BLACK FRIDAY Ver. 2.0 (THE PINLUSIAVARDNO EXPLOITS)

As promised from the last entry, I thought I would share some of my exploits from the Space Coast to the Nature Coast of Florida in the past 30+ days.  The exploits range from Volusia, Brevard, Pinellas, and Hernando counties.  However, for the purpose of this entry, I thought I would simply try to recount my venture on Black Friday, the second such installment in this blog's limited cannon.

Over Thanksgiving holiday I was able to spend the day at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) and Canaveral National Seashore (CNS).  Last year's gluttony of waterfowl around the same time tempted me to venture to Titusville to see what species were out and about this year.  The reports of Eared grebe, Long-tailed duck, and Black rail also solidified my decision to head over there.

Based on sound directions (a big thanks to Graham!), I stationed myself right about sunrise at Peacocks Pocket at MINWR and was able to have a Black rail respond to recorded playback (the "kik kee doo" song).  Although not the typical summer response (and certainly not expected), a singular "Kerr" alerted me to the presence of the rail which could not have been more than 10'-15' from me.  However, like a typical Black rail, it would not come out of hiding to be seen by my eyes, although not for lack of trying.  Alas after 15-20 minutes of wishing the bird would come into view, I had to settle with the definitive call response as my only verification of the presence of the species.

After hearing the rail, I walked back to my vehicle but stopped because some passerine activity in a clump of Sea oxeye daisy (Borrichea frutescens) caught my attention.  After scanning through the movements in the low-growing salt marsh shrubs, a sharp-tailed sparrow species popped momentarily into view.  I caught the briefest of glances and thought the species looked like it had some very vibrantly colored orange facial plumage coloration in the supercilium and malar stripe which starkly contrasted with the gray auricular region.  After a minute or so, the bird felt confident enough to climb back into view and definitively showed off its plumage coloration, which left no doubt it was indeed a Salt marsh sparrow and not a Nelson's.

Photos above and below: Salt marsh sparrow (note the vibrant supercilium and malar stripe in contrast with the rest of the facial plumage)

With the dawn now yawning about in a lazy fashion, I began to notice other species in the salt marsh cordgrass wetlands surrounding my path.  Mottled ducks, northern shovelers, blue- and green-winged teal, pied-billed grebe, lesser and greater yellowlegs, american bittern, glossy and white ibis, northern harrier, and osprey all made their presence known.  As peaceful as this was, the sun was slowly rising, and I knew I needed to leave towards Vistas #5 and #8 along CNS where the Eared grebe and Long-tailed ducks had been toiling.

American bittern in stealth mode

As I was approaching Vista #5 a Clapper rail ran straight across the road without hesitation.  Luckily for it there was little traffic this morning as it was Black Friday and many people were either with family or out shopping.  But not me.  It has become my mission to specifically head out and spend all day birding or at least hiking in the outdoors as a counter-measure to partaking in the crass consumerism which has sickeningly grown into this known day.  And lucky me, I felt like I had the place all to myself.

At Vista #5, I was treated to great looks at the trio of female Long-tailed ducks which had been found a short while prior to my visit.  They were beautiful looking specimens, and I watched them for a long period, watching them dive for food and preen their dive feathers.  After missing this species a couple of times, I was thrilled they stayed long enough for me to find them and observe their behaviors.  Enamored with my luck so far, I decided to keep on plugging and find the Eared grebe at Vista #8.

3 Female Long-tailed ducks with Lesser scaup

Well, I was lucky again.  Although it was a distant look (and certainly not close enough for my taste), there was no mistaking the bird.  The neck plumage coloration, upturned thin bill, and thin neck (as compared with the thicker neck of a horned grebe) were easy to spot.  I took some distant and crappy ID photos, but it was much more enjoyable watching the grebe endlessly dive for prey with the pied-billed grebe and female bufflehead foraging with it.

As it was still early morning, I decided I could wait a little bit before heading to Blackpoint Wildlife Drive and look for everything which had to be waiting there for me to uncover.  I decided to head oceanside at CNS first at one of the closer spots to Vista #8.  I conducted a brief scan over the tide and waves to see what bounty was flying about.  Northern gannets, Brown pelicans, Laughing and Ring-billed gulls were easy to spot, as were Royal terns, and the Ruddy turnstones and Sanderlings ebbing and flowing with the tide after their prey.  

