TENDER AGE IN BLOOM

I just realized the last post I placed on this blog was well over a month ago.  True it has been a busy stretch of time, but not so much this blog should have been neglected in this fashion.  Instead of trying to prepare a montage of what has been occurring since the last post, I will just continue with what has been going on lately.

Since our wet winter has quietly transitioned into a blossoming spring, it only seems fitting to begin with the changes which have taken place recently.  In Alachua County, as with most of the state, most of our wintering waterfowl has flown off to their summer breeding grounds.  Our wintering passerines and raptors are slowly doing the same, and in the last couple of weeks we have seen our first waves of migrants coming in from their Central and South American wintering grounds.  Species like green-winged teal, eastern phoebe, and american robin have slowly been replaced by an influx of others such as swallow-tailed kite, indigo bunting, and yellow-throated vireo. 

Yellow-throated vireo (Vireo flavifrons) at the mulberry tree area at Fort De Soto Park

Two weekends ago found me in Pinellas County, so I did not waste the opportunity to check out Fort De Soto Park.  It just so happened a strong storm front heading out of the southwest had nicely coincided with my arrival to the park.  The severe weather abated late in the afternoon the night before which I kept telling myself might mean some interesting migrants might be lingering around in the morning trying to fatten up on food before shoving off.  Boy did it turn out to be a solid assumption.

Male hooded warblers (Wilsonia citrina) were present just about everywhere at Fort De Soto Park

I arrived at the park fairly early, and the weather was sunny and beautiful.  Somewhat strong winds were still present, which meant any birds brought down by the storm were likely to still be present, likely stuffing their bills with as much food and energy as possible for their next big push.  As a swainson's warbler had been spotted the day prior at the north beach woods, I decided to start my expedition near there.  I searched diligently, but the bird was not coming out of hiding for me.  However, some great species more than made up for its absence.  A pair of swallow-tailed kites were soaring overhead, as was a peregrine falcon a few minutes later.  Black-and-white warbler, hooded warblers, northern waterthrush, white-eyed vireos, ground doves, and nanday conures were out and about.  Hooded warblers were the bird du jour, as you couldn't go anywhere in the park without running into one.  I don't think anyone would ever complain about seeing too many hoodies.

A male ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) pauses between drinks of nectar from a lantana (Lantana camara), a non-native plant species.

The mulberry tree area was not to be outdone by the north beach woods.  Yellow-throated vireo, gray kingbird, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and hooded warblers were all present and active while I was there.  Traveling onwards, I found myself at the east beach woods, where several hooded warblers, prairie warblers, louisiana waterthrush, yellow-throated warbler, orange-crowned warbler, and thanks to two kind and informative birders, a swainson's warbler were waiting to be found.  I couldn't have been more elated to find this leaf-litter picking bird.  It seemed to not care about my presence and went on about its business, leaving quickly to find another patch of thick vegetation to explore for fuel.

A nanday conure (Nandayus nenday) sits quietly perched on a snag at the north end of Fort De Soto Park, minutes after a peregrine falcon and a pair of swallow-tailed kites soared overhead.

Shorebirds were plentiful at the east beach turnaround, with willet, ruddy turnstones, red knots, black-bellied plovers, wilson's plovers, semi-palmated plovers, a piping plover, and other expected species hanging out at the shoreline as the tides lowered.  All in all it was a fantastic way to spend a morning.  Unfortunately I had to get moving and say goodbye to this wonderful migrant trap.

A banded red knot (Calidris canutus), TL7, searching for prey at the east beach turnaround area at Fort De Soto Park

A wilson's plover (Charadrius wilsonia) rests near the red knot

Fast forward to this past weekend, and migratory activity has certainly continued from last week.  Even my backyard was experiencing this influx, with great-crested flycatchers, red-eyed vireos, prairie warblers, and even one breeding plumage eastern palm warbler (which is a pretty rare yard bird for where we live in the county) passing through or arriving for the summer.  Our breeding residents are also quite active, with many species already on nests.  This combination of migrants and local breeders makes for a great excuse to get out and check out some of the local haunts, which is exactly what I did.

