 

48  Brown Pelican

 

49  American Bittern

 

50  Least Bittern

 

51  Great Blue Heron

 

52  Great Egret

 

53  Snowy Egret

 

54  Little Blue Heron

 

55  Tricolored Heron

 

56  Reddish Egret

 

57  Cattle Egret

 

58  Green Heron,

 

59  Black-crowned Night-Heron

 

60  Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

 

61  White Ibis

 

62  Glossy Ibis

 

63  Roseate Spoonbill

 

64  Black Vulture

 

65  Turkey Vulture

 

66  Osprey

 

67  White-tailed Kite

 

68  Swallow-tailed Kite

 

69  Snail Kite

 

70  Mississippi Kite,

 

71  Northern Harrier

 

72  Sharp-shinned Hawk

 

73  Cooper's Hawk,

 

74  Bald Eagle,

 

75  Red-shouldered Hawk

 

76  Broad-winged Hawk

 

77  Short-tailed Hawk

 

78  Red-tailed Hawk

 

79  King Rail

 

80  Clapper Rail

 

81  Virginia Rail

 

82  Sora

 

83  Purple Swamphen

 

84  Purple Gallinule,

 

85  Common Gallinule

 

86  American Coot

 

87  Limpkin

88  Sandhill Crane

 

89  Black-necked Stilt

 

90  American Avocet

 

91  American Oystercatcher

 

92  Black-bellied Plover

 

93  Snowy Plover

 

94  Wilson's Plover

 

95  Semipalmated Plover

 

96  Piping Plover

 

97  Killdeer

 

98  Spotted Sandpiper

 

99  Solitary Sandpiper

 

100 Greater Yellowlegs

 

101 Willet

 

102 Lesser Yellowlegs

 

103 Whimbrel

 

104 Long-billed Curlew

 

105 Bar-tailed Godwit

 

106 Marbled Godwit

 

107 Ruddy Turnstone

 

108 Red Knot

 

109 Stilt Sandpiper

 

110 Sanderling

 

111 Dunlin

 

112 Purple Sandpiper

 

113 Least Sandpiper

 

114 Pectoral Sandpiper

 

115 Semipalmated Sandpiper

 

116 Western Sandpiper

 

117 Short-billed Dowitcher

 

118 Long-billed Dowitcher

 

119 Wilson's Snipe

 

120 Red-necked Phalarope

 

121 Pomarine Jaeger

 

122 Bonaparte's Gull

 

123 Laughing Gull

 

124 Franklin's Gull

 

125 Ring-billed Gull

 

126 Herring Gull

 

127 Lesser Black-backed Gull

 

128 Great Black-backed Gull

 

129 Brown Noddy

 

130 Sooty Tern

 

131 Bridled Tern

 

132 Least Tern

 

133 Gull-billed Tern

 

134 Caspian Tern

 

135 Black Tern

 

136 Roseate Tern

 

137 Common Tern

 

138 Arctic Tern

 

139 Forster's Tern

 

140 Royal Tern

 

141 Sandwich Tern

 

142 Black Skimmer

 

143 Rock Pigeon

 

144 White-crowned Pigeon

 

145 Eurasian Collared-Dove

 

146 Common Ground-Dove,

 

147 White-winged Dove

 

148 Mourning Dove

 

149 Yellow-billed Cuckoo

 

150 Mangrove Cuckoo

 

151 Black-billed Cuckoo

 

152 Groove-billed Ani

 

153 Barn Owl

 

154 Eastern Screech-Owl,

 

155 Great Horned Owl

 

156 Burrowing Owl

 

157 Barred Owl

 

158 Common Nighthawk

 

159 Antillean Nighthawk

 

160 Chuck-will's-widow

 

161 Eastern Whip-poor-will

 

162 Chimney Swift

 

163 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

164 Belted Kingfisher

 

165 Red-headed Woodpecker

 

166 Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

167 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

 

168 Downy Woodpecker

 

169 Hairy Woodpecker

 

170 Red-cockaded Woodpecker

 

171 Northern Flicker

 