Finally I headed out to Blackpoint, where I spent nearly 3 hours observing the vast richness of avian diversity loitering about.  Although the waterfowl diversity and abundance wasn't what was expected, the shorebird and wading bird diversity and abundance more than made up for it.  Still exciting though, duck species such as Mottled, Blue-winged teal, Northern shoveler, Northern pintail, and Hooded merganser were present in solid numbers dabbling and diving for their breakfast.  The expected wading birds were present, including my favorite North American wading bird, the Reddish egret.  I don't ever think I could tire of spending countless hours watching their fantastically adapted and caricature-esque hunting techniques.  They are simply magnificently gregarious and enigmatic birds which, for me, keep we studying them every chance I get, just to become more intimately intertwined with their behaviors.

Photos above and below: Reddish egrets in pursuit and at rest

As for the shorebirds, there were more than enough to shake a stick at, especially around stop 8.  Dunlins, Red knots, Long-billed dowitchers, Lesser and Greater yellowlegs, etc. were all busy foraging in the shallow flats of the impoundments.  Even a Red-necked phalarope was present, but prior to this stop, at #3.  It was probably the only red-necked phalarope I've ever been able to watch for several minutes without ever putting a foot on the ground.  It doesn't happen often, and maybe never will again.  But it's a moment I certainly won't forget.  To the phalarope, it was as if I was George Bailey when he wished he had never been born...I simply wasn't there.

Photos above and below: Red-necked phalarope (You usually don't get closer encounters)

After finishing the morning exploits along Blackpoint, I decided to try Biolab Road in the afternoon to see what was hanging out down there.   The birds kept on not disappointing me.  I was fortunate in the multiple miles plus drive to encounter both Lesser and Greater scaup, solid numbers of Black scoters, Roseate spoonbills, Caspian and Royal terns, and shorebirds such as Sanderlings, Ruddy turnstones, and one Western sandpiper.  It was a glorious drive and not one that a little bit of rain could deter.

Black scoters just hanging out

I ended up re-traveling a couple of locales previously visited in the day just to see what new species might be hanging out and to just watch ones previously observed for a little while longer while I waited for dusk to approach.  I was waiting to try and find the Short-eared owl I had dipped on in the pre-dawn at Peacocks Pocket.  The crepuscular avian activity down at the end of Peacocks Pocket was enthralling.  Northern harrier, American coot, Blue-winged teal, American bittern, loads of Glossy ibis and Double-crested cormorants flew into view.  Sora, Virginia, Clapper, and (the assumed same) Black rail all were calling or visible.  It doesn't get much easier or better than this for rails.  A few others showed up to look for the Black rail and owl.  I was able to take them and re-locate the rail from nearly the exact same spot from where I heard it at dawn, but we were not able to see or hear the owl.  But still, no one left disappointed from what we had experienced.  For my part, it was a great end to an utterly fantastic day.  Certainly not one I could have experienced or enjoyed had I participated in the expected/usual Black Friday pursuits.  For this I am thankful.

CATCH UP

Whew!  It's been a whirlwind the last 2 months of 2013.  At least it's the excuse I'm using for why it's been so long since I've last posted a blog entry.  I didn't envision I would have serious lapses in-between entries, but then again, I didn't realize I'd be so busy birding, working, and spending holiday time with family.  I'll try to keep this entry from being endless, but as the reader, you may be in for a bit of a lengthy one.  With that out of the way, let's begin in mid-November where I last left ye.


We'll pick it up at the Paynes Prairie sheetflow restoration project where I spent probably way too much time the last 2 months of the year.  Please note I don't condone what I did, and as the reader, you probably shouldn't follow in my shoes.  The reason I make that statement is the project area is off-limits to those not associated with the project.  And I am not associated with the project.  I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to how I was able to see the smorgasboard of avian species hanging out there.

Blue-winged teal take flight as an adult Bald eagle flies into a nearby snag.

