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09 May Audubon banquet & program, May 15 [] 9 May Tall Timbers Bird Window [CK Borg ] 08 May Graykingbird in Tallahassee---relocated [] 8 May Pelagic May 17th [Andrew Wraithmell ] 7 May Purple Gallinule at Lk Victoria ["Tracee Strohman" ] 06 May Migratory Bird Day at Birdsong, 5/10 [] 5 May Sun and Mon [Andrew Lantz ] 05 May St. Marks Sunday birding [] 05 May St George Is State Park [] 4 May Re: Robins in Tallahassee ["Jim Stevenson" ] 4 May Robins in Tallahassee [Harry Hooper ] 04 May Fallout!!! ST MARKS NWR-----Canada warbler [] 03 May friday birding Leon County [] 2 May Lake Lafayette [Fred Dietrich ] 2 May Piney Z Bittern ["Candy and Michael Hill" ] 2 May Mystery Sandpiper ["Marvin Collins" ] 1 May Mystery sandpiper at Tram Rd small ponds 1,2and3 ["Cavanagh, Jim" ] 1 May (unknown) [Andrew Lantz ] 01 May Re: Gray Kingbird in Tallahassee---yet another [] 30 Apr Gray Kingbird in Tallahassee---yet another [] 30 Apr Re: American BitternS ["Jim Stevenson" ] 30 Apr American BitternS ["Candy and Michael Hill" ] 29 Apr Audubon field trip, May 3 [] 28 Apr St George Island Youth Camp and adjacent coast (Glaucous Gull) 4/28 ["Cavanagh, Jim" ] 29 Apr Migrants at St. George, 4/28 ["Fritz Davis" ] 28 Apr Re: St Marks NWR and Sunday St George [] 28 Apr March, April Records (Gail Menk) [] 28 Apr St Marks NWR ["Don Morrow" ] 28 Apr Apalachee Audubon Birdathon - Mighty Marauders Team Results ["Marvin Collins" ] 28 Apr Brown Booby ["glendajoyce6009" ] 27 Apr Re: Bell's Vireo at St. Marks NWR [] 27 Apr Fw: Sprague's Pipits in Leon County [Harry Hooper ] 26 Apr Piney Z today ["Tracee Strohman" ] 26 Apr Bell's Vireo at St. Marks NWR [Dean and Sally Jue ] 24 Apr TTRS Least Bittern [CK Borg ] 23 Apr Late Weekend Report: SGI / St. Marks NWR [CK Borg ] 23 Apr spotted sandpipers at Piney Z ["Tracee Strohman" ] 23 Apr 4-22-08 TTRS [CK Borg ] 21 Apr forgot to mention ["Luke DeGroote" ] 21 Apr St. George, tippy canoe and St. Marks too. ["Luke DeGroote" ] 21 Apr Sunday Tallahassee Saturday St. Marks [] 21 Apr Western Tanager [] 21 Apr Audubon events with Todd Engstrom [] 20 Apr Apalachee Audubon Society Birdathon [Fred Dietrich ] 20 Apr nighthawks are back [Linda Most ] 20 Apr Scarlet Tanager in Tallahassee ["Robert Lengacher" ] 20 Apr Sprague's Pipits in the Panhandle [Harry Hooper ] 19 Apr St. Marks on Saturday [] 19 Apr Indigo or Blue Bunting. ["Candace" ] 18 Apr Scarlet Tanagers & Misc reports [Andrew Wraithmell ] 17 Apr frog eating hawk and warblers [] 17 Apr Question marks. [] Subject: Audubon banquet & program, May 15 From: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Fri, 09 May 2008 21:41:26 +0000
Apalachee Audubon Banquet and Program
Thursday, May 15,
United Church in Tallahassee, 1834 Mahan Dr.
Social begins at 6 PM, dinner served at 6:30
http://apalachee.org
The speaker will be Bob Montanaro, Pelican Island
Audubon Society, Vero Beach, FL
"Osprey Diary: Wildlife & People of Pelican Island National
Wildlife Refuge"
See http://www.ospreywatch.org for more info about the Osprey Project
$10 tickets available through Wed, May 14, at Native Nurseries
and Wild Birds Unlimited; Or purchase tickets at the door.
Our dinner features a homemade meal--- an accurate head
count of attendees for planning is important!
RSVP to Chef Tim Smith at 850/933-5979, esp. if you plan on
purchasing tickets at the door on May 15.
Bob Montanaro's presentation uses a combination of still and
video photography to tell the story of the 2007 Osprey nesting
season at Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
He also introduces us to some of the staff and volunteers who
work at the Refuge; they describe from first hand knowledge
some of the challenges now facing Pelican Island NWR and
America's refuge system as a whole.