172 Pileated Woodpecker

 

173 Crested Caracara

 

174 American Kestrel

 

175 Merlin

 

176 Peregrine Falcon

 

177 Rose-ringed Parakeet

 

178 Monk Parakeet

 

179 Yellow-chevroned Parakeet

 

180 Nanday Parakeet

 

181 Blue-crowned Parakeet

 

182 Mitred Parakeet

 

183 Red-masked Parakeet

 

184 Olive-sided Flycatcher

 

185 Eastern Wood-Pewee

 

186 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

 

187 Acadian Flycatcher

 

188 Least Flycatcher

 

189 Eastern Phoebe

 

190 Say's Phoebe

 

191 Great Crested Flycatcher

 

192 La Sagra's Flycatcher

 

193 Tropical Kingbird

 

194 Western Kingbird

 

195 Eastern Kingbird

 

196 Gray Kingbird

 

197 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

 

198 Loggerhead Shrike

 

199 White-eyed Vireo

 

200 Yellow-throated Vireo

 

201 Blue-headed Vireo

 

202 Warbling Vireo

 

203 Philadelphia Vireo

 

204 Red-eyed Vireo

 

205 Black-whiskered Vireo

 

206 Blue Jay

 

207 Florida Scrub-Jay

 

208 American Crow

 

209 Fish Crow

 

210 Northern Rough-winged Swallow

 

211 Purple Martin

 

212 Tree Swallow

 

213 Bank Swallow

 

214 Barn Swallow

 

215 Cliff Swallow

 

216 Cave Swallow

 

217 Carolina Chickadee

 

218 Black-capped Chickadee

 

219 Tufted Titmouse

 

220 White-breasted Nuthatch

 

221 Brown-headed Nuthatch

 

222 House Wren

 

223 Winter Wren

 

224 Sedge Wren

 

225 Marsh Wren

 

226 Carolina Wren

 

227 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

 

228 Golden-crowned Kinglet

 

229 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 

230 Eastern Bluebird

 

231 Veery

 

232 Gray-cheeked Thrush

 

233 Swainson's Thrush

 

234 Hermit Thrush

 

235 Wood Thrush

 

236 American Robin

 

237 Gray Catbird

 

238 Brown Thrasher

 

239 Northern Mockingbird

 

240 Common Myna

 

241 European Starling

 

242 American Pipit

 

243 Cedar Waxwing

 

244 Ovenbird

 

245 Worm-eating Warbler

 

246 Louisiana Waterthrush

 

247 Northern Waterthrush

 

248 Blue-winged Warbler

 

249 Black-and-white Warbler

 

250 Prothonotary Warbler

 

251 Tennessee Warbler

 

252 Orange-crowned Warbler

 

253 Nashville Warbler

 

254 Kentucky Warbler

 

255 Common Yellowthroat

 

256 Hooded Warbler

 

257 American Redstart

 

258 Cape May Warbler

 

259 Northern Parula

 

260 Magnolia Warbler

 

261 Bay-breasted Warbler

 

262 Blackburnian Warbler

 

263 Yellow Warbler

 

264 Chestnut-sided Warbler

 

265 Blackpoll Warbler

 

266 Black-throated Blue Warbler

 

267 Palm Warbler

 

268 Pine Warbler

 

269 Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

270 Yellow-throated Warbler

 

271 Prairie Warbler

 

272 Black-throated Green Warbler

 

273 Eastern Towhee

 

274 Bachman's Sparrow

 

275 Chipping Sparrow

 

276 Field Sparrow

 

277 Vesper Sparrow

 

278 Lark Sparrow

 

279 Savannah Sparrow

 

280 Grasshopper Sparrow

 

281 Nelson's Sparrow

 

282 Saltmarsh Sparrow

 

283 Song Sparrow

 

284 Lincoln's Sparrow

 

285 Swamp Sparrow,

 

286 White-throated Sparrow

 

287 White-crowned Sparrow

 

288 Summer Tanager

 

289 Scarlet Tanager

 

290 Northern Cardinal

 

291 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 

292 Blue Grosbeak

 