Right now the area is home to large amounts of waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds.  The waterfowl and wading birds primarily have been hanging out in the interior cell which has been completed.  The shorebirds have primarily been residing in the outfall/back-up cell which has extensive open mudflat areas which these birds prefer.  A quick rundown of waterfowl which have been seen in the project area the last two months: blue- and green-winged teal, gadwall, redhead, lesser and greater scaup, ruddy duck, bufflehead, american wigeon, northern shoveler, northern pintail, and a probable drake cinnamon teal.  Shorebirds which have been frequenting the area include both lesser and greater yellowlegs, least sandpiper, wilson's snipe, long-billed dowitcher, dunlin, killdeer, a wintering spotted sandpiper, and a black-necked stilt which hung around for about 2 weeks in mid-November.  Other avian highlights include an immature white-faced ibis, ash-throated flycatcher, a pair of merlin, a peregrine falcon making it's way down south, numerous wood storks, and very reliable american pipits (sorry - no sprague's to be found in this grouping).

Greater scaups with a female Ruddy duck tagging along.

Female Bufflehead

Gadwall, a heavy set and large species of waterfowl

As the wetland cells are well designed and planted with appropriate vegetation (with open water areas interspersed), they have already drawn in a rich tapestry of avian species.  If the vegetation is monitored and maintained well, this area will be giving the La Chua trail a run for its money as the premier birding spot in the county.  Hopefully the construction is wrapped up by mid-2014 when it will be open to the public.  But until then, you can check back here to read my exploits.

One of the two Merlins which had been hanging out for a short while.

The Black-necked stilt which hung out for about two weeks in early November.

A Dunlin foraging with a Least sandpiper.  The dunlin only stuck around a few days to a week.

November and December have seen great vagrants being reported from Pensacola (Lapland longspur) to Tampa/St. Pete (Bar-tailed godwit, Brewer's blackbird) to Miami (Townsend's warbler, Western Tanager) to Titusville (Eared grebe, Long-tailed duck) to Jacksonville (Snow bunting, Snowy owl, Harlequin duck).  Alachua has had its own share as well.  We've had the Ewing clan report and document a Ross's goose at the UF Beef Teaching Unit which was eventually accompanied by a Snow goose (which has since turned into 3 snow geese).  The Ewings also found a pair of female Common goldeneyes at the UF HARN ponds.  They were accompanied by another found at the Post Office Pond on the CBC.  The Rusty blackbirds returned to Magnolia Parke shopping plaza where they have been documented for the past few years.  Mike Manetz was alert enough to go check for them based on the records of the sightings for them there, and was able to report the first sighting of the winter.  The female Vermilion flycatcher came back to the same location at the observation platform along the La Chua trail.  John Hintermister was the one to first report it this winter, and everyone headed out there has been fortunate to be treated with fantastic close-ups of her doing aerial acrobatic feats in search of flying insects to consume.

Ross's goose in flight.  Even though you can't see the distinguishing factors, you'll have to take my word for it. 

Female Goldeneye foraging at the UF HARN ponds.

Sparrows are out in full-force, with pretty much all the expected and uncommon ones having popped up at least somewhere.  This winter we've been treated again to Clay-colored, Lincoln's, Henslow's, and Fox.  Le Conte's has yet to make an appearance, but keep checking La Chua and Barr Hammock - there bound to show up at some point.  A female Wilson's warbler has been hanging out around Lake Alice on the UF campus.  A few Rufous hummingbirds have turned up at a few choice nectaring holes in town.  Western kingbirds have been found out near Watermelon Pond by Lloyd Davis and near La Chua by Bob Knight.  A couple Least flycatchers appear to be wintering along the Cones Dike trail and have been very reliable for this reporter every time I've gone out there for a walk.  Heck, even an immature Swainson's hawk was reported on private property in early December, and has been seen by a few birders since then.  If you go out in search of it, early morning seems to be when it is seen the most.  Check the hay bales and the pole barn, it has been seen perched on them prior to the thermals picking up, when it seems to be taking off and hunting for the day.  The more and more I spend time in the county, the more I believe the adage that every species shows up in Alachua at one point.  The hits just keep on rolling, or in this case flying, in.