Highlights of the program include dramatic still and video footage
of the Osprey young learning to fly, a very inquisitive Great Horned
Owl nestling, contentious Bald Eagle/Osprey encounters, heated
Osprey sibling rivalry, and other wildlife found elsewhere in the Refuge.
Pelican Island NWR was America's first Wildlife Refuge, established
in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Two Floridians approached
President Roosevelt with the need for creating this Refuge. Their request
followed a successful campaign two years earlier by the American
Ornithologists' Union and the Florida Audubon Society to pass legislation i
n Florida calling for the protection of non-game birds.
This year for dinner we'll enjoy a delicious homemade Greek meal,
courtesy of our very own local Audubon member Tim Smith, who
serves as both our Banquet & Awards Chairperson. Tickets are $10
per person available thru Wednesday, May 14 at Native Nurseries
or Wild Birds Unlimited. After May 14, purchase tickets at the door on
Thursday, May 15. Location is United Church in Tallahassee.
RSVP to Tim at 850/933-5979, especially if you plan to purchase
tickets at the door on Thursday, May 15.
Bob Montanaro's presentation is a perfect opportunity to learn more
about how we can continue the rich Florida tradition of protecting
our birds. Please join us for this special occasion and bring a friend
or family member with you!
--
Fran Rutkovsky
Tallahassee, FL
franrutkovsky AT comcast.net
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Subject: Tall Timbers Bird WindowFrom: CK Borg <ckborg AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 18:21:28 +0000
Folks,
Just wanted to let everyone know that the feeders at Tall Timbers will be
off-line for the summer (Through Labor day). Regardless, you are always more
than welcome to bird TTRS. However, be advised that we recently burned the
majority of habitats along and around the Stevenson Trail and Bird Window. This
being said I was still able to string together a descent list of 50 species the
other day... The highlight was Least Bittern. During the summer months (Mid May
through August) birding is best from predawn to about 10:00 am.
Good Birds,C.K. Borg{ckborg AT hotmail.com}Tall Timbers / Tallahassee
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Subject: Graykingbird in Tallahassee---relocatedFrom: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 19:02:55 -0400 I managed to relocate the gray kingbird that I stumbled across the other day.? (The gray kingbird that I had near my house two years ago that was very tolerant of cars and people and I never saw it fly in alarm.)? This kingbird, which was located between the 4th and 5th power poles?(1/4-1/2 miles south of the?south gates?of the Springhill?treatment plant) south of the plant's?south fence line on the ANF.? (The?forest service?road that runs east from?Springhill?Road is now open again and except for one?dry sand patch at the entrance seems very passable.? I made it through with no problems in a rear wheel drive street vehicle.)? I pulled up directly under the bird, the bird is very skittish and seems to move with traffic.? I glassed the wires from the west side and didn't pick up the bird.? I made a 1/2 mile loop around the?"highline" and glassed back from the east---at which time I spotted the bird.??Of the four times that I have found this bird?it seems to react less when I?drive very slowly near the bird. To get to the bird, turn left at the south boundary of the spray field.? Travel east to the "overhead?electric transmission line" turn right on to the electric?ROW.?? Two of the four times the bird was on the south fence line within a few yards?of the FS road so watch close?on your?way to the power line. I observed something yesterday evening?that I thought was interesting as well.? An anhinga in Lake Jackson (hwy 27 launch) was beating a large centrarchid (fish)?against a stump.? The bird seemed very experienced at this,? it appeared to use momentum to rock the fish back and forth before slamming it into?a stump?that it was sitting on.? The behavior went on?for 3-5 minutes.? Finally, the fish became "more cooperative" and the?snakebird seemed to choke it down?a little slower than usual, but the fish disappeared none the less.? There seemed to be?much more thought in this process than I would have given the anhinga species credit for.? I'm curious as to what is imprinted/hardwired and what is learned in this species. I've recently seen a few anhinga's?in town, very high up,?riding the thermals.? In Texas, I've seen flocks of up to?2,000 anhinga?riding the thermals during migration in both spring and fall-----has that behavior been observed locally????----the last question marks were intentional. 10 BC night herons and 1 possible YC at the Fred George "roost" late yesterday. Rodney Cassidy Tallahassee, Florida R???? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Pelagic May 17th From: Andrew Wraithmell <wbubirdingblog AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 08:26:00 -0700 (PDT) I am one of the leaders on the upcoming marathon pelagic out off Ponce Inlet on
Saturday May 17th. Are there any birders from the Tallahassee area going on the
trip? If so I have space for one in my truck and will be leaving town after
work (7pmish) on Friday 16th and returning on Sunday morning (18th). call me at
850-425-1170. Chris if you still want to carpool then that's cool but I wont be
coming home till Sunday am.
