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Posted by Alex Harper on 20:15:02 11/07/09
While south Florida is seeing its first ducks and sparrows of the season, we have been enjoying cool weather, camp fires, and winter birds for several weeks now in the westernmost Panhandle. However, our neotropical migration was very slow, yielding single digit warbler numbers every outing in October! Highlights in September were limited to four Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a Groove-billed Ani, and Lark Sparrows at Ft. Pickens National Seashore, which opened back up this past summer. It was heavily damaged during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Now, plenty of sparrows can be found throughout Ft. Pickens, including White-crowned Sparrows. And on any given day, a scan of the mud flats within the dunes often yields over twenty Snowy Plovers hudled together.
I was able to make it to St. Marks in Wakulla County Halloween weekend. After an eventful night in Tallahassee, my eagle-eyed girlfriend Alicia (some TASers from the 2009 North Florida trip may remember her for her ability to find Virginia Rails, Winter Wrens and Brown Creepers) headed to St. Marks. No ducks yet except for American Wigeon. We did see the Neotropic Cormorant that has been hanging around the lighthouse, as well as several White-faced Ibis about halfway through the NWR.
Today I was finally successful in seeing a Green-tailed Towhee at Ft. Pickens, after three previous visits in less than a week. On my first attempt on the towhee, I found a Cave Swallow of the Mexican race heading east with Barn Swallows, possibly following the Peninsula down to South Florida.
I am keeping my eyes on the board anticipating reports of the many great birds that will be found at Lucky Hammock and Everglades National Park this November. I think it was Toe that said that the rare birds are out there, we need to find them. Please do, so I can refind them when I finally head home for Christmas break!
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