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Posted by Alex Harper on 21:19:07 05/21/09
Armed with Princeton Field Guides "Birds of Europe", Molly Ryan of Ft. Lauderdale scooped me up early this morning. To shake off the boredom of a long drive, we stopped by Viera Wetlands. Highlights of this brief stop included many Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, at least eight Least Bitterns, and a Crested Caracara.
Once entering the Jacksonville city limits, we spotted three Wild Turkeys along I-95.
Finally at Huguenot Memorial Park. As luck would have it, the downpour we fought nearly the entire car ride subsided as we arrived. The bird had not been seen yet, but there were hundreds of birds to work through. Alongside a Semipalmated Sandpiper, I spotted a Baird's Sandpiper, a breeding adult with plain flanks, ruling out White-rumped. Combing through the many other shorebirds, mostly turnstones, I froze when I saw a Greater Sand-Plover looking straight at me. Amazing. I called the attention on a few other birders and we all had great looks. What a bird!
Also around the lagoon:
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Wilson's Plover
Willet
Whimbrel
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Red Knot
Dunlin
White-rumped Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
(no Least or Shot-billed Dowitchers! I obviously missed them)
Great Black-backed Gull- 1st winter
Lesser Black-backed Gull- 1st winter
Royal, Sandwich, Gull-billed, and Least Terns
Black Skimmer
On the Atlantic, where larids congregated on the beach, a few Common Terns could be picked out of the Royal Terns. A female Red-breasted Merganser was loafing with the larids. Towards the jetty, Molly and I were able to spot an adult Purple Sandpiper in breeding plumage. A purple starfish in a tidal pool also seemed to be an appropriate spot by Molly.
With more time to make our way back than we expected, we stopped by Daytona Beach to look for Scrub Jays. First we stopped along AIA in Flagler Beach to scan the Atlantic. Within five minutes, a storm-petrel species tore by within a quarter mile of shore, a Sulidae species with a dark back and obvious white belly fed, and two Sooty/Bridled Terns cruised way offshore. A Magnificent Frigatebird soaring over AIA was an easier bird to i.d.
Moving south, two Florida Scrub Jays sat on the powerlines along AIA, just north of Highbridge Road. Thanks Brian for this location.
Further south, we made it to Ponce Inlet, hoping for birds pushed in by the strong east winds. Many terns, including several Common and a Forster's. A Gray Kingbird and Southern Black Racer were seen on the way out.
Our last new bird of the day was a Swallow-tailed Kite over I-95.
Special thanks to Molly for answering my plea and the driving. We had a great, and long day.
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