A female Rufous hummingbird taking nectar.  What's that you say?  How can I be so certain it's not a female Allen's?  See the following photo to find out.

See the notch or indentation on the R2 feathers (the two next to the two central tail feathers - also known as the R1 feathers)?  The notch is the main distinguishing trait to use when attempting to discern ID on Rufous and Allen's hummingbirds, especially the immature and females.

I won't bore you with details on my expeditions to the east coast and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, but they were fun and exciting.  I think I'll have to write another entry about it soon.  But I will tackle the CBC in this post as well.

In summation, even with a seeming lack of western vagrants, we found 154 species on the count.  An impressive number we should all be proud of, especially for an inland county where we often miss out on shorebirds and gulls/terns which our coastal brethren find 'em by the boat full.  I trekked out again this year on the Cones Dike trail with Steve Collins.  Our owling and railing pre-dawn was successful, as we were able to hear all the expected owls (sans Barn) and rails.  The lone screech owl we reported was actual a visual observation, as it barely passed over another participants' head in response to a barred owl recording.  Then the dawn broke...at the same time the rain clouds decided to do the same.

Ah, the rains.  It will make for a memorable CBC story in the coming decade or so.  I'm pretty sure all of us were drenched at one point, so I won't carry on about the situation here.  It just goes with the territory.  Steve and I had begun our walk along Cones Dike, but it wasn't very birdy with the drizzle and then just shut down completely once the rains came pouring down.  We decided to start from scratch when the rains abated, and it was a good decision.  All the birds finally came out in full force.  We were treated to the expected species along the trail this time of year - Orange-crowned warblers, Blue-gray gnatcatchers, Wood ducks, Sora, Red-winged blackbirds, Eastern phoebe, Swamp sparrows, and the like.  We also had some uncommon (but not unexpected) species such as Northern waterthrush, Field sparrows, and Least flycatchers.  We ended up tallying a good number of species and had a blast doing so.  We split up with other individuals in the afternoon on the prairie basin and had good results.  My group was finally able to spot a couple of merlins and a grasshopper sparrow before heading to the observation platform to do a final count as the waders and waterfowl came into roost for the night.  The platform was, as is always, brimming with activity.  Hundreds and hundreds of White ibis, Glossy Ibis, Sandhill cranes are a sight to behold.  We also had several ruddy ducks, a few gadwall, a redhead, the female vermilion flycatcher (at arm's length), king rail, and several american bittern make an appearance.  A truly magnificent end to an always exhilarating day. 

READ BETWEEN THE SEASONS

The winds out on the prairie have been shifting the last few weeks.  Those northerly winds have pushed the last of the fall migrants towards and further on from us, and at the same time pushing those wintering species our way as well.  Early western vagrants and late fall migrants have occupied the same scene and it's been quite sublime for area birders.

Female vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

Dunlin foraging

Long-billed dowitchers (Limnodromus scolopaceus) and lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

Pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) with least sandpiper

The notorious kaleidoscope sunsets on the prairie have been enjoyed by such varying species such as ash-throated, scissor-tailed, vermilion (our female from last year - older and wiser, and according to John, turning the tables on the eastern phoebes this year) and least flycatchers, several sparrows species, a slew of shorebird species, and now the waterfowl.  The sparrows arrived a little earlier this winter, but who is going to complain?  Our most common, savannah, showed up early and are already being seen in near-typical numbers.  We've already hosted a surplus of interesting species such as lincoln's, clay-colored, and nelson's, while other more common species such as white-crowned, swamp, and chipping have checked in.  As for the waterfowl, our summer resident duck species (mainly wood duck, blue-winged teal, and mottled duck) have been accompanied by green-winged teal, northern pintail, gadwall, and ruddy ducks. 