293 Indigo Bunting

 

294 Painted Bunting

 

295 Dickcissel

 

296 Red-winged Blackbird

 

297 Eastern Meadowlark

 

298 Rusty Blackbird

 

299 Brewer's Blackbird

 

300 Common Grackle

 

301 Boat-tailed Grackle

 

302 Shiny Cowbird

 

303 Bronzed Cowbird

 

304 Brown-headed Cowbird

 

305 Orchard Oriole

 

306 Spot-breasted Oriole

 

307 Baltimore Oriole

 

308 House Finch

 

309 Pine Siskin

 

310 American Goldfinch

 

311 House Sparrow

 

Lake Apopka Restoration Area.

Thursday, December 11th
Day Five - North Florida trip

This morning would be the last stop for Bob Pelkey and myself in search of interesting birds. Today we entered the north shore access point to the Lake Apopka Restoration Area near Zellwood with a nice list of birds we hoped to locate this morning starting withe the groove-billed anis, Our list also included Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Least Flycatchers White-crowned Sparrow and Yellow breasted Chat (one of my nemesis birds).

We arrived right at sun rise on a chilly morning. We gave it a few minutes before setting out hoping to sight or here any owls and to see if the rising sun would warm things up. No owls. So we started out to walked the Loop Trail were the anis have been regularly seen.

The Groove-billed Anis is found in very small numbers in northern Florida as wintering birds from Texas. Elsewhere it tends to be a non-migratory species in Mexico, Central and South America.  The Smooth-billed Ani is endemic to Cuba and the Caribbean with a few sights reported yearly in Florida.  At one time it was actually a very common invasive breeder in Florida, but in recent years the species has almost become extirpated from Florida.

So both ani species are coveted by birders in Florida. As was evident by a small group of birders who congregated at the staked out site. We meet Mark and his wife from North Carolina,, a lady from New Jersey, Dave Goodwin and his friend Rex, and Robert Sattelmeyer from Georgia

Bobcat seen near parking area

Bob and I were successful in finding a trio of Least Flycatchers and spotting a flock of distant Fulvous Whistling Ducks and several Swamp Sparrows but dipped on the chat and the ash-throated flycatchers. Yes we did get a tick on the Groove-billed Ani, but a very unrewarding glimpse. About 9:30 as we were all spread-out on the staked-out portion of the Loop Trail, I heard the distinctive call of the bird and observed a fleeting glimpse as it disappear into some brush along the canal. After about an hour Bob managed to also get a glimpse as it changed location. We theorized that it was resting out of sight waiting for the insects they dine on to become active on the chilly morning.  By 11;30 we elected to move on and head for home and joined with a few folks who had already given-up.

Groove-billed Ani photographed at LARA by Robert Sattelmeyer

Later research revealed that a very patient Robert Sattelmeyer was rewarded with outstanding views of both birds at 12:30.  Robert was kind enough to allow me to post a couple of his photos from the day.

Groove-billed Ani photographed at LARA by Robert Sattelmeyer

Bird List for the trip ( I had only one lifer in the Winter Wren seen at Florida Caverns, Bob had many more)

(122) Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Muscovy, Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Wood Stork, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Clapper Rail, Sora, Purple Gallinule, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Snipe, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Rock Pigeon, Common Ground-Dove, Mourning Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, House Wren, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Pine Siskin

Looking For Sprague's Pipit

Wednesday December 10th
Day Four - North Florida trip

Today was to be a travel day.  But our first leg was to head south through the Apalachicola National Forest to reach the Apalachicola Municipal Airport to search for Sprague's Pipit. Then onward to Lake Apopka

Site of  the former Ft Gadsden

Bob Pelkey and I traveled along the Big Bend Scenic Byway through the national forest making frequent stops in search of any thing of interest. One stop was at a the National Historic site of Ft Gadsden situated at prospect bluff along the Apalachicola River. The site was originally constructed by the British during the War of 1812 and was the scene of a horrific battle between American forces and free-Blacks and Native Americans in 1816. I sense the Ft Gadsden is probably a haunted place.

