LAST MINUTE FINDS

Sometimes you just luck out.  It's as simple as that.  I suppose I should backtrack a bit so this makes a little sense.

At some point earlier in the year it was pointed out how one of our local birders was going to break the record for number of species observed in Alachua County (241) - a record this man set himself a few years back.  It was then I took a look at the number of species I had observed up to that point, and I figured I had decent shot at least of tying the now old record.

Fast forward to the last two days of the year, and I needed four species to hit the mark I set for myself.  On Sunday I decided I had favorable odds to find a Henslow's sparrow.  So I set out to one of the known locations where they have been observed multiple times in the past - Gum Root Park.

"Sparrow Heights" at Gum Root Park

Check out the frost on this blackberry - it was cold out!

Fortune struck early out there in the frost covered open field.  I was walking through the bushy bluestem, as Henslow's tend to favor grasses such as it.  As luck would have it I flushed one out of a clump of Andropogon and it actually flew up to a small clump of immature laurel oaks, instead of running along the ground to hide.  Perched in the laurel oaks, the sunlight was rising at the right angle where it shone like a spotlight on the individual.  The olive green plumage coloration in the facial region was highlighted like a textbook example, I couldn't have asked for a better view of an individual.  Then to my surprise I heard the "flea-lick" song from behind me, and realized I had two individuals present.  What a start to the morning.

Henslow's sparrow

Henslow's sparrow

Chipping Sparrows

See, it was cold - check out this Eastern bluebird

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Hatchet Creek flowing after a substantial rain event

 With my spirits high and a feeling flowing through me that I may even find another new species or two of the year, I decided to head out to the Hatchet Creek Tract at the Newnan's Lake Conservation Area to see what riches may lay hidden and waiting to be discovered.  To preface what ultimately would occur, let it be known since the first red-breasted nuthatch signaled the oncoming irruption I had been hoping I would get the opportunity to see one.  The last individual I had seen was as a youth in Illinois.

Asphalt and wooden creosote soaked bridge over Hatchet Creek

Hatchet Creek

After I don't know how many attempts to place myself in an ecosystem where they may desire to forage, I had all but given up hope I would see one.  After traipsing around suitable habitat throughout the tract for many hours, I was walking back along the trail which divided the higher quality pine flatwoods from the forested floodplain of the creek.  I stopped on a very tiny knoll as it offered a slightly elevated vantage point from which to view the pine flatwoods.  There I played a call and after it stopped I was nearly turning to leave when I heard a "yank-yank" response from just overhead.  I turned and looked up in a snag and there was a red-breasted nuthatch peering down at me, only a few feet away.  Stunned, I completely forgot to grab my camera, as I just stood there enthralled at feasting my eyes on the bird which had been eluding me these past few months.  The nuthatch flew to a nearby pine and I came to my senses and snapped off way too many photos, hoping at least one or two would be useable for documentation.  I was so overjoyed at finally finding one of these nuthatches, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my back.  I honestly had not realized how much effort I had been putting in to find this species until that very moment.  It's funny how the little things can truly free you and make you blissful at the same time.

Higher quality pine flatwoods onsite

Red-breasted Nuthatch!!!

As I figured it wouldn't get any better, I decided to call it quits for the day.  I know when to fold 'em.  I figured with this sudden eruption of good fortune I would definitely need to head out the next morning to see if I could just find two more species to elevate me to 241 for the year in the county.

Blue-headed Vireo

Barred Owl at beginning of trail

Today started out entirely different than yesterday.  It's part of the beauty of birding.  Everything can change from day to day.  I figured I would try to start early and try and get a whip-poor-will or american woodcock, but my body apparently told me I needed more sleep, because I overslept and missed the break of dawn.  Having likely no chance to find these species, I focused my efforts on a couple of others.  I hit a few different locations today, and had no luck with any new species.  I had all but decided to be very satisfied with 239, a very respectable number, when I thought about taking a little walk through the Prairie Creek Conservation Area.

Prairie Creek Conservation Area - Orange Trail

I decided to traipse down the orange trail and see what was there, as it would be a nice last walk of the year.  To my surprise, I had only been walking for about 10 minutes or so when I came across a decent sized mixed flock.  After separating all the tufted titmice, yellow-rumped warblers, et al., I thought I heard a call of one of the species I still had yet to find this year.  I stopped to really listen, and I heard it again.  Yes!  It was a pair of golden-crowned kinglets calling from near the creek.  I finally put my bins on them and received visual verification.  What a treat.  I certainly figured the day was done and almost left after this, but I decided to push ahead, just to enjoy the rest of the trail.  At one point past the confluence of the orange and white trails, I decided to veer off the trail to explore.  For this I was rewarded with flushing an american woodcock which abruptly gave out a "peent" call as it flew up and away, with the only look I saw was of it's long bill before it quickly went out of sight.  And with that, the woodcock increased my total number of bird species observed in Alachua County to 241.