Least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) above and below

American pipit (Anthus rubescens) above and below

The last of the fall migrant warblers are still here, but their presence is rapidly fading.  Luckily, we're still able to find american redstart, northern parula, tennessee, and northern waterthrush mixing and mingling with our winter species (i.e. orange-crowned, palm, and yellow-rumped).  So enjoy these few weeks where these fall migrants and winter residents are thrown into a non-violent vortex of a birding smorgasboard.  Thankfully for FL birders this natural phenomenon isn't restricted to Alachua County.  The entire state has been treated to some truly awesome species stopping by to catch a bite and either move on or settle in.  Species such as scissor-tailed flycatchers, western flycatchers, sulfur-bellied flycatchers, black scoters, western tanagers, purple sandpiper, red-throated loon, red-footed booby, franklin's gull, cape may warbler, and townsend's solitaire have been reported from Pensacola to Homestead.  It's been an incredible run as of late, and let's hope it continues.

Green-winged teal (Anas carolinensis)

Ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis)

STATEWIDE FINDS

I started the morning off down in Ft. Lauderdale where I had to be at a meeting with a client.  I had a little bit of time prior to the meeting and was close to Evergreen Cemetery so I decided to see if the overnight winds and front had left anything interesting for me to discover.  It was a very good decision because the cemetery was pretty lively...with migrant avian activity. 

I probably would have uncovered some more species, but I was almost late for the meeting because I was enjoying all the close looks at the myriad of migrants present.  I observed 10 different wood warbler species, with black-throated blues being the most dominant (after the palms).  Worm-eating, pine, prairie, ovenbird, american redstart, northern parula, black and white, and yellow-throated warblers were great treats.  Other migrants included a pair of male scarlet tanagers, swainson's and gray-cheeked thrushes, a somewhat late veery, and painted buntings (including a showy, vibrant male with 2 females). 

After the meeting was over, I decided to check out the Fern Forest Nature Center further north in Broward County to see if I could re-locate the yellow-bellied flycatcher reported there a few days earlier.  For being afternoon, the place wasn't too "unbirdy", with a few warbler species present, along with pileated woodpeckers, wood storks, and other typical passerines.  No yellow-bellied flycatchers were present.  In fact, I did not even run into one acadian or eastern phoebe...no Tyrannidae to be found.

On my way back I decided to take a short trip down SR 70 to see if I could find some caracara.  Before I encountered any, I found a triangular shaped wetland area on the south side of the road just west of Summerlin Road.  I slammed on the brakes (thankfully no one was behind me), made a quick u-turn, and hopped on the truck to see what was out there.  The wetland was absolutely slamming with waterfowl, waders, and shore birds.  Loads of american white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, glossy ibis, typical egrets and herons, and a limpkin were present.  6 duck species were present, including mottled, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, northern shoveler, lesser scaup, and early american wigeon.  Many, many shore birds were present, but most were so small and far out, I couldn't ID all of them.  Those I could included killdeer, least sandpiper, long-billed dowitchers, lesser and greater yellowlegs, and a lone wilson's snipe and solitary sandpiper.

By then it was time to start heading back home, and besides a few adult caracara, there wasn't much to write home about, especially as it was growing to dusk.  All in all, it was a truly fantastic day, with being able to see all those different birds in one day and in all the different locales.  I've attached a few experimental photos using my iphone and binocs to "digi noc" the wealth of birds present off SR 70 in the Summerlin Road wetlands.

WINTER DESCENDS

Sunset at Paynes Prairie

This past weekend I spent a considerable amount of time exploring two of the larger wet prairies in the county, Levy Lake and Paynes Prairie.  On Saturday I led an intrepid group of 11 explores along the entire 6.8 mile stretch of the Levy Lake loop trail at Barr Hammock on an Alachua Audubon Society sponsored field trip.  On Sunday I decided to go solo on a leisurely evening stroll along the La Chua trail at Paynes Prairie.

At the Levy Lake trail, we spent about 6.5 hours traversing the entire loop trail.  North winds combined with a lack of any front or winds out of the south appeared to push most migrants right past the county and probably down into Central America or the Caribbean.  However, this didn't stop a flock of 8 northern rough-winged swallows from making a late appearance fairly early on in the hike.  We also ended up running into 9 different warblers, the group favorites being a Tennessee and a FOS orange-crowned warbler.  Other warblers observed included american redstart, northern parula, black-and-white, prairie, palm, common yellowthroat, and yellow.