On Saturday I headed over to Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve to see if the male hairy woodpecker was still lingering around.  I figured I only had a brief window to find the bird, as if it wasn't paired up with a female, it might be leaving soon to find one.  Heading through the recently burned patch of pine flatwoods/palmetto prairie, I quickly encountered singing yellow-throated vireo, great-crested flycatchers, and one bachman's sparrow.  As I reached the junction to head to the campsite where the hairy had been frequenting as of late, I heard some downy woodpeckers and then saw a group of 4 take flight out of the edge of the cypress stand.  A couple minutes later they flew back to the edge of the turkey oak/longleaf pine flatwoods, and lo and behold I heard a hairy woodpecker rattle call.  I looked towards the sound and sure enough, there he was with his long bill, scrambling up the trunk of a snag.  With the other 3 downy woodpeckers right around it, it made for great overall size and bill comparisons between the species.  I figured the downies may be have been acting aggressive or territorial to it, but it really didn't seem to be the case.  In fact, one of the female downies seemingly followed the hairy when it briefly left to the adjacent edge of the longleaf pine flatwoods.  It was not acting aggressive towards it, which I found quite interesting. Right around this time I ran into the Ewing clan who were out looking for the same bird I was watching.  Being the great birders they are, they were right on it, and we all were able to get some fantastic looks and listen to it call some more.  Unfortunately I had to bid aideu to the Ewing clan, as I had to keep my plans to put in some state park volunteer hours for the avian data collection at Camps Canal and Cones Dike.

For the most part, Camps Canal was fairly quiet in the late morning.  I started heading down Cones Dike, and the bird activity was picking up a bit.  However, a felled mature sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) was laying completely across the trail, impeding any further excursion down the trail.  Therefore, I decided to quietly and secretively make my way down Camps Canal to see how the wading bird rookery was doing.  It was a good decision, because this part of Camps was alive with late morning/early afternoon activity.

Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) in full bloom along Camps Canal

For me a clear sign of spring in Florida is the flower of the prairie iris (Iris hexagona)

Northern cardinals were plentiful, and red-eyed and white-eyed vireos were making their presence known.  As I approached the rookery, I was careful not to cause a disturbance or disrupt the birds.  I stealthily hid myself behind some vegetation and tried to remain as motionless as possible.  It worked very well, as the nesting egrets and herons tended to their nests and went about their daily routine.  Hopefully I don't come across as too preachy here, but to anyone reading this, please remember these birds are in a part of the park which has restricted access.  The only reason I was there was as a park volunteer to help with the avian data collection for the park.  These birds would do best with minimal human disturbance (i.e. presence), especially as this a very sensitive time for them.  


Sticking quietly in one spot even allowed me to watch several interesting species forage about a foot off the ground across the way.  A breeding plumage eastern palm, yellow-rumped (with their breeding black facial masks coming in strongly), a prothonotary, and a worm-eating warbler were quite unaware of my presence and allowed me to observe them for awhile.  It's not too often I get two of my favorite warbler species (the protho and wormy) in one field of vision, so I took in the moment as long as possible.

A prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea), which in my opinion is one of the most striking warblers you'll ever meet

All in all, the rookery appeared to be in good shape and it appeared some nests already had chicks in them.  Seeing many different waders nesting is a welcome sign indeed.  The influx of migrants and the presence of breeding birds are clear signs spring and its promise of change is upon us, and winter is yet again resigned to be an afterthought.  It's certainly time to get outdoors and find the blossoming treasures which are waiting to be discovered.

Great egrets (Ardea alba) tending to their nests at the rookery

Little blue herons (Egretta caerulea) also tending to their nests at the rookery

DID SOMEONE SAY PELICAN?

Seeing as some of our early migrant wood warblers such as the Northern parula and Louisiana waterthrush arrived this past week, I figured I better catch up on an old excursion or two before it gets too late to be relevant.  A few weeks back a fellow Alachua birder organized a field trip to Polk County to check out some wastewater treatment wetlands before they are officially opened up to the general public.  As I missed a couple of opportunities to check this place out due to prior commitments, I knew I didn't want to miss out again.

A few of us carpooled down to the south end of Lake Hancock (just for reference, Circle B Bar is located at the northern end) in the early morning hours well before dawn.  A thick fog draped over the roadways we traversed, reducing visibility substantially.  Carefully we made our way towards our destination.  By the time we arrived at the destination, the thick fog which permeated the entire drive down was slowly dissipating. Even though it was not burning off as quickly as we had hoped, the mix of Alachua and Polk County birders eagerly took off to see what avian life was waking up this morning.