Golden-crowned Kinglet (next 3 photos)

I am not prone to care about how many birds I've seen (not that there is anything wrong with it), but it became somewhat of a challenge to see how many different species I could find in my first full year in the county.  It was certainly fun and engaging.  I was able to meet many wonderful people along the way.  I traversed beautiful habitats.  I learned more calls and subtle plumage differences than I knew before the year started.  I was able to witness interesting events while out and about.  It all made for one hell of a fantastic year to be out in the county.  Now the year is over and a new one awaits!

WALKING THE DOG

Gina and I decided to take our dog Sandy out for a couple of walks around town on Saturday to get a bit of fresh air.  Our first stop was the Townsend retention pond near our house in the morning.  Apparently the hooded mergansers are still taking possession of the pond, as approximately 60 were foraging there, while no other ducks were present.  There was a healthy mix of males and females, with the females outnumbering the males.  Another highlight was watching an adult wood stork soar overhead then gradually come down to forage in the pond alongside a great blue heron, snowy egret, and white ibis.  Other species present included tri-colored heron, great egret, pied-billed grebe, double-breasted cormorant, fish crow, and expected passerines such as palm warbler and yellow-rumped warbler.  For the pond it was a fairly birdy morning.

In the afternoon we decided to take Sandy for a stroll around Lake Alice.  It was fairly quiet, but there were some species here and there making their presence known.  I didn't have the binocs with me, so I couldn't identify a couple ducks out on the lake, but we did get some decent looks at and auditory observations of several species including green heron, great blue heron, anhinga, eastern phoebe, common yellowthroat, and other expected species.  One loggerhead shrike was observed on the south side of the lake edge, perched on the powerline along the adjacent road. 

161!!!

Possibly 162, but at the very least Alachua Audubon members who participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) were able to tie or break the previous record of number of different species observed on a CBC.  Way to go everyone!  All the tireless work paid off handsomely.

Just a quick rundown of the highlights.  Black scooters (the first record of this species in Alachua) were observed on Lake Wauberg.  A groove-billed ani was seen on the La Chua trail near the powerline just west of the barn.  Sprague's pipit were seen in the exact same spot as last year's count.  Talk about extreme site fidelity.  10, count 'em 10, ash-throated flycatchers were observed just on Paynes Prairie alone.  An incredible number indeed, as it easily shattered the old record for the CBC.  Least flycatchers and the female vermilion flycatcher were observed on the prairie as well, making it an overall abundant day for empids and Myiarchus species.  3 red-breasted nuthatches were seen (on one tree no less!), which was hoped for, considering they've been seen for the last two months scattered throughout the county. 

Other great observations included canvasback, roseate spoonbill, spotted sandpiper, red-breasted merganser, yellow-breasted chat, wilson's warbler, northern parula, winter wren, limpkin, and lincoln's and le conte's sparrows. 

All in all it was a tremendously rewarding day, and every participant should feel they helped create one of the best CBC's the county has seen.  Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and energies for this event.  Now, let's see if we can top it next year!

SECRETS OF THE PRAIRIE

The vast expanse of Paynes Prairie and its numerous ecosystems holds a wealth of information and secrets we may never fully comprehend.  However, some of these avian secrets have been unearthed recently by some excellent members of the birding community.  In the last week between the La Chua and Cones Dike trails, the following rare or secretive birds (some for the time of year they are present here or some based on their traditional range) were spotted: yellow-breasted chat, lincoln's and fox sparrow, northern waterthrush, vermilion flycatcher, least flycatcher, ash-throated flycatcher, merlin, and virginia rail!  If the list is not impressive, I'm not quite sure what would be.

Probably the most interesting species for me (since I had been treated to intimate views of the vermilion and merlin the past few weeks) was the ash-throated flycatcher, a species whose typical North American (i.e. summer) range doesn't extend beyond the beginning of the Great Plains in the west or into the eastern half of Texas.  As its typical migration and winter range take it into Central America, it is not common for it to be seen outside its range.  However, in recent times individuals have been spotted all the way to the east coast during winter, typically confined to coastal areas.  Inland sightings of aberrant individuals are even more uncommon.  Which makes the fact three individuals were seen in the exact same tree along the Cones Dike trail even more impressive.  Based on data compiled by Rex Rowan, it seems there may be up to 5 or 6 different individuals present in Paynes Prairie at this very moment, making this a very exciting time to take a hike through the prairie and see what secrets it has to share.