Male Prairie warbler at La Chua

Many typical "snow birds" had already arrived in solid numbers.  The aforementioned palm warblers were fairly numerous, as were eastern phoebe, and catbirds.  A couple savannah sparrows were spotted, as were some house wrens and at least one marsh wren.  Nothing too out of the ordinary showed up, but everyone seemed pretty excited with what species presented themselves to us.  Everyone also seemed to share great conversations and bits of knowledge with each other, making it a very enjoyable experience.  We also were able to observe an adult bald eagle being harassed by a red-shouldered hawk, several sandhill cranes, a few black-bellied whistling ducks, and many other species.  Non-avian highlights included a large cottonmouth shed, a recently predated red-shouldered hawk, a white-tailed doe, and a striped mud turtle.  Apparently to test our mettle, mother nature decided to unleash a massive downpour on us with about 3/4 mile to go.  With nothing to do but grin and bear it, we all slogged on, laughing it off and splashing in the puddles which had quickly developed.

Sunday was a more relaxed effort, as I decided to stretch the legs and eyes a bit after completing my yardwork chores.  I went out around 3:30pm to just take in what the prairie was offering.  And what a wealth it offered me!  I started down "sparrow alley" to see what was lingering around this late in the day.  Large numbers of indigo buntings were flying all about, as were palm warblers and other expected species like white-eyed vireo, blue-gray gnatcatcher, eastern phoebe, blue jays, and northern cardinals.  I spent quite a bit of time just lazily meandering and then headed back towards the sink and then on to the observation platform.

Eastern phoebe

Brown thrasher

Blue Jay

Ground dove

Before I reached the sink, I stopped at "sora pond", and was delighted to find 5 sora out and about foraging at the fringes of the depressional, ephemeral pond.  Several more sora would end up being heard down along the main trail.  I can't wait to just hear loads of sora calling for the next few months!  What a glorious sound they all make together - making the prairie turn electric and alive!

Sora

A few belted kingfisher, anhinga, and several different species of wading birds were present at the sink and just beyond.  Common yellowthroat, more indigo bunting, Icterids, and many other species made their presence known along the main trail.  I finally ended up at the observation platform and decided to look for the female vermilion flycatcher which, if we can presume it's the same individual, had come back to the exact spot she did last year.  It only took a few minutes for her to pop out into the open and into a nearby Carolina willow.  She was actively foraging and looked simply radiant with the setting sun perfectly hitting her salmon colored flanks and undersides. 

Female belted kingfisher

Immature black-crowned night heron

Glossy ibis

Great blue heron (blue form)

The real manna came on the return trip from the platform.  Already elated by seeing the vermilion again, I was fortunate to see an american bittern take flight and move to another spot to forage.  As if it couldn't get any better, I noticed a sparrow fly by me which caught my attention for some reason (I had only been observing savannah sparrows prior to this individual).  It was only a few feet away from me, and I noticed the orange supercilium and malar region. I figured there was a good chance it was a Le Conte's, and when it finally came into the open along the trail, I was able to get great looks and a few decent photos.  I thought it was a bit dark in the flight feathers for a Le Conte's, but didn't even think about other possibilities given the location I was at.  However, upon inspecting the photos, Rex pointed out the gray median crown stripe and correct my incorrect ID of Le Conte's.  He identified the sparrow as a Nelson's.

Savannah sparrow

Savannah sparrow

Nelson's sparrow (next few photos)

In Florida, Nelson's are primarily restricted to coastal saltmarsh and beach dune habitats.  Like gray kingbirds, they are seldom seen inland.  So seldom in fact, Rex informed me it was only the third report/documentation for the county!  After looking more closely at the photos due to Rex's correct ID, I noticed the bill size and flight feather coloration were definitely more in-line with Nelson's than an immature Le Conte's (i.e. my incorrect identification).  I was lucky to watch this incredibly obliging and photogenic individual for quite a few minutes while it foraged on grass seeds.  After it left I headed towards the parking lot, where I heard a pair of great horned owls calling (initially heard when I was at the observation platform - incredible!), which capped off a great walk.

Female vermilion flycatcher - returned to same location!