Florida Days

 The House in Cape Coral, FL 3-7-2014

It’s been a month since my return from my visit to Cape Coral, Florida. Already those sunny days have faded into a blur of memories. This was my brother’s house. He signed a contract on it the night before we left and sold it 2 weeks later. I will never be able to visit him here again.

From the first day I arrived I was surprised to see Loggerhead Shrikes in his yard. They were there everyday until the day I left, yet another new Florida bird for me.

So many mornings I sat by the pool drinking my tea while watching and listening to birds. Several pairs of mockingbirds called and sang and fought over his backyard. Mom loved to hear them singing in the mornings. Grackles, starlings, and catbirds were seen and heard in his yard. Palm Warbler’s flitted to the ground wagging their tails, then jumped back up to the bushes. Almost every day a Northern Cardinal brightened the greenery of the backyard while catbirds mewed from deep inside the bushes.

I walked the streets of this Cape Coral Neighborhood counting birds for 14 days.

In those 14 days I counted 46 species on those streets!

I discovered that while lots of people count lots of birds at all the eBird Hotspots in Florida, very few people do backyard bird counts or neighborhood counts. I like to think that perhaps I contributed some important data and filled in a few blanks outside the birding hotspots.

Everyday I was there I added at least one new species to the neighborhood list, but I must say I was surprised when on our last full day in Florida this bird showed up on the front lawn. My heart skipped a beat hoping against hope that my eyes were not deceiving me. Could it really be…

…a Common Ground-dove!

The picture is a bit blurry because I had to take it through double pane windows, but still, you can see the black-tipped red bill and the shorter tail and shorter neck of this bird. While the plumage is similar to a Mourning Dove, the body shape and tail are quite different as well as the bill, and when this dove flew, I saw the rufous-colored underwings which are absent on a Mourning Dove.

My, how the days did fly, and so did I.

 

Mom and I took wing on March 7th. We arrived back in Connecticut on the 8th.

Gus picked us up at the train station in New London, CT and then we dropped Mom off at her house and drove all the way home to Maine that night. It wasn’t long before we were hit with snow, but now it is finally starting to melt.

Since my return I am not trying to hide…

I’m just trying to get used to living near the ocean and taking in all there is to see!

New birds are arriving daily as the snow continues to melt and migration gets into full swing! I find it so amazing to have woodland birds and sea birds on the same bird count! Today I added Common Eider, Great Black-backed Gull and Brown-headed Cowbird to my Mere Point Cottage Yard list, which now stands at 40 species (You can see the complete list in the sidebar)! There are so many birds in my yard and I am so full of wonder that I find it hard to focus or get anything else done. I’m just relaxing and counting birds!

Herring Gull on Bailey Island 3-16-14

Since April is National Poetry Month and I am Celebrating with poems on Birding is Fun and Kathie’s Poet Tree! Pop on over and see what’s happening!

Del Prado Linear Park and What I Saw There

 Eurasian Widgeon 3-5-14

After birding Yellow Fever Creek Preserve I still had a bit of time left to go bird the Del Prado Linear Park. Ever since my arrival in Florida two weeks ago I had been searching for the Mottled Duck, but even though I searched the canals in my brother’s neighborhood and the mangroves swamps of Ding Darling on Sanibel island I had yet to see even one Mottled Duck! After checking the eBird Bar Chart for Florida I discovered that some were being seen at the Del Prado Linear Park Ponds In Cape Coral. I found the spot on the map and soon drove there only to discover there was no public parking lot. I drove around the neighborhood at NE 10th Lane across from Lowe’s and finally decided it was okay to park along the street. Though I went looking for Mottled Ducks, the first duck I saw was actually a Eurasian Widgeon! This was a nice bonus bird fro me since I had only seen this species once before at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge near Tacoma, Washington! The Eurasian Widgeon was a new Florida Species as well as a new 2014 Year Species for me! Unlike the American Widgeon, this bird sports a Rust-colored head with a pale yellow crown stripe instead of the iridescent green and gray head with a white stripe of the American species.

The cattail lined pond had a variety of other species.

Look closely and you will see:

• Boat-tailed Grackle (in flight on the left)
• Ring-necked Duck
• Muscovy Duck (Florida Feral type, on the right)
• Common Gallinule (also known as a Common Moorhen, dead center along the shore)

Common Gallinule Swimming

 

Muscovy Duck and American Coot

This was the only location where I saw Coots while on this trip to Florida and my first time ever seeing this species in Florida, so they were a Florida Life Bird for me! Muscovy ducks are countable in Florida, so this was a Life Bird as well as a Florida Life Bird! Already it was worth my trip to this location! But I was not done yet!