I decided to head out on a quest to see at least one of these ash-throateds Saturday morning.  When I arrived at the Camps Canal trail, another great local birder and poet, Sidney Wade, was already there and getting ready to make the trek out to Cones Dike to find them as well.  So we decided to head out together and see what we could find.

The morning started out with a good omen, as the very first bird we encountered was a hermit thrush along the Camps Canal trail.  Typically the first species one sees heading out on this trail this time of year is a Carolina wren or northern cardinal, so I was thinking it was a sign of interesting sightings to come...and so it seemed.  When we finally strolled onto the prairie, there was a cool, heavy fog blanketing the entire prairie in a shroud of gray mist.  It seemed to keep the birds active all morning, as there were just birds flying around and calling everywhere, with no end in sight.

(Ruby-crowned kinglet with crown exposed)

Sidney and I were able to see the ruby crown of an appropriately named kinglet from a few feet away, numerous male and female common yellowthroats, blue-gray gnatcatchers at eye level in just about every other thicket, and seemingly endless numbers of palm and yellow-rumped warblers.  Sora were calling throughout the later half of the trail, a small flock of black-bellied whistling ducks took flight and were producing their namesake whistles while in-flight, and we were able to spy one of the best looks you can get of an american bittern who landed in the middle of the southernmost canal with nothing but short, bright green emergent vegetation surrounding it.  It must have quickly realized it was not concealed whatsoever, as it abruptly took flight to another, more heavily vegetated portion of the prairie.


About halfway down the trail, we ran into our first ash-throated of the morning.  Interestingly enough, it was in the exact same location as an alder flycatcher had been hanging out in October.  Two rare flycatchers in the exact same spot, several months apart?  When one looks at the surrounding area, it may yield some clues as to why it was chosen by both individuals.  The area in question is along the canal, yet in a fairly open expanse.  There is a healthy composite of shrub and groundcover vegetation, along with a few mature trees, giving the flycatchers plenty of perches from which to survey, sally, and hawk prey items.  Also, there is a healthy diversity in the vegetative composition present in all layers, so it may be alluring to many different insect species, thus being alluring to the flycatchers as well.

(Ash-throated flycatcher sharpening bill)

(Ash-throated flycatcher calling - note the ash-throated coloration of the throat)

The second ash-throated of the morning was seen a bit farther up the trail.  This time it brought another rare for the season friend along, a northern waterthrush.  Interestingly, the waterthrush flew up high in a Celtis tree with the ash-throated, allowing for easy identification with the extensive streaking along the throat, breast, and belly.  It also called a few times after it flew down to a more common waterthrush level, closer to the ground.  What a treat!  Sidney and I couldn't believe our luck at seeing both species in the same tree at once.

All three ash-throateds we encountered were very gracious and gregarious, allowing us ample opportunity to study their diagnostic features and compare them against great-crested flycatchers.  The paler, sulfur-colored belly was easily identifiable, and it was fairly clear to see the sulfur plumage coloration did not extend as far up to the breast as does on the great-crested.  Also, we were treated to great underside looks, and were able to see how the rufous and dark brown coloration on the undertail coverts truly does extend to the tip.  Then there was the ash-colored throat and neck collar, which was all the easier to see in detail when the last two individuals were observed calling (which also confirmed the identity of the species).

(Ash-throated flycatcher in flight - note the extension of the rufous/dark brown coloration to the tips of the undertail coverts)

(Another in-flight photo of the Ash-throated flycatcher)

(Wilson's snipe in "ready to flush" stance)

Sidney decided to head back after we found the last ash-throated, and I decided to press forward, wanting to see what may be present at the bend in the trail and after.  I was treated to an adult bald eagle perched in the last cypress before the bend, two immature white-crowned sparrows,  a handsome male northern harrier (who flushed no less than sixteen wilson's snipes) just a short distance in front of me at eye level, and finally one of my other target species for the day, a virginia rail.  The last individual I had seen or heard was during last year's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) along Newnan's Lake, and I have been surprised at not being able to see one since, even though they are quite secretive by nature.  I was lucky enough to hear the grunt call, and then I attempted to trace it back to its location.  I was fortunate enough to catch a fairly decent look at the individual behind some dense groundcover vegetation before it took off into it.  Unfortunately the photos I snapped off do not clearly show the bird.