Our ears proved the more useful appendage to start the day, since it was still difficult to see through the lingering fog.  We were able to hear red-winged blackbirds, boat-tailed grackles, sora, and even an over-wintering least bittern.  As the fog finally began to burn away, our eyes were treated to see black-necked stilts, wood storks, great and snowy egrets, great blue and little blue herons, roseate spoonbills, and forster's terns overhead.  At one early stop, as everyone was checking out blue-winged teal, mottled ducks, hooded mergansers, and glossy ibis, a large group of tree swallows were busy catching a variety of insects and doing their effortless aerial acrobatics at head level.  It was simply stunning just to step back for a second and watch your entire field of vision completely taken up with tree swallows darting to and fro in unison.  We were also lucky to find a group of tree swallows hanging out on some bare shrubs, which made for some great photos.

Tree swallows were everywhere, but a few were gracious enough to take a break and pose for us

One of the big highlights of the walk was the sheer number of American white pelicans which were present throughout the day.  As the fog lifted, they sprawled out before us.  Literally, thousands of these pelicans were stretched across the roadway several rows wide and spilling out into the adjacent wetland cells.  I have never seen so many in one locale before, it was simply breath-taking.

Just a portion of the pelicans on display, with humans for scale

Besides the pelicans, the diversity and abundance of waterfowl, wading birds, and shore birds was flat out impressive.  Besides ducks already mentioned, green-winged teal, gadwall, american wigeon, lesser scaup, northern pintails, wood ducks, black-bellied whistling ducks, ruddy ducks, northern shovelers, ring-necked ducks, one redhead, and even a few domestic mallards were found by everyone.  Shorebirds were not to be outdone by the waterfowl.  Least sandpipers, killdeers, american avocets, both species of yellowlegs, long-billed dowitchers, wilson's snipe, and even two stilt sandpipers were out and about foraging and preening their feathers.

Small group of long-billed dowitchers

Wood stork in the "sun worshipper" pose

Large numbers of Caspian terns were present, along with a few royal terns and black skimmers hanging out with them.  Belted kingfishers, American kestrels, Northern harriers, ospreys, made their presence known as well.  Other highlights of the day included purple gallinules, a peregrine falcon, limpkins, and two monk parakeets.  It was simply an amazing location to visit.  The avian diversity was amazing, with 82 different species being observed by the groups.  The sheer number of all the individuals was mind boggling.  By the end of the outing, everyone was very excited with all they had seen and experienced throughout the morning.  This will certainly be a heavily visited locale once it is open to the general public.  It will be intriguing to see what avifauna continues to be found here.

AAS BARR HAMMOCK FIELD TRIP

The rains of the past few days finally gave way to clear skies and bright sunshine for the AAS outing at the Barr Hammock - Levy Lake Loop field trip.  With the Winter Olympics underway, it was quite fitting we had representatives from France, Australia, and the U.S. present for today's walk.  We started out along the north loop with the last of the early morning fog quickly burning away.  A few wood ducks, common grackles, red-winged blackbirds, swamp sparrows, carolina wrens, common yellowthroats, and yellow-rumped warblers were up and making their presence known.  The cool temperatures gradually warmed up and the bird activity increased as well.  Yellow-shafted northern flickers, great egrets, little blue herons, forster's terns, and eastern phoebes were out and about giving everyone great looks.  Highlights of the trip included numerous red-shouldered hawks, a fair number of bald eagles, a couple of sora, glossy ibis, marsh wrens, and a few american white pelicans.  Everyone had a great time, and although the south loop was fairly quiet today, we all shared some engaging conversations and fantastic weather. 

NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR CONTENT

A frosty cold morning along the Cones Dike trail on Paynes Prairie has been all too common this winter

Although the term snowbirds is used to define those people who head to warmer locales (i.e. Florida) during the winter time to escape harsher and colder weather conditions where they inhabit, it may have a new meaning for Florida birders after the onslaught of northern and western vagrants which have shown up this winter season.  I'm not even sure which bird to start on, as there have been so many interesting and unique species which have shown up on our doorstep.  I suppose I should begin with 4 species which probably kicked off this generous surplus for the state.