Female Boat-tailed Grackle.

To me, this looks a lot like the female Great-tailed Grackles I would see in Tucson!

The ever present Ring-billed Gulls!

 

The Great Blue Heron and the White Ibis increased my bird count!

 

The darker birds seen here are immature White Ibises and are not to be confused with Glossy Ibis which are solid and shiny brown!

Then, finally I found them!

 Mottled Ducks!

While these might look like mallards, they are not. See the pale buffy cheeks and the distinct line between the mottled bodies and the plain necks?  Mottled Ducks are one of the only puddle ducks to nest regularly in Florida and on the Gulf Coast (Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America).

And then I spotted a Mystery bird. Actually, I thought it was a pipit. Then I thought it was a palm warbler, then I wasn’t sure, so I took a few pictures.

This is what I saw at first as the bird walked along the shore wagging its tail.

I tried to stay calm and quiet while also trying to get into a position to get a better photograph of the bird. I finally got a few more shots and studied them all afternoon yesterday. Was it a pipit? Was it a palm warbler? Was it perhaps a Waterthrush?

American Pipit

I went back and forth so many times, but the posture was not right for a waterthrush, which is more horizontal. Also, both waterthrushes have shorter tails and pink legs. This bird has a long tail and dark legs. Another thing that ruled out Northern and Louisiana Water thrush was the two faint wingbars. I could not find any photo in any bird guide that showed wingbars on a waterthrush. So, what a about Palm Warbler. I had been seeing that species all over Florida everywhere I went. It likes to walk on the ground and wag its tail, but it has yellow under-tail coverts. This bird does not have any yellow undertail coverts! So, by process of elimination, this must be a pipit! Still, I would say that it looks different from some of the photos in some of the field guides, yet it does look like birds I have observed in the field and it was my first impression when I saw it! Thus it is that I have added this bird to my list for Del Prado Linear Park which increased my Florida List to 103 species for this year! (If you disagree with me about this I.D. please say so in the comments and tell me why.)

I was as happy as a moorhen in mud!

(This species has been renamed Common Gallinule.)

Then, to brighten my day, a couple of killdeer flew in and landed on a nearby lawn!

I would say my most unusual sighting of the day was a species that is common elsewhere but this is the only location where I saw it. In a driveway across the street from one of the ponds someone had put out seed for the ducks and birds. It was here that I saw my one and only House Sparrow in all of Florida! I did not see any hanging around parking lots and restaurants like I do in so many other states. I did not see House Sparrows anywhere else!

Del Prado Linear park proved to be an easy and profitable spot to count birds and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. If I had more time and it wasn’t about to rain, I would have liked to walk along the 2 mile stretch, but as it was I mostly stayed right around the three ponds at NE 10th Lane. Below is a list of the birds I saw.

Birds Seen at Del Prado Linear Park 3-5-14:

1. **Muscovy Ducks, 3
2. *Eurasian Widgeon, 1
3. Mallard (Domestic Type), 2
4. Mottled Duck, 6
5. Ring-necked Duck, 7
6. Great Blue Heron, 1
7. White Ibis, 20
8. Turkey Vulture, 4
9. Common Gallinule, 4
10. *American Coot, 6
11. Killdeer, 2
12. Ring-billed Gull, 3
13. Eurasian Collared-dove, 4
14. Mourning Dove, 5
15. Northern Mockingbird, 3
16. European starling, 3
17. *American Pipit, 1
18. Palm Warbler, 2
19. Common Grackle, x
20. Boat-tailed Grackle, x
21. *House Sparrow, 1

**Life Bird, * Florida Life Bird

Birding Notes: I counted bird for 44 minutes starting at 11:05 a.m. I did not count all the crackles as it would have taken me too long to try to separate them all out from each other. An “x” in eBird means the species was present.