I also wanted to let folk know that we have tickets available at Wild Birds
Unlimited for two events. The Apalchicola Riverkeeper festival which takes
place this coming Saturday and we also have tickets for the Apalachee Audubon
Society Annual Dinner on May 15th.
cheers
Andy Wraithmell
www.surfbirds.com/blog/limeybirder
www.wbu.com/tallahassee
www.wbubirdingblog.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
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Subject: Purple Gallinule at Lk VictoriaFrom: "Tracee Strohman" <tracee11 AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 15:54:42 -0400 Biked from Forestmeadows to Lk Victoria and along Lk Jackson for 37 birds today. The more interesting ones for me along this regular route were the Purple Gallinule, E Wood Pewee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Cattle Egret, Red-tailed Hawk, Black Vulture and lots of Indigo Buntings. Last week I looked for the Osprey nest on the power lines off the Lk Overstreet trails. They ended up ignoring the new platform and built on the power line supports, despite the anti-nest metalwork that was installed a few months ago. A Great Blue Heron nest is in a nearby pine tree like last year, too. Tracee Strohman Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Migratory Bird Day at Birdsong, 5/10 From: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Tue, 06 May 2008 22:02:50 +0000
MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
Birdsong Nature Center
Saturday, May 10
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
$3 Friends, $6 nonmembers, children half-price
* 8:30 AM Bluebird Trail monitoring
International Migratory Bird day is held annually worldwide on
the second Saturday in May and is an invitation to celebrate
and support migratory bird conservation. The theme for 2008 is
“Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, and People.”
Migratory birds travel long distances between breeding and
non-breeding sites throughout the western hemisphere. In 2008,
IMBD will explore the birds that make these fantastic journeys,
the habitats on which they depend, and the people who are important
to the conservation of birds and their habitats along the way.
Join us at Birdsong and learn about birds, their habitats, and migration.
Pick up your Migratory Bird Card and take a walk through several bird
information and activity stations, visit our Bird Window and Butterfly Garden,
and take a short hike on our trails. Bird information/activity stations will be
available from 10 AM to 2 PM. Two guided walks will be scheduled.
Bird Window and Trails are open from 9 AM to 5 PM; a self-guided trail map
is available. There will be a short presentation on migration at 11 AM and
Backyard Birds at 1 PM.
Those interested in bluebirds may want to join our Bluebird Trail monitors
at 8:30 AM. See information on Bluebird Trail Workdays in the newsletter.
1-800-953-BIRD
birdsong AT birdsongnaturecenter.org
http://www.birdsongnaturecenter.org
Birdsong Nature Center is on N. Meridian Rd. (Rt. 155)
in Grady Co. GA, about 20 miles north of I-10. Watch for
the small sign, "Birdsong Nature Center", on the right,
4 miles past the Grady County sign.
Note from Fran: I will be greeting visitors in the Bird Window from
noon to 2. Stop in and say hello and see what birds are there.
--
Fran Rutkovsky
Tallahassee, FL
franrutkovsky AT comcast.net
------------------------------------
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Subject: Sun and MonFrom: Andrew Lantz <lantzandrew AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 09:26:43 -0700 (PDT) I head out to St. Mark's yesterday and had a decent morning. While I didn't have as much success as Rodney, I was happy! 53 species. Around the tower pond trail and bathroom area, I came across these migrants: Common yellowthroat Yellow-throated warbler Black-and-white warbler Black-throated-blue warbler (female) Blackpoll warbler Prothonotary warbler Swainson's Warbler (probably???) Today I went out with Gail Menk to a few local spots. Here's some of the highlights: *2 soaring Mississippi kites at Stoneler Rd. *Red-eyed vireo calls and a summer tanager at Ochlocknee WMA. *Swallow-tailed kite and Prothonotary warbler at the end of Tower Rd. *N. rough winged swallows and a large water moccasin that I came close to stepping on at the Edison wetland. Apparently it has become a tradition that when I go birding with Gail, I get scared by a snake. Cheers, -Andy ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJSubject: St. Marks Sunday birding From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 00:05:27 -0400 Eventful day birding.? By 3 pm we had 5 of the resident warblers, the usual but good shorebirds and a "lost" redhead duck.? We only ended up with 95 species for a 10 plus hour birding day.? Lydia found one outstanding bird----a Philadelphia vireo------we watched it for twenty minutes and I did my best to turn it in to a warbling vireo-----so that I would have 7 vireo species in north Florida in a month.? My conscience, its dark?lores, and the three witnesses prevented me from making it into the warbling vireo that I need for Florida.? When Lydia said "there is something wrong with this vireo, it's too small and the yellow is washed across its breast the eye isn't red or yellow"--------I thought, here we go again!!? We found Fritz Davis' Bell's vireo in an oak 30 yards from this one 8 days ago.? Thanks to birders Diane Vacca and Sylvia Cohen of Tallahassee who helped us track the vireo for 10 to 15 minutes while Lydia was doing her best to take pictures of this hyper vireo.? They showed up about 20 minutes after Lydia found the PhVi, and got good looks at the vireo as well.? I think that I'll buy a lotto ticket