(Immature white-crowned sparrows)

By the end of the hike, a total of 56 species were observed.  It's amazing to see the sheer diversity and abundance of birds which are currently present on the prairie.  Do yourself a favor and get out there to see what other jewels may be present.  You never know what you may run into out there.

HOODED MERGANSER MITOSIS

On Friday evening I decided I would head out to La Chua the following morning in the hopes the whooping crane spotted recently was still hanging around.  So when Saturday morning came, I decided to make a brief check-in at the Townsend retention pond by my house to see what was going on there.  Usually I don't get a chance to check it out in the early morning, but perhaps I should more often.  It was fairly birdy for the subdivision, at least compared to when I typically check on it in the evening time.

(Male and female hooded mergansers)

The hooded mergansers had seemingly undergone mitosis since the previous day.  There were 22 individuals on Friday, and nearly double the amount (40) on Saturday morning.  I guess they put the word out the retention pond was the happening spot.

(Male and female hooded mergansers)

 Apparently no other waterfowl got the invite, but it's still early enough some others might show up, especially if the hooded mergansers remain during the winter.


Wading birds present included a great egret, snowy egret, little blue heron, and tri-colored heron.  A pied-billed grebe, belted kingfisher, and 3 eastern bluebirds made for a nice count for the subdivision.

(Eastern bluebirds in a slash pine)

Then it was on to more pressing matters - finding a whooper.  When I arrived at the trail, I noticed there were many other birders there.  I then realized I had forgotten the Alachua Audubon field trip was taking place at the trail.  Whoops, it goes to show I need to remember my calendar events.  So I decided to tag along, as more seasoned eyes and ears are better than one set.  In the end, 80 different species were observed by the group, a fantastic tally considering only one duck species was positively identified.

The group struck out on the whooper, but were treated to great views of the recurring female vermilion flycatcher, the female merlin perched atop her favorite snag and hawking (or perhaps more fittingly falconing or merlining?) dragonflies, seemingly endless amounts of sora, a covey of at least 15 bobwhites flushed near the barn at the end of the walk, and 11 different Emberizid species.  These included eastern towhee and field, savannah, song, vesper, lincoln's, grasshopper, white-crowned, white-throated, chipping, and swamp sparrows - most of which you'd typically expect to find at La Chua this time of year.

(Female merlin perched on snag)

 It was a fantastic walk, with most of the birds actively calling, singing, or foraging, which made for easy identification of most of the species.  Other species highlights for me included Caleb Gordon (our fearless hike leader) using his acute auditory skills to identify an american pipit flying somewhere overhead, watching an adult great blue heron first steal an amphiuma/greater siren from the great egret who originally caught it and then attempt to eat it (photo below), listening to all the sora calling, and just taking in all the activity occurring around the observation platform.  It was an excellent hike shared with great company, typical of the Alachua Audubon hikes.

(Great blue heron attempting to eat a siren or amphiuma)

(Sora - one of the vast multitude present in the prairie right now)

After La Chua I decided to check out a couple areas around Newnan's Lake.  I checked out Palm Point to see if the Western Kingbird Mike Manetz had seen earlier in the week was still present.  Alas, it was not there, but 17 Bonaparte's gulls and a couple of immature herring gulls were just off the point floating on the lake with some american coot.  A murder of fish crows was pestering an adult bald eagle, while turkey and black vultures soared overhead.  I did not observe any duck species with my bins,  but if ducks were present they may have been hidden at the north end or gone elsewhere as it appeared many duck hunters had been on the lake during the morning as some were coming in for the day.

Then it was on to Gum Root Swamp, as I wanted to see if it would be possible to walk around the lake's edge again this year.  To my dismay, it likely will not be possible since water levels are much higher in the lake this year (which is indeed very positive for health of the lake and surrounding floodplain wetlands).  I'm not even sure chest waders would be of any use, as the floodplain near the mouth of the channels going to the lake are holding extensive amounts of water right now, likely meaning there is no lake edge to walk around, at least from this portion of the lake.  It was still a beautiful winter walk in the late afternoon and seeing the transformation of the foliage in the swamp.  A few birds were present, including at least 20-30 wood ducks in the channel, a group of great egrets and white ibis, and a yellow-bellied sapsucker giving its "meow" call. 

(Tail end of Gum Root Swamp before opening to Newnan's Lake)

(The darkness of Gum Root Swamp)