White Ibis Flock in flight 3-5-2014

Yellow Fever Creek Preserve

 Sign at the gate to the Yellow Fever Creek Preserve

On March 5 I took a drive to the Yellow Fever Creek Preserve. Ever since the day I arrived in Cape Coral, FL I had wanted to visit this place. We passed it on the way to my brother’s house when we arrived and frequently during the next two weeks as we drove around town doing OTHER THINGS. But all I wanted to do was get out and explore and find out what species of birds were found there. Finally, on the morning of March 5th I had my own car to drive and I went right there. I had barely pulled into the crude and empty parking lot when another car pulled in behind me. There were 2 young men in the car and I thought to myself, “Oh great!,” for I did not know if they would be loud and obnoxious or even hunters. I do not know what the hunting laws are in Florida and it was not until I got out of the car that I saw the "NO HUNTING” sign. I decided to put my fears behind me and get out of the car anyways and say Hi. It turned out I had nothing to fear. These young men were very polite and pleasant and they told me this preserve just opened a couple of months ago and they were here to do geo-caching! After a brief chat they went on their way and I never saw them again. After gearing up I soon passed though the gate and into the preserve.

In this part of Florida there are more Fish crows than American crows and I watched as a few mobbed a Red-tailed Hawk and chased it into the top of a pine tree. It watched me warily from the treetop before flying off to parts unknown. Meanwhile I was distracted by the loud and varied song of a bird singing.

I searched the scrub for the mysterious singer and finally spotted him in a small tree. But who was he? It didn’t take me long to realize I was looking at and listening to a Brown Thrasher! I was thrilled since I had not seen one yet on this visit. He continued his bright song as I walked slowly down the primitive path.

The air was moist with humidity and the sky a hazy blue-gray. It made the lighting flat, and diffused as I snapped away with my camera. All along the trail I saw and heard birds. Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers flitted through the trees. After searching for the Florida Scrub Jay yesterday I could not help but think how similar this habitat was to that one. Why couldn’t there be Florida Scrub jays here? I decided to keep my eyes and ears open, just incase.  Yellow Fever Creek Preserve was not yet an eBird Hotspot, but I soon came to believe it should be. I like the primitive feeling of it and the solitude. There were no maps of the trails and no arrows or signs to point one in the right direction, so I just had to figure it out for myself, which was alright with me. It put all my senses on alert and made me pay attention to my surroundings. I liked it that once I walked just a brief way in I did not hear or see anything manmade other than a utility line that rain along the edge of the property.

Trail through the scrub at Yellow Fever Creek.

I found a Gray Catbird hiding in some of this scrub!

 Gray Catbird 3-5-2014 Yellow Creek Preserve

I was also surprised by the numerous Cardinals I saw and heard. While I am used to finding them around houses, or up north in the woods, but it was kind of funny to find them in the palm scrub of Florida! With my northern sensibilities they seemed out of place, though I don’t know why, since they are found in the Sonoran Desert around Tucson! I guess cardinals are quite adaptable and can make any place their home! Then I heard a bird scolding loudly from the ground near a small palmetto. I was delighted to find first one and then two House Wrens! The House Wren was a new species for my Florida Life List, while the Brown Thrasher was new for my Florida Year List.

A pair of Black Vultures warmed themselves in the morning sun before lifting off to hunt for the day. Turkey Vultures were also seen soaring overhead and on a different part of the line I spotted a Eurasian Collared-dove. A few unidentified sparrows flew across my path and disappeared into the grass before I could see who they were, while I heard the laughter of a Pileated Woodpecker and saw a pair of Downy Woodpeckers in a nearby tree.

I was thrilled to find an Eastern Phoebe hawking for insects from the top of a sapling. All the while the Palm Warblers continued to flit about wagging their tails in the process and yellow-rumped warblers seems to dot every tree!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I saw a couple of trails cross the one I was on, I stayed on the main trail but finally turned around as the sun burned through the haze and started to cook my already sunburned skin which was red and sensitive from yesterday’s hunt in the blazing sun for the Florida Scrub Jay. I was hot, thirsty and hungry by now and I had needed a restroom break, so I turned around and headed back towards the parking lot and my car. I noticed that the bird activity was dying down, so I did not think I would miss seeing too many birds. However, as I walked back towards my car I met a park ranger in a truck on the trail. Laura was very friendly and helpful as I asked her a few questions. She told me that historically Florida Scrub Jays were found in this location, but none had been seen or documented lately. She also told me that periodically a group of volunteers called the Florida Bird Patrol comes out and counts the birds in this area. I had seen their name on an eBird report from 2004, but there was no recent data on this site. I hope that maybe others will come and count bids here so that we can get a better picture of the bird species in this area as the land continues to be developed around it, which I know will impact the birds. I am glad, at least that this little bit of Florida Scrub has not only be preserved for the birds but is open to the public.