now------- I've had an outstanding bird---by my standards-------- for each of 5 weeks in a row Philadelphia Vireo------Bell's Vireo--------Gray Kingbird--in Tallahassee-----Wilson's Warbler------Canada Warbler-------three mini-fallouts and a second Philadelphia Vireo in a little more than a month.? I had my 200th species in Wakulla County?since the last week of March, I've only missed two days of birding since the last week of March-------that may be affecting my luck. John Murphy's post indicating the 17 warbler day with no birders in sight is very comparable to my May observations.? I saw 4 birders all day in St. Marks, it is a near miracle that Diane and Sylvia showed up while we were tracking the Philadelphia vireo.? We had been alone for two days of birding. Other good birds included: Yellow wablers------2-------very bright American redstarts-------7--------usually they are a one or two bird affair at St Marks Bobolink Rose-breasted grosbeak Chuck-wills-widow Almost zero migrant activity until 7 pm. Rodney and Lydia Cassidy? plus mini birding?crew Tallahassee, Florida [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: St George Is State Park From: southmoonunder AT mchsi.com Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 01:21:18 +0000 It was far from a fallout, but there was good activity all day today at the SGISP Youth Camp. Saw 17 species of warbler, highlights being: Bay-breasted (3 ad/m) Magnolia (4 ad/m) Cape May (1 ad/m, 1 ad/f) Black-throated blue (1 ad/f) Black-throated green (1 ad/m) Yellow-breasted chat Other migrants: Y-B cuckoo (8) R-T hummingbird (10) E wood-pewee (2) Swainson's thrush (2) Wood thrush (1) R-E vireo (12) Scarlet tanager (4) R-B grosbeak (1) Blue grosbeak (4) Indigo bunting (3) The biggest surprise, though, was that I was there from 9:00 until 5:30 and saw only 1 other birder the entire time. John Murphy Alligator Pt, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Re: Robins in Tallahassee From: "Jim Stevenson" <galornsoc AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 10:26:59 -0500 As a humorous side bar to this excellent account, let me share how this lovely species became dinner table discussion cuisine a half-century ago. Around the time Storrs found the breeding birds in Tallahassee, my mother (Rosabelle) came home from teaching one summer day at Ruediger School on Tharpe Street, and told my dad (Dr. Henry) that her school children got great looks at a robin outside her classroom. Ever the gruff skeptic, old Dad corrected her, saying it was likely a towhee. This was about the biggest disagreement I ever saw the two have! She was almost in tears. The next day, just to show her how wrong she was, he went out to Ruediger School, and here came the robin, hop hop hopping along. Mother grinned from ear to ear, and there was no more sobbin'. The lessons I took from my parents that day was that A) Stand your ground if you think you're right, B) There's nothing wrong with skepticism, so long as it doesn't become narrow-mindedness, and C) Rather than being pig-headed, do what's necessary to find out the truth. Peace to all of you, Jim in Galveston ----- Original Message ----- From: Harry Hooper To: nflbirds Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 10:02 AM Subject: [nflbirds] Robins in Tallahassee Good morning nflbirders, The following is a review by Gail Menk of the: History of Robins in Tallahassee. In her posting of 4 April (nflbirds), Linda Most suggested that this Nimrod "will have some comment on the history of robins in Tallahassee". Why not ? - as follows: In a letter to Tallahassee ornithologist Robert White Williams dated September 27, 1925, Francis M. Weston, author of "A Study of the Birdlife of Northwestern Florida", wrote from Pensacola: "I was very much surprised at your expectation of the probable future nesting of the robin and the house wren in northern Florida. I do not know how much either of them is extending their ranges, but it would never have occurred to me that either would ever reach this far south in summer". To date, I know of no hard-core evidence of the house wren ever nesting in Florida; however, Williams would no doubt have felt vindicated to learn, around seven years after his death in 1940, that "Turdus migratorius" was first confirmed as a breeding species in Florida on 22 August 1947 in Pensacola where, ironically, Weston had resided since 1916. In Tallahassee, J. C. Hardin observed a robin during 27 July through September of 1943. On 29 July 1961, Storrs Olson found an adult with 3 fledglings in town which was confirmation of the second breeding record for the state. Since 1960, there have been increasing reports of nesting robins or occurrence of the species during summer at many sites in Tallahassee and to date I have personally "mapped" more than 45 such sites mostly within the inner city and within an area encompassed by Capital Circle and Interstate 10. During the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas project, 1986-9191, the species was confirmed as nesting in Escambia, Calhoun, Leon, and Duval counties. Interestingly, these four counties are in an alignment approximately 32 degrees latitude, and any confirmed nesting below that parallel in the Gulf coastal counties of north Florida would likely indicate a further extension of the breeding range of "Turdus migratorius" which has been phenomenal during past decades. Robins, robins everywhere, or so it seems - Enjoy ! (Mr.) Gail E. Menk Harry Hooper Tallahassee, Florida __________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.8/1413 - Release Date: 5/3/2008 11:22 AM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Robins in Tallahassee From: Harry Hooper <sn_egret AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 08:02:05 -0700 (PDT) Good morning nflbirders, The following is a review by Gail Menk of the: History of Robins in Tallahassee. In her posting of 4 April (nflbirds), Linda Most suggested that this Nimrod "will have some comment on the history of robins in Tallahassee". Why not ? - as follows: In a letter to Tallahassee ornithologist Robert White Williams dated September 27, 1925, Francis M. Weston, author of "A Study of the Birdlife of Northwestern Florida", wrote from Pensacola: "I was very much surprised at your expectation of the probable future nesting of the robin and the house wren in northern Florida. I do not know how much either of them is extending their ranges, but it would never have occurred to me that either would ever reach this far south in summer". To date, I know of no hard-core evidence of the house wren ever nesting in Florida; however, Williams would no doubt have felt vindicated to learn, around seven years after his death in 1940, that "Turdus migratorius" was first confirmed as a breeding species in Florida on 22 August 1947 in Pensacola where, ironically, Weston had resided since 1916. In Tallahassee, J. C. Hardin observed a robin during 27 July through September of 1943. On 29 July 1961, Storrs Olson found an adult with 3 fledglings in town which was confirmation of the second breeding record for the state. Since 1960, there have been increasing reports of nesting robins or occurrence of the species during summer at many sites in Tallahassee and to date I have personally "mapped" more than 45 such sites mostly within the inner city and within an area encompassed by Capital Circle and Interstate 10. During the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas project, 1986-9191, the species was confirmed as nesting in Escambia, Calhoun, Leon, and Duval counties. Interestingly, these four counties are in an alignment approximately 32 degrees latitude, and any confirmed nesting below that parallel in the Gulf coastal counties of north Florida would likely indicate a further extension of the breeding range of "Turdus migratorius" which has been phenomenal during past decades. Robins, robins everywhere, or so it seems - Enjoy ! (Mr.) Gail E. Menk Harry Hooper Tallahassee, Florida ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Fallout!!! ST MARKS NWR-----Canada warbler From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Sun, 04 May 2008 00:11:25 -0400 Lydia and I experienced our best fallout ever in north Florida this evening.??As a very slow warbler day but a pretty good shorebird day rolled by on my 34th day of birding in the last 36 days, it seemed this would not be one for our "record books".?? We had a 7 warbler day going with a number of good shorebirds, etc.?including Reddish Egret, Red Knots, WR sandpiper, GH Owl, Acadian flycatchers,? seven brown-headed nuthatches, swamp sparrows, bank swallow, seaside sparrow, and many of the showy shorebirds that have been reported the last few weeks.? We also had 3 YB cuckoos before 6 pm to go with the seven warbler species. At 6:20 pm a bluish storm cloud rolled through and the winds began to swirland.??At 6:21 pm 4 warblers landed in one of the oaks and I looked at my watch as the oxygenated swirling winds (and the 4 warblers) told me things had just changed.? In the next one hour?and 20 minutes we had 18 species of warblers?in good volume, ??and my best and longest looks at a Canada warbler in 19 years in Florida.? I've seen them in a number of states before Florida.? The Canada?flashed?its white eye-ring and the necklace was perfect.? A few years ago in Texas as Frontera Audubon, I was watching a?Canada warbler when a well-known bird guide walked up with his clients in tow.? He asked what?I was looking at I told him a?"perfect canada"--like today's.? He said, I haven't seen a Canada in?the Valley in 10 years----then he raised his binoculars and said " and there is my first" and quickly showed his group. One thing I like about birding is the correlation between work and success,?the harder I work the luckier I get, I'm not sure that is true in most endeavors. Bird List:? 114 species---18 species of warbler Canada Warbler-----------1 Northern Parula----------22 Magnolia Warbler---------3 Cape May-------------------4 Yellow-throated-----------5 pine----------------------------7 prairie------------------------2 palm--------------------------1 Blackpoll-------------------3 Black & White----------3 American Redstart-----------8---three on one limb at the same time Prothonotary------------1 Worm-eating------------1 Ovenbird-----------------1 Northern Waterthrush---------4-----my best ever in Florida Louisiana Waterthrush-------2-----one posed for and hour and we took a number of pics-----he stayed wide open and low and in the same area----aren't they late???? Common yellowthroat--------4 Yellow-breasted chat---------1 Rose-breasted groskbeak------3-----beautiful male low and open Summer tanagers------no scarlets We also struck out on GC and Swainson's thrushes------I've looked for them?for three days in two counties and I can't buy one.? I guess complaining wouldn't be appropriate..... If anybody wants to go tomorrow----I'm game---email -----it's not like I'm setting home after today's results.? The fallout stopped at?7:48 pm-----when I had time to look at my watch again. The only thing we couldn't find were birders. Rodney and Lydia Cassidy Tallahassee, Florida PS? We had a three legged alligator on the trail just behind the "bathroom mound" that lay in the trail like a dog, it?would?occasionally hiss as we walked by on the trail, it was?still there when we left around dark.?? Our first night in a while to not see caprimulgids driving out after dark. We couldn't post earlier------we just got in. ???? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: friday birding Leon County From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Sat, 03 May 2008 00:43:09 -0400 Three glossy ibis at Crowder Road landing, Lake Jackson. moorhen on nest Very slow at the Indian mounds trail at Lake Jackson.? I was birding with my 6 year old who discovered 17 different ways to make fallen magnolia leaves pop when you step on them----that may have limited my success.? I was looking for migrating thrush-----no luck.? Some of the usual suspects, many were absent. 8 black-crowned night herons in Fred George sink's swamp. Rodney Cassidy Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Lake Lafayette From: Fred Dietrich <fdietrich AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 19:16:34 -0700 (PDT) Friday morning, Bill Hudgens, Saiju Gangadharan and I kayaked Lake Lafayette
for a couple of hours. There were a number of Osprey, Boat-tailed grackles and
Red-winged blackbirds feeding babies in their nests along the dikes. Saw
several flocks of Cattle egrets as well.
A Spotted sandpiper in breeding plumage reported by Tracee Strohman last week
was seen in the middle of the lake on a snag along with a Least tern.
The water level is near its lower limit but there is still enough water for
paddling and worth the trip if you can go.
Below is a list of what we saw:
Great blue heron
Great egret
Little blue heron
Green heron
Wood duck
Turkey vulture
Osprey
Anhinga
Bald eagle
Red-shouldered hawk
Common moorhen
American coot
Purple gallinule
Least tern
Spotted sandpiper
Red-bellied woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker
Great-crested flycatcher
Eastern kingbird
Prothonotary warbler
Barn swallow
Purple martin
Cattle egret
American crow
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
White-eyed vireo
Red-winged blackbird
Boat-tailed grackle
Common grackle
Fred Dietrich
Tallahassee, FL
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Subject: Piney Z BitternFrom: "Candy and Michael Hill" <mchill7 AT embarqmail.com> Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 18:59:24 -0400 For those of you who wished they could encounter the American bitterns on Lake Miccosukee, there is still one at Piney Z Lake, (Lake Lafayette). After working on the least tern platform, we again saw the lone bittern on the north east corner of Piney Z. By heading towards the east levee, walk across it and scan around the canoe portage sign. If no luck, then walk among the button bushes and grassy point coming up with volunteer pines. It is dry enough (the lake is down 3 feet) for most to walk without wet feet. Look for sparrows, too. A fellow birder, and list reader, wrote me back and proclaimed "I really dig the black primaries and secondaries. Kind of odd on a brown bird." (J.S.) I tend to agree. He was politely skeptical that I saw so many AMBI on Miccosukee! (and I had witnesses!) We still have least terns, at least 5. I also saw a lone forester tern, feeding on the lake. A challenge we are having on the nesting island will be the vegetation. We applied herbicide, sparingly, to keep the area beach like. One surprise, was signs of 6 turtle (softshell) nesting sites. I watched one actually scooping out her nest. Michael Hill TallahasseeSubject: Mystery Sandpiper From: "Marvin Collins" <mcollins AT nettally.com> Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 13:35:49 -0400 I received a call from Gail Menk yesterday afternoon regarding the "Mystery Bird" at the Tram Road Sprayfield ponds sited by Jim Cavanaugh. I went out both late yesterday afternoon and this morning without much luck. I thought I had it spotted yesterday but didn't get a really good look. Later on, I found what I thought was the same bird but it had a very dark breast with an abrupt cuttoff and was pretty obviously a Pectoral Sandpiper. I found it again this morning. Jim's description indicated a clear breast and a thin, bicolored bill. My bird, like Jim's, was buffy in overall color, about the size of a Solitary Sandpiper (nearby) a scaly pattern to the back, and a bicolored bill. But the bill was relatively thick and the breast was definitely not clear. I feel we are definitely talking about two different birds. Other observations of potential interest: Redhead - 2 male, 1 female Missippi Kite - flying over ponds this morning Black-bellied Plover - about 5 yesterday, none in full breeding plumage Lesser Yellowlegs - lots Solitary Sandpiper - at least 2 Spotted Sandpiper - seen yesterday only Least Sanpiper - scads Semipalmated Sandpiper - at least 2. Based on dark legs, size relative to leasts, rel. short thick bill, black and white coloration. White-rumped Sandpiper - at least 2 rump apparent on flushing Stilt Sandpiper - at least 2 Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows (thought I saw a Bank and maybe a Tree Swallow but the little buggers were moving too fast for me) Loggerhead Shrike Marvin Collins Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Mystery sandpiper at Tram Rd small ponds 1,2and3 From: "Cavanagh, Jim" <jim.cavanagh AT med.fsu.edu> Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 23:06:29 -0400 In addition to the report by Andrew Lantz and Gail Menk there is a sandpiper at Tram small pools 1,2 and 3 that suggests a Reeve with longish yellow legs, scaly buff upperparts and an unmaked buff-gray breast. Colorful bill is two-toned. In flight the tail has white outer ovals as in Peterson. Face is buffy, It is larger than the White-rumped Sandpiper. I have many photos to develope. Seen between 2:30 and 5:00. If you go it is best to park near the main building and go in and ask permission. Closed on the weekend. Jim Cavanagh Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: (unknown) From: Andrew Lantz <lantzandrew AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 12:11:42 -0700 (PDT) Greetings,