Another stop made at the intersection of BBSB and Bloody Bluff Road, in what is the Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA), we found to be quite birdy. We immediately found several sparrows here, but could only identify Swamp Sparrows. As we searched the brush for more birds the sounds of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers could be heard and were quickly found. A trio of the woodpeckers hung around for a while and were joined by another trio of Brown-headed Nuthatches. Red-shouldered Hawks and Eastern Towhees were also added here.

A view of the Apalachicola River from the historic fort location

Another stop along Sandy Beach Road brought us out onto a fish pier on the river were a Clapper Rail was briefly seen and refused to be coaxed out to get its picture taken.

We arrived shortly after noon at the Apalachicola airport.  The young man on duty was very friendly and helpful, giving us permission to enter the airport property in our search for Sprague's Pipit . This small song bird is a rare bird to Florida were just a few can usually be located at this airport in the winter.  It is a bird of the short grass plains of the northern United States and Canada, and migrates in the fall to similar habitats in south-central United States and northern Mexico. So those wintering in the Florida panhandle are on the extreme eastern edge of their range.

We were warned that the airport had three one-mile long air stripes and this would amount to a lot of territory to search for one or two tiny birds. Bob and I tried.  Things seemed promising as we quickly were investigating a flock of Savannah Sparrows. But after two hours we had run out of time and had only found Meadowlarks and Killdeers. Maybe someday we can try again or perhaps just search for them in Texas or Minnesota.

From here we retraced our travels through the village of Apalachicola, without taking time to sit down to a meal of fresh caught seafood, and along the shoreline of the northern Gulf of

Red-cockaded Woodpecker

White-tailed Deer at Bloody Bluff Road

Mexico. As the trip to Lake Apopka was expected to take four hours we also dropped a stop at Alligator Point, were a search of the waters should have revealed all three species of scoters, common golden-eye, common loon and is the most reliable location to find any red-throated loons in Florida. So from Apalachicola we headed directly to Lake Apopka, were Grove-billed Anis were reported.

Tallahassee Birding

Tuesday December 9th
Day Three - North Florida Trip

One of my target birds on this trip was to find a white-breasted nuthatch. This species rarely ventures any further south then the Red Hills of Tallahassee. Its reported that there are many reliable venues in and around the state capital. 

Marsh observed along nature trail at Tall Timbers

I had an interest in checking the Tall Timbers Research Station s private facility located just south of the Georgia border. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful.

Spent a couple of hours searching the nature trail. We managed to locate several brown-headed nuthatches along with a loud white-breast nuthatch. We also added ruby-crowned kinglet, carolina & house wrens, eastern bluebirds, eastern towhee, chipping sparrow, tufted titmice and pileated woodpecker.

Next stop was a pond on Biltmore Avenue,in Tallahassee to seek a couple more targets. Geese. 

The pond is home to around a hundred canada geese and a lone snow goose. Other species present here included ruddy ducks, shovelers and dunlins. We were informed by a lady walking her dog that they were hopefully that the pair of whooping cranes that wintered here last winter would return any day.

Our state bird - the Northern Mockingbird

As we still had some sun light left, Bob wanted another try at getting some additional photography at St Marks. Yesterday's precipitation slowed him down a bit. We had a couple of hours of day light and revisited some of the same stops as yesterday. 

Canada Goose

Snow Goose

Geese in Tallahassee

St Marks

Monday, December 8th
Day Two - North Florida Trip

St Mark's Lighthouse

While camping at the yurt in Torreya State Park Bob Pelkey and I found that our smart phones clocks were bouncing back and forth between CST and EST. Seems we were sitting near t to the border of these time zones. The confusion got us a late start so that we didn't arrive  St Marks till 9:30.

Lesser Scaup at Lighthouse Pool

The day was overcast, chilly and drizzly. But we still found good birds. We would dip on a few targets that had been recently reported such as Ross's goose, Virginia rail, vermilion flycatcher and white-faced ibis

Started off with Eastern Phoebe and yellow-rumped warblers at the visitor center. Further down lighthouse road we added green-winged teal, coots, common gallinule, red-breasted merganser, swamp and savannah sparrows, eastern towhee, pied-billed grebes, belted kingfishers, northern harrier, red-shouldered hawk and the expected waders.