Birds seen at Yellow Fever Creek Preserve March 5, 2014:

1. Black Vulture, 2
2. Turkey Vulture, 11
3. Osprey, 1
4. Red-tailed Hawk, 1
5. Eurasian Collared-dove, 1
6. Mourning Dove, 3
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1
8. Downy Woodpecker, 2
9. Pileated Woodpecker (heard only), 1
10. Eastern Phoebe, 1
11. Blue Jay, 6
12. Fish Crow, 2
13. House Wren, 2
14. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 1
15. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1
16. Gray Catbird, 5
17. Brown Thrasher, 1
18. Palm Warbler, 5
19. Yellow-rumped Warbler, 25
20. Eastern Towhee, 1
21. Northern Cardinal, 6
22. Common Grackle, 6

Birding Notes: I started at 8:20 a.m. and counted birds for 1hour and 46 minutes. I walk approximately .7 miles and heard many more birds. I also think I saw a few vireos but they were too quick for a picture or a positive I.D. I would definitely come back to bird here again if given the opportunity.

The Yellow Fever Creek Preserve can be found on North Del Prado Blvd, in Cape Coral, FL just past the Publix Shopping Center and McDonald’s North of Kismet Parkway. Click on the link below for more info. McDonald’s has the closest restroom.

• Yellow Fever Creek Preserve
• Wildlife List for Yellow Fever Creek Preserve (click on this link and scroll down to see the official bird list)
• Florida Scrub Jay Day

Zebra Longwing Butterfly seen at Yellow Fever Creek Preserve

Birds at the Ball Field

 Monk Parakeets at the Pelican Baseball Fields in Cape Coral, FL 3-4-14

While on vacation in Florida I had seen on eBird that there were Monk Parakeets being seen on a regular basis at a Place called Pelican Blvd. Baseball Fields in Cape Coral, Florida. Since I had only seen Monk Parakeets one time before at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, I really wanted to see them again and get them on my Florida Life List. After yet another futile attempt at finding the Florida Scrub Jay I drove to Pelican Baseball Fields as I tried to decide where to go birding on this one full day when I had a car available to me.

As soon as I parked the car and opened the door I could hear these birds. They are so noisy! Apparently they like to talk to each other because they kept up a constant conversation. There are four different ball fields here at the park with several of these lighting towers and in several of the lighting towers there were Monk Parakeet nests.

I was impressed by their size and their construction.

 

This is a different nest from the one picture in the first 3 photos.

 

I was NOT impressed to see all the trash woven in, however.

The birds, of course, are excellent weaver, but it was sad to see garbage in the nests. However, I did get to see one parakeet flying with yet another stick to add to the nest. I was very impressed with their ability to fly with such large and awkward objects! The day was already getting quite warm, so I was standing in the shade of a tree near the parking lot when this cute bird flew over to investigate me!

Hello sweetie!

But Monk parakeets were not the only birds on the Ball Field! This was quite the noisy place as Fish Crows cried their nasal cries, grackles raised a hullaballoo, and Osprey screamed overhead.

I first saw one fly by with part of a fish in its talons.

At first I feared it was a parakeet!

Then it landed on a lighting tower to consume its breakfast.

 

But then another osprey flew in!

 

It chose a different tower to land on.

 

Soon there was yet another! I saw three osprey!

I noticed there were no Monk Parakeet nests in the lighting towers the osprey use, but one of the towers had an osprey nest on it. I don’t know why I did not take a picture of that!

I was finally able to get at least two of the osprey in flight together.

Meanwhile, on the ball field there were gulls galore walking around and eating something off the ground. All four ball fields had Ring-bills, Laughing, and Herring Gulls. This was the only place in Cape Coral where I saw Herring Gulls. What surprised me though was that after being there for about a half an hour all of a sudden it was like someone said, “let’s blow this clambake,” for in one moment all the gulls lifted off, circled over head a few times and flew away! If I had arrived here at this time I would never have even seen a gull on the field!

These are the birds I saw at the Pelican Blvd Baseball Fields on March 4, 2014:

1. Turkey Vulture, 8
2. Osprey, 3
3. Laughing Gull, 5
4. Ring-billed Gull, 46
5. Herring Gull, 2
6. Eurasian Collared-dove, 4
7. Monk Parakeet, 8
8. Loggerhead Shrike, 1
9. Blue Jay, 2
10. Fish crow, 10
11. European starling, 4
12. Palm Warbler, 10
13. Red-winged Blackbird, 2
14. Common Grackle, 4
15. Boat-tailed Grackle, 2

Notes: Sunny, 72F. I counted birds for 35 minutes.