Mr. Gail Menk and I headed out to the Springhill Road Sewer Treatment Plant as
well as the Southeast Farm one this morning. A few interesting finds:
At Springhill Rd, we encountered over 50 cattle egret. They're back! We also
came across a solitary sandpiper, ~4 stilt sandpipers, and a number of
migrating E. kingbirds.
At Southeast Farm, there were 3 redheads still lingering. We also got some
good looks at a white-rumped sandpiper. Gail contacted me this afternoon, and
said he believed this was an early record for the county. Additional sightings
here included blue grosbeak, swallow-tailed kite, and a loggerhead shrike that
was feeding on a sparrow or finch that he had impaled on the barb-wire fence!
Cheers,
-Andy Lantz
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Subject: Re: Gray Kingbird in Tallahassee---yet anotherFrom: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Thu, 01 May 2008 01:39:28 +0000 Rodney: > After I found this second Gray Kingbird, I checked the records >in e-bird for 1900-2008?and I only found only one?entry for >Gray?Kingbird in Leon County. I checked the Stevenson and Anderson _BIRDLIFE OF FLORIDA_ book (pub. 1994). Unlesss I missed something, I found three records for Gray Kingbird in Leon Co. : Tallahassee (3 miles east), 11 May 1960, Henry M Stevenson Tallahassee 29 April 1971, Gail Menk Tallahassee 19 June 1991, E. White The locations of where in Tallahassee these birds were found is not mentioned. Perhaps Eddie White or Gail Menk know if there are other Leon Co. records. ----- Fran Rutkovsky Tallahassee, FL franrutkovsky AT comcast.netSubject: Gray Kingbird in Tallahassee---yet another From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:39:47 -0400 Today, midday,?while driving to an environmental assessment site I noticed my second gray kingbird in Tallahassee, in two years. Lydia and I?had one hang around in the vicinity of?our yard--(Tallahassee)--for?a couple of weeks in 2006?.??Lydia and I would watch it catch insects and kill them on the electric wires.? We showed it to a few people in our neighborhood.? Evidently, no birders?could find it, (I should have posted that I would show it to you if you called or knocked).? I received a few e-mails from rude people?suggesting that it did not exist.? After I found this second Gray Kingbird, I checked the records in e-bird for 1900-2008?and I only found only one?entry for Gray?Kingbird in Leon County.? I took some good pics and film of this second bird?and showed another birder.? I did see other good birds today---but I thought I would?send out this post first.??This second?Gray Kingbird is at the Thomas Smith sprayfield. Rodney Cassidy Tallahassee, Florida?? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Re: American BitternS From: "Jim Stevenson" <galornsoc AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:24:03 -0500 Eleven AMBI is an unprecedented quantity for this late! It also helps explain where all the AMBI have been this winter, as they sure haven't been in the Western Gulf. A careful eye should be kept on these birds to see if any stick around and breed. js ----- Original Message ----- From: Candy and Michael Hill To: 'North FL Birds' Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 10:06 AM Subject: [nflbirds] American BitternS On April 29, I was surveying Lake Miccosukee (Jefferson Co.) for aquatic vegetation control, and boating trail maintenance. As we started the survey, we initially jumped up two American Bitterns from the eastern shoreline along the cypress fringe. Usually I encounter these cryptic birds individually, so I was speculating that I was observing a "couple". A few hundred yards later, two more bitterns were flushed, again close to each other. Within the next 30 minutes, we eventually encountered ELEVEN (11) American Bitterns in the very thickest tussocks of the lake. Although this area is now virtually impassable except by airboat, we are developing plans for the old boating trail to be re-opened. Once cleaned up and maintained, this trail should be just as beautiful as the Lake Lafayette paddling trail. We also saw one Least Bittern and a Black Crowned Night Heron. Michael Hill Tallahassee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.6/1403 - Release Date: 4/29/2008 7:26 AM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: American BitternS From: "Candy and Michael Hill" <mchill7 AT embarqmail.com> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:06:21 -0400 On April 29, I was surveying Lake Miccosukee (Jefferson Co.) for aquatic vegetation control, and boating trail maintenance. As we started the survey, we initially jumped up two American Bitterns from the eastern shoreline along the cypress fringe. Usually I encounter these cryptic birds individually, so I was speculating that I was observing a "couple". A few hundred yards later, two more bitterns were flushed, again close to each other. Within the next 30 minutes, we eventually encountered ELEVEN (11) American Bitterns in the very thickest tussocks of the lake. Although this area is now virtually impassable except by airboat, we are developing plans for the old boating trail to be re-opened. Once cleaned up and maintained, this trail should be just as beautiful as the Lake Lafayette paddling trail. We also saw one Least Bittern and a Black Crowned Night Heron. Michael Hill TallahasseeSubject: Audubon field trip, May 3 From: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:44:58 +0000 Apalachee Audubon Society Field Trip
Saturday, May 3
http://apalachee.org
"What do they do at that place on 98?"