Although a little bit belated, these 4 species served as the state's unofficial Christmas presents.  The one given the most notoriety to date has been an immature snowy owl which showed up at Little Talbot Island State Park in Duval County.  It marked only the 2nd or 3rd ever snowy to show up in Florida, the last being in 1999 at St. George Island State Park near Apalachicola Bay.  The highly diurnal hunting habits of this owl species made it very easy for birders to find this individual in the expansive coastal sand dune habitat which pervade Little Talbot.  The owl is still being seen at the time of this writing, and I'm hoping it sticks around for a little while longer.  Whether food scarcity (i.e. lemming population crash) or a successful breeding season (let's hope it's this one) has forced this individual to find hunting grounds far from its usual range, Florida birders and non-birders alike have been celebrating the presence of this captivating youngster.

Where's Snowy?  It's hidden in plain sight.  The extensive coastal dune system at Little Talbot provides atypical, albeit useful, camouflage for the owl whilst hunting for prey.

A little closer look at this uber-rarity for the state

Not to be outdone, a handsome drake Harlequin duck showed up just south of the Florida/Georgia border at Ft. Clinch State Park at the same time.  As with the owl, it has wooed and delighted many a Florida birder.  It's not every day a Harlequin makes its way from its typical mid- to north-Atlantic coast range to the Sunshine State.  Normally this species doesn't head south from Virginia and northern North Carolina in the winter, but no one seems to be complaining.  Although the snowy owl was certainly a sight to behold and cherish, for me observing the drake Harlequin was almost more rewarding.  Ever since I was a young boy going through my first field guide, the Harlequin was so visually arresting I couldn't help but think I couldn't wait to see one in the feather one day.  Alas, my travels had yet to take me to their territory at the right time of year and now one showed up on the doorstep with a bright ribbon tied around it.  There was no way I was going to miss observing this duck.  And so it goes I was fortunate to be able to watch this drake forage, defecate, and navigate over a rope left in the ocean from merely feet away.  Although a few people were present and observing it with me, it felt like the duck and I were having our own private interaction.  As with the owl, I probably spent far too long observing it.  However, it is not everyday I am so fortunate to watch how it is supremely adapted for a pelagic lifestyle, most notably how it dives after prey, seemingly effortlessly swims against a strong current (and makes excellent progress), and can navigate strong waves so it doesn't crash into the pier posts.

Almost appears he is thinking of how to cross this obstacle

He tries going under

But he cannot quite get it up over his head

He takes a step back to re-assess the situation

Aha, success at last!

Although I was not fortunate to find the other great bird species at Ft. Clinch, the Harlequin sure made up for it.  In fact, not only did I dip on finding the Purple sandpipers that day, I also dipped on the trio of Snow buntings at Hugenot Memorial Park.  It was not for lack of effort though.  Even though bitingly cold temperatures and strong winds with even more forceful gusts had kept the buntings (and most other passerines) hunkered down in the safety of the dune vegetation, an intrepid birder from Pinellas County helped in the search for the birds.  We spent quite a bit of time walking around the park at high tide to no avail.  Well, we did get sand blasted in our face, and I also had loads of sand deposited into my binoculars, so I guess that's something.  In all seriousness though, there were still great birds to see at the park, such as Red knots, Bonaparte's gulls, Lesser and Great black-backed gulls, Royal terns, and Black skimmers. 

The Hugenot dunes

The Hugenot rock jetty

The shoreline was littered with Cannonball jellyfish...

...which the tiny Sanderlings were picking at all morning long.

Some red knots decided to show up this morning to boot

Meanwhile, back home in Alachua County we've been blessed with a load of western and northern vagrants which have been rejoiced by local, state, and out-of-state birders.  Species such as Red-breasted nuthatch, Bullock's Oriole, Calliope, Black-chinned, and Rufous hummingbirds, Western tanager, Least and Vermilion flycatchers, Yellow-breasted chat, Wilson's warbler, Henslow's and Fox sparrows, and White-faced ibis have well made their presence known.  One backyard in High Springs has been incredibly blessed with a trio of excellent vagrants.