• Pelican Blvd Baseball Fields are an eBird Hotspot

Laughing Gull at Pelican Blvd Baseball Field

Florida Scrub Jay Day

 Florida Scrub Jay, Oscar Scherer State Park 3-4-14

Within two weeks of moving from Tucson to Maine I was in Florida with my mother visiting my brother. Though I had been to Florida twice before, it was all before I became an eBirder, so I was looking forward to getting there and actually documenting the birds I saw this time. Though I left my birding buddy, Chris Rohrer behind in Tucson, we still communicated via Facebook and text messages and frequent talks on the phone. When Chris heard I was going to Florida he impressed on me the importance of finding the Florida Scrub Jay, since it is a threatened species. After 18 months of birding with me, Chris knows that I am more of a relaxed birder, while he has learned to chase the specialty birds down and let the other more common species fall into place. With that in mind, I set out to find the Florida Scrub Jay.

 Palm Warbler at the scrub jay spot.

It turns out that one of the locations the Florida Scrub Jay is found was only 3.2 miles from my brother’s house. Within two days of being there, he let me borrow his car and drive over to find the scrub jay. I followed my GPS to the exact location and started searching. The spot is an open and undeveloped field with deteriorating roads that were laid out but no homes were every built. I drove the perimeter, then parked and walked. I scanned trees and scrub. I saw Eastern Meadowlarks everywhere. I found Loggerhead Shrikes, Burrowing owls, Yellow-rumped warblers and Palm Warblers.

Eastern Towhee at the scrub jay spot in Cape Coral 3-4-14

Though I went back time after time and spent an hour or more there each time, I never found a scrub jay. For the most part I was dependent on the use of my brother’s car which I found very frustrating as he was trying to sell his house and we would all have to pile in it and take off whenever there was a showing. I finally smartened up and found out I could rent a car relatively inexpensively, so I rented one for two days. On the morning of March 4th I drove to the Scrub jay spot one last time as I tried to decide where I wanted to bird today. I parked the car and walked the perimeter of a scrubby area once again. I found an Eastern Towhee, but no scrub jays. All the while I could hear Chris Rohrer’s voice in my head, “If you don’t see this bird now, you may never get to see it! It might go extinct, ‘cause people are stupid and they keep destroying the habitat!” What was I to do?

 Monk Parakeets nesting at the Pelican Baseball Field in Cape Coral, FL

While I tried to make up my mind, I drove to another location in Cape Coral to find some resident Monk Parakeets (blogpost with more pics to follow). While there I received a message from Mia McPherson of On the Wing Photography about Oscar Scherer State Park, a well known location for finding the jay. I had debated about driving back out to Ding Darling or over to Corkscrew Swamp, but with Mia’s urging I decided to jump in the car and “find that jay!” I now had Mia’s voice in my head as well. Oscar Scherer State Park was about an hour and half north of Cape Coral, so I jumped in the car and headed north. Once at the park I was told the best place to find the scrub jay was on the Green Tail. I quickly parked the car, loaded myself up with water and birding gear and headed down the trail which is hidden behind the visitor’s center near Osprey Lake.

By now it was afternoon. The warm sun blazed down on me, but with a slight breeze it was comfortable.

The trail led out through Florida scrub growing out of a soft silvery sand, perfect scrub jay habitat. I saw a few Northern Cardinals and a Mockingbird. I found Gray Catbirds and yellow-rumped warblers.

I walked and watched and listened for birds.

 

I was amazed when a Swallow-tailed Kite sailed over the trees!

It was a *Life Bird for me! Already I felt like this trip was worth it, but would I ever find those jays? I had seen no sign of them yet.

Puffy clouds built on the horizon.

 

I continued around the field searching everywhere for motion.

 

I followed the flight of a bird into a nearby tree, but it turned out to be a Northern Flicker, one of my favorite species, and though I was happy to see it, it still was not my desired scrub jay. The blazing sun was cooking my exposed skin. I found some shade and took a sip of my water. I was more than halfway around the trail now and losing hope. I tried to console myself with the fact that at least I saw the kite. Then, I started plodding along in the soft, silver sand back toward the visitor’s center and the parking lot when suddenly…What was that?

So many of these trees were dripping with Spanish moss and flaking bark. It was so easy to think you saw a bird where there was none, but take a closer look at the photo below.

Do you see the bird on a branch?

 

My breath caught in my throat as I realized that I was seeing the distinct silhouette of a scrub jay! I started snapping away, hoping to get at least some kind of proof that I actually saw the bird. The bird was extremely backlit, which made photography difficult, so I slowly tried to maneuver into a better lighting situation.

