Alachua Avifauna: LAST MINUTE GIFTS (THE PINLUSIAVARDNO EXPLOITS CONTINUED)

Usually I'm not one to go out of his way to chase feathers, but sometimes you act outside your normal bounds. Chalk it up to human nature or vanity or whimsy or just pure adventure (and possibly a mix), but whatever you call it, the desire to experience the new and expand one's horizons is usually the driving impetus to go outside comfort zones and make known what was once unfathomable. With this in mind, the second act of the Pinlusiavardno Exploits rolls forth.

After working at a grueling pace all year, I decided to take the last two weeks of the year off from work. Even with all the family obligations, I knew I had a couple of days to go crazy and see whatever birds and public lands I wanted to in the state. One adventure to tempting to pass up was to head down to the Tampa Bay region and find several species I had never seen and briefly re-visit some areas I used to explore and species I'd routinely watch when I lived there.

One specific and very rare and unusual vagrant to Florida initially spurred me on this voyage. It probably comes as no surprise, but this species would be the Bar-tailed godwit. Typically one would have to travel to northern or northwestern Alaska to see the species, but one somehow made its way to the Sunshine State earlier in the year. I could anthropomorphize or romanticize how it came to find itself in Florida, but I'll let someone with a more loquacious stranglehold on the storytelling craft take on the mantle.

A Marbled godwit foraging with a Ring-billed gull standing watch

With steady reports streaming in about it finally appearing on the mainland on a recurring basis (as opposed to hanging out on the barrier islands as it had been doing), I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see this species first-hand, especially since it didn't require a boat rental to do so. Although the temptation to splurge on the cost of gasoline to see one bird left me in the cross-roads of whether to twitch after it or not, the lure of a Brewer's blackbird, Whimbrel, and drake Canvasback spurred me to take the plunge and throw caution to the wind.

I decided to head to Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs at low-tide in the early morning to look for the godwit, as the last reports had it located there and then taking off for Honeymoon Island. I decided Fred Howard would be a good starting point and if it wasn't there, I could take the short trip to the Honeymoon Island causeway to look for it. Upon arrival to the park, the tide was low and interesting species such as Horned grebe, Lesser scaup, and Reddish egret were certainly a sight to behold. However, even with all the wading and shorebird activity well off-shore, there was no Bar-tailed to behold. Therefore I headed off to Honeymoon in hopes it was hanging out there.


Horned grebe in-between diving for prey items

Short-billed dowitcher plunging its bill into the sand for marine invertebrates

I arrived when it was still low-tide, and several shore bird and wading bird species were present. Willet, Ruddy turnstones, Common loon, and Marbled godwit were present in solid numbers and were fun to watch for awhile. Alas, no Bar-tailed was present to observe. On a whim, I decided to head to Key Vista Park in Pasco County to see if it had somehow made its way back there. By the time I arrived, it was mid-morning and there wasn't much activity, save for a decent sized group of Red-breasted mergansers and one species with a fantastically adapted apendage...the Whimbrel.

Whimbrel foraging for invertebrates

I had seen singleton Whimbrels at this park in the past at this time of year, but it was still a most welcome presence, especially since I don't see them living inland. This species has evolved to have a bill so decurved and specialized to search for its primary winter prey, marine invertebrates, especially crabs. It is a fantastic bill adaptation, akin with those of the Long-billed curlew, American avocet and Roseate spoonbill (heck, I could put the godwits here for good measure, but I think the word godwit has been used more in this entry than any other source save a field guide). Naturally this uniqueness makes the species stand out. But spend some time observing it forage, and you may just find yourself entranced at how magnificently wonderful evolutionary adaptation can be to behold. After watching the Whimbrel forage for awhile, I decided to make a run back to the other two locations I previously visited to see if the godwit had decided to show its face.

Red-breasted mergansers foraging in the Gulf

Luckily, when I returned to Fred Howard, the Bar-tailed decided to come out of hiding, albeit for a brief glance. I had searched around the causeway a few minutes and had almost given up and headed out, but I saw a few shorebirds I hadn't noticed on my first go-round. I quickly spotted a small group of Marbled godwits, but one bird was a good deal smaller and had overall paler plumage than the others. It was the fabled Bar-tailed! Sadly the group took off quickly and headed towards the south. I wasn't able to snag any photos, as the only two I snapped off were blurry and completely useless, even for documentation purposes.

I decided to head back to Honeymoon to see if it ended up there, but it must have taken off to Three Rooker or another barrier island, as it was a no-show at the Honeymoon causeway. I stayed awhile there and took in all the gorgeous shore and wading birds present. Afterwards I decided to start heading north for my other target species. On the way upwards and onwards I had to stop at the Dunn Water Reclamation Facility I had passed on my initial drive to Honeymoon. There were literally thousands of ducks present...Red-breasted mergansers, Redheads, Ring-billed, and Ruddy ducks. They made for quite a spectacular sight. I'll let the reader be the judge. Take a look for yourself below.

On the way to the Brewer's, I stopped behind a JC Penney which had been reported to be hosting a drake Canvasback in its stormwater retention pond behind the store. It took all of about 10 seconds after leaving the car and approaching the fence surrounding the pond to find the duck. It was without a doubt the closest looks at a Canvasback I've ever had. I probably spent way too much time watching it just swim around the pond, but I couldn't have been more at peace. No one was around and I had this handsome and elegant bird all to myself. The sleek lines of the species are what make it stand out so much for me. The soft and gently sloping lines from the tail feathers up the body, up the neck, gently falling over the crown and effortlessly sliding down to the bill make this a duck which just stands out from the rest. I was so entranced watching this bird, I almost missed the female Bufflehead which was just sitting there preening her feathers. What a sight to behold in a stormwater retention pond behind a major department store...one Canvasback and one Bufflehead. Life is strange sometimes, so just roll with it. You just might enjoy the outcome.

The closest to a drake Canvasback I've ever been

I left the pond to head just a bit up the road to a local park to see if I could find a reoccurring female Brewer's blackbird which had been reported for some time. As with the Canvasback, this bird was incredibly easy to find. I arrived at the park and just a minute or so upon my arrival, a large group of Boat-tailed grackles descended upon the boardwalk and were squawking up a storm. Reading the reports I knew the Brewer's had been spotted with this group, I began my search. Sure enough, the much smaller bird with the red eye and grayish upperparts turned out to be the female Brewer's. I watched her forage on the ground for some time before she flew off with some of the Boat-tailed's across the way. I walked around the park and the one across the street and encountered some interesting species such as Wood stork, Bald eagle, Red-breasted merganser, Northern harrier, House finch, and a strikingly handsome drake Bufflehead, the only drake of this species I observed all year. With a full day under my belt, a couple new species I've never seen, and spending time with coastal species I typically don't get to spend much time with anymore, I called it a day and headed home. Exhausted as I was when I finally arrived in my driveway, I couldn't help but cracking a mile-wide smile at all I was fortunate to behold throughout the day.