Even though it has been cold at home lately it hasn't stopped the vagrants from wintering here.

One of my favorite flycatchers, the Least, has been vacationing along the Cones Dike trail of Paynes Prairie for several months now.

This yard has played retreat to not only a Western tanager, but a Rufous and male Calliope hummingbird.  It's not often you get the chance to be so warmly invited into someone's yard to watch the tiniest of the tiny up close and personal to see the magnificent gorget of the male.  Simply beautiful.  Meanwhile, in Gainesville, another backyard was equally blessed to play host to a Bullock's oriole.  Many people the state over have had the opportunity to witness this gorgeous male specimen feeding with a large flock of Baltimore orioles.  All the buzz surrounding the bird translated into a local television appearance for the family and other neighbors suddenly erecting oriole and other bird feeding stations in their yards.  These will most certainly be the most well-fed orioles in the area, as they now have their choice of establishments to patronize.

A stunning male Calliope hummingbird has been tantalizing birders for a couple weeks now

Another shot of the Calliope heading off

Not to be outdone, this Black-chinned is making Alachua County its vacation spot this year as well.

It seems this winter has seen very large numbers of Baltimore orioles come through Alachau County. 

Not to be outdone, the Cedar Key area has also had its fair share of interesting birds this winter.  At one viewing off the main pier in downtown, I was able to spot Black, White-winged, and Surf scoters!  All 3 scoters at once, it was a new feat for me.  Several American avocets, Whimbrels, and American oystercatchers have share the same space with tremendous amounts of bufflehead, lesser scaup, and several different shorebird species.  For me though, the best bird I encountered on this excursion came as a complete surprise.  As I had timed my early morning arrival with peak low-tide, I figured I would try to find some Clapper rail and Sharp-tailed sparrows amongst the vast ocean of Saltmarsh cordgrass off the side of Bridge No. 4, the first crossing upon entering Cedar Key.  Much to my surprise, I didn't find any Sharp-tailed sparrows, but I did flush a yellow rail!  Although I nearly stepped on the bugger before it took off, I was clearly able to see a short, stubby yellowish bill, overall scaled brown plumage, and white wing patches...trademarks of the species.  In typical yellow rail fashion it quickly descended and I quickly went over to the spot where it landed only to not be able to re-locate it.  I carefully walked around the cordgrass (so as not to trample it) to no avail.  It wouldn't even respond to a recording of the "typewriter" call.  But there was no denying what I saw, one of the more elusive rail species.

The extensive coastal saltmarshes of the Cedar Key area.

Another shot of the Cedar Key coastal saltmarsh

Oyster bars at low tide are a typical coastal feature for the Cedar Key area.

Numerous Buffleheads have been seen at Cedar Key this winter.

Surf scoters lingering off the main pier with a drake Bufflehead

To be honest, I could probably write about these wonderful winter guests to the point it would bore you, but I think I've already done it.  It's terribly difficult not to rejoice over this manna we have received throughout the state.  I really am not sure how the rest of the year will compare with this winter, but I am getting excited by the proposition of a truly stupendous year for Florida birding. 

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

I headed up to Raleigh, North Carolina to spend New Year's with the in-laws directly after the conclusion of the Pinlusiavardno Exploits.  Sadly not much birding was had in these days following as other obligations took precedence.  However, I was able to sneak out one morning to a local nature center named Durant Nature Park.

It is a small park with 2 decent sized ponds as their central feature, and they are surrounded by mixed deciduous hardwood forest.  I stepped out of the parking lot and was greeted with several species calling and flitting to and fro.  Pine warbler, Yellow-bellied sapsuckers, Downy woodpeckers, Dark-eyed juncos, Carolina chickadees, Tufted titmice, Ruby-crowned kinglets, and boisterous White-breasted nuthatches were all over the parking lot.  Little did I know this would be the largest congregation of birds I would encounter, but at least I spent a good amount of time watching and photographing these individuals.

White-breasted nuthatch

 

I walked around the rest of the park in a fairly short time.  Sadly very few ducks were out and about.  In fact, a gathering of 7 mallards were the only ducks I saw this morning.  However, other very interesting species such as Belted kingfisher, Hairy woodpecker, Brown-headed nuthatch, and Red-breasted nuthatches were easy to spot and gave good looks.  I was pretty elated for a quick dash to the park.  One doesn't have much opportunity to see Brown-headed, Red-breasted, and White-breasted nuthatches at one locale and in such a short time in Florida.