Reaching Stone Bayou we found a quartet of American avocet, a single black-necked stilt, and also willets, greater yellowlegs, more coots, least & western sandpipers, sb & lb dowitchers, wilson's snipe, eastern meadowlarks, least Scaup and bufflehead.

Drake Northern Shoveler

At the headquarters pond we had at least a dozen black-crowned night-herons, American wigeons, blue-winged teal, gadwall, ring-necked ducks, a sora, a bald eagle. purple and common gallinule and more waders.

Onto the lighthouse pool. There were hundreds of ducks including more a wigeons, northern shovelers, canvasbacks, redheads, lesser Scaup, and ruddy ducks.  At the sea grass zone along the beach we found nelsons sparrows, a suspected salt marsh sparrow. swamp sparrow, and a brief look at a sparrow sporting yellow head and breast markings. Heard clapper rail in the salt marsh east of the lighthouse. Off shore were common loons, horned grebes, bufflehead, least scaup, brown pelicans, ring-billed gulls, a royal tern and an active dolphin.

Eastern Phoebe

On the way out, we found the numbers of shorebirds had greatly increased at Stone Bayou. Hiked the dike road to the back of the bayou and added wood stork and american white pelicans

St Marks NWR is an awesome birding venue and a real jewel for birding in Florida.

American Wigeon

American Avocet

Nelson's Sharptail Sparrow

Fruiting Prickly Pear seen near the lighthouse boat launch

Florida Caverns State Park

Sunday, December 7th

Day One - North Florida Trip

Winter Wren at Florida Caverns State  Park
Photo provided courtesy of Bob Pelkey

I have been anticipating making this trip to Florida's Panhandle for some time. Have been looking forward to birding here for several wintering birds that normally only migrate to this corner of the state. They include horned lark, golden-crowned kinglet, brown creeper and winter wren.  To find these you need to visit Jackson County, primarily Florida Caverns State Park in the winter season.

Vesper Sparrow on Concord Road

Therefore, after a long overnight drive with Bob Pelkey at the wheel we arrived at Florida Caverns a bit early as the gates were still closed.  So being early be elected to visit a sight on Concord Road, east of Malone, to shirt-tail reports of horned lark and purple finches.  Both of these birds rarely venture any further south than this point. We scoped the barren peanut and cotton fields along Concord. No larks or finches at the time, but had several Killdeer, Savannah Sparrows, a Vesper Sparrow a Kestrel and American Crows

So onto Florida Caverns State Park. The site is  fascinating and very unique to Florida. Though the Karst topography that creates the cave system is found throughout half of Florida, its climate/ecology is the most southern point for the temperate forests of the Appalachian chain. Besides the avian species that are a part of this ecology we find rare to Florida  flora like some personal favorites as Bloodroot, Mayapple, Trillium

The park rangers gave us directions to the best place to find our targets. An area known as the Sink, by the canoe put-in parking area on the Chipola River. Here we did have success.  Got our lifer sightings of Winter Wren, plus several Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a sole Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice and a couple of Hermit Thrushes.  The brown creeper was a no-show.

We moved onto the horse carrel location were we had a lot of Yellow-rumped Warblers, but also a couple of Pine Siskins, a Chipping Sparrow, a Cedar Wax-wing, American Robins and lots of Eastern Bluebirds.

Easter bluebird

We missed visiting the caverns, but would like to return on another occasion to see them.  A summer visit couple be enjoyable in locating breeding Mississippi Kites and Broad-winged Hawks

But noe was time to head about an hour south to Torreya State Park, along the bluffs above the Apalachicola River in Liberty County. This would be our base of operations for a few days as we're staying at the campgrounds.  Ever heard of a Yurt?  Nice way to camp.

Torreya Tree Decline


Torreya Guardians

Yurt Camping

Inside

Fire pit