I finally got to a spot where I could at least see some color, but it was bright and dazzling daylight and the bird was still so far away in the middle of the scrubby field. Would this be my best look at it? Suddenly the bird flew directly toward me and landed on a branch right over my head, about 12 feet away! I could not believe it as I tried to contain my excitement and snap pictures.

 Florida Scrub Jay 3-4-14

I switched back and forth between camera and bins, not wanting to miss a shot, yet wanting to just observe this bird in its natural habitat. I had come so far and worked so hard for this bird. When the jay landed on the tree in front of me, I also heard a sound behind me. I did not dare turn around for fear of missing the jay in front, but after a few minutes I slowly turned my head and looked over my shoulder. OH my goodness! There on the ground behind me and only a foot away was another scrub jay! I slowly slid my hand into my pocket and removed my cell phone. After turning it on, I was able to open my camera app and snap a few pictures of the jay with my cell phone!

Cell phone picture of the second Florida Scrub Jay 3-4-14

As I stood there slack-jawed in awe the birds suddenly flew off to explore a different location. It was then that I became overwhelmed and burst into tears. At first it was from the relief and joy of seeing this marvelous and endangered bird species. Then I realized that I was also crying because Chris Rohrer was not with me. Over the past 18 months we had shared so many birding adventures and had been together on so many Life Bird sightings. When I left Tucson everything was so hectic and crazy, I did not cry when I said good-bye, but this is how I am, and I knew it would sneak up on me at some later date when all the stress was over. Now it hit me like a ton of bricks and I walked back down the trail sobbing. Thankfully there was no one out there but the birds to hear me, so I just let the tears come. I find it is best to just let your emotions out, rather than hold them in, especially if you are by yourself and there is no one to see it! I quickly posted my finding to my Facebook page so Mia and others would know I had been successful. Then I walked back with both joy and sorrow in my heart.

Back at the visitor’s center I walked by osprey lake. I hoped to see some kind of ducks or shore birds, but no luck, and though this looks like an inviting swimming hole…

…you will not find me swimming here anytime soon!

In celebration of spotting the Florida Scrub Jay, I did buy myself a Florida Scrub Jay Sweatshirt from the Visitor’s Center as well as a cup of Butter Pecan ice cream which I took and ate while sitting at a picnic table where I watched for more birds! Before long I had to go, since I needed to pick my mother up from a friend's house in Fort Myers. The sun had baked me skin while on the trail, so the air-conditioning and shade of the car felt so good. While I was still in Florida I learned that Chris had bought tickets to visit a friend of his in Cape Coral who had wanted him to visit for the longest time. He would be arriving about 2 weeks after I left. I was so excited for him and started giving him tips about where to bird. While I would be there a total of two weeks, he would only be there for one. But, he would have a car available to him for the entire time. Would he beat my record? On March 20th, the day after his arrival, Chris drove to the same Scrub Jay spot that I had visited in Cape Coral so many times. He soon texted me this photo below…

 Florida Scrub Jay on Chris Rohrer’s head! 3-20-14

See that vast open area behind him? I was there three different times at three different times of day without success! How did he get so lucky? This picture cracks me up! All I can do is shake my head. Chris has far out grown me and has become an expert birder. He probably won’t tell you this, but he is now #10 on the eBird Top 100 in the Country! I am so proud of him! Thank you Mia for telling me about Oscar Scherer State Park, and thank you Chris for urging me to find this bird! You will always be my friend.

Yes, he got it to land on his hand as well!

Here is the list of species I saw at Oscar Scherer State Park in Florida:

1. Anhinga, 2
2. Great Blue heron, 1
3. White Ibis, 8
4. Black Vulture, 1
5. Turkey Vulture, 8
6. Osprey, 1
7. *Swallow-tailed Kite, 1
8. Bald Eagle, 2
9. Mourning Dove, 2
10. Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1
11. Northern Flicker, 2
12. Blue Jay, 2
13. *Florida Scrub Jay, 2
14. Purple Martin, 1
15. Gray Catbird, 4
16. Northern Mockingbird, 1
17. Yellow-rumped warbler, 4
18. Northern Cardinal, 3

*Life Birds –the first time I have ever seen these species.

(I counted birds for an hour and 35 minutes over a 2 mile loop trail starting at 12:37 PM.)

• Las Aventuras 
• With the Time That is Given-Chris’ Florida Scrub Jay Post
• On the Wing Photography
• Oscar Scherer State Park

My Florida Scrub Jay at Oscar Scherer State Park 3-4-14