Mallard drakes and hens

Male Hairy woodpecker

While I was up in NC, all hell broke loose in Jacksonville.  You know what I'm talking about.  First Snow buntings appeared at Hugenot Memorial Park.  Then what everyone was hoping for actually happened.  An immature Snowy owl finally made its way to Florida.  But wait, nature wasn't done doling out the gifts to Florida birders.  At Ft. Clinch State Park a drake Harlequin duck was found hanging out around the half-mile long fishing pier.  Toss in some Purple sandpipers, a Glaucous gull, and an Iceland gull, and this small stretch of NE Florida coastline was absolutely rocking!!!

The day after I returned from NC I headed to Jacksonville first thing in the morning to go find those birds.  Unfortunately the weather wasn't helping me out at all.  The temperature had dropped significantly overnight (high 30's) and 20mph + winds were howling all day long.  I started at Hugenot to search for the Snow buntings.  However, after searching for almost 2 hours, I could not relocate them.  The strong winds probably confined them to the interior dunes this day, because only a few passerines were hanging out at all.  Loads of gulls, terns, and shorebirds were present.  Shorebird species hanging out at high tide were Sanderlings, Red knots, Ruddy turnstones, and Willets.  Gull species present included Herring, Ring-billed, Laughing, Bonaparte's, Lesser black-backed, and Great black-backed.  No Glaucous or Iceland gulls were to be found.  Tern species included Royal, Caspian, and Forster's.  After failing to find the buntings and being pelted by sand for far too long a time, I decided to call it quits and headed a few minutes up the road to Little Talbot Island State Park in search of the Snowy owl.

The Hugenot dunes in the waning afternoon light

 

This time the target bird did not disappoint.  Luckily the owl was still hanging out in the dunes where it had last been reported.  It was still very cold out and the winds hadn't let up much, and the owl was hunkered down behind some beach grasses.  It allowed great looks as it just sat there the entire duration I was present.  It was such a beautiful and moving moment walking up and seeing this bird for the first time.  It was simply gorgeous and you could see how special it was to see this bird in the eyes of all the birders and visitors to this incredibly rare visitor to the Sunshine State.  It was so entrancing, I believe I ended up watching it for a solid hour, just watching it move, preen, and even defecate.  After seeing the third only Snowy owl ever found in the state, I decided to head to Ft. Clinch to see if I could find the drake Harlequin and the Purple sandpipers.

An incredibly rare visitor to FL - the magnificent Snowy owl!!!

 

Ft. Clinch lies at the extreme north end of the state.  In fact, the Florida-Georgia border lies in the middle of the inlet just north of the fishing pier.  I walked along the pier for a bit after having heard the duck had just flew off a far distance.  I was hoping at least the Purple sandpipers would be out while I waited for the Harlequin.  Sadly the winds were still pretty fierce at the pier and the sandpipers were nowhere to be found.  They may have been hanging out on the other side of the seawall, sheltered from the winds, but they were certainly not obliging in providing me any looks at them.  With the winds whipping and the windchill making it feel almost below freezing, I still kept waiting for the drake to appear.  All of a sudden a duck flew in from the east.  It was the Harlequin!  This is a species I have wanted to see in person since I was a little boy and seen it in my first field guide.  I thought it was one of the most interesting plumaged ducks in North America.  The deep blues, the rusty flanks which stand out against the deep blues, and all the brilliant white facial and neck and coloration.  The drake certainly did not disappoint me in my expectations.  With the sun shining on it and showcasing it perfectly, every single color hue exploded on the duck.  I don't think words can do justice to how handsome it is.

A handsome and spectacular drake Harlequin duck

Elated with having seen the duck and spent a large amount of time watching it swim against the tide and dive to forage, I decided it was finally time to head home.  But not before checking for the Snow buntings one last time at Hugenot.  Sadly the weather conditions were still not favorable when I arrived, and the buntings were still nowhere to be found.  It was still beautiful watching the sunset at low tide at the park.  It was a very fitting way to end the day.  Then it was time to head back home to Gainesville and revel in the glorious day.