Florida State University Coastal Marine Laboratory (FSUCML)
with Todd Engstrom, Ph.D., Associate Director, FSUCML
Todd will guide us through FSUCML facilities and present an
overview of their programs; FSUCML is located at 3618 Highway 98,
St. Teresa, FL, 32358. Research, education, and outreach are
supported by FSUCML; habitats studied range from inshore oyster
reefs to offshore patch reefs, from freshwater bogs to sea grass
and salt marshes. Study sites may also be located nearby at St. Mark's
National Wildlife Refuge, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research
Reserve, and Tate's Hell. Faculty in residence who represent the
departments of biological science, oceanography, geology, and
anthropology conducts research at FSUCML.
Meet at: to carpool, meet at Wachovia Bank on South Monroe St., across
from fairgrounds and leave by 7:30 AM
OR meet at the FSUCML parking lot on Hwy 98 at 8:30 AM.
Expect to be done by: 9:30 AM; or by 11:30 AM after the optional
birding walk at Bald Point State Park, Alligator Point.
Cost: Free --open to members and non-members alike
Level of difficulty: Easy
For optional birding walk, be sure to bring: Binoculars, field guide,
insect repellent, water, comfortable walking shoes and a wildlife
spotting scope if you can!
Further information, contact: Todd Engstrom, PH: 850/559-2192
or email: engstrom AT bio.fsu.edu
--
Fran Rutkovsky
Tallahassee, FL
franrutkovsky AT comcast.net
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Subject: St George Island Youth Camp and adjacent coast (Glaucous Gull) 4/28From: "Cavanagh, Jim" <jim.cavanagh AT med.fsu.edu> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:59:49 -0400 Today I passed through East Point just before the ocean spout occurred. At the Pruett Rd fresh water marsh just before the St George old bridge a Virginia Rail was calling at 7:30 AM. At the Youth Camp I was joined after the wind shift to the west (10:00 AM) by Fritz Davis plus a good fallout including warblers (mostly males): Tennessee 6, Parula 4, Yellow 1, Chestnut-sided 1. Magnolia 1, Black-throated Blue 4, Yellow-rumped 1. Black-throated Green 4, Pine 3, Blackpole 1, Black and White 3, Redstart 3, Prothonotary 1, Ovenbird 1 (Fritz only), Prairie 1, Northern Waterthrush 1, Yellowthroat 1, Hooded 3. Also, male Bobolink, Rose breasted Grosbeak 6, Indigo Bunting 1, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4, Common Nighthawk 6. I drove out to the main road at 3:15 and saw a "white-winged" gull flying slowly west at the edge of the beach with heavy wing-beats. I drove west to the next parking area and ran to the beach and took photos as it passed. Bill was large and two-toned and the bird was all whitish including the wing tips. Hopefully it will hang around. Unfortunately the film needs to be developed. A very pale Herring Gull with dark wingtips was nearby. Also, 8 Gannets. Jim Cavanagh Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Migrants at St. George, 4/28 From: "Fritz Davis" <davisfritz AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:39:49 -0000 There were good numbers of warblers at the Youth Camp today. I ran into Jim Cavanaugh at about noon. Birds continued to arrive until I left at 4. Jim saw Yellow-rumped, Prothonotary, and Hooded before I arrived. Other warblers included (in no particular order) Black-throated Blue Black-throated Green Tennessee Cape May Chestnut-sided Northern Parula Am Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black and White Blackpoll Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Prairie Pine Yellow There were also numerous Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (up to 7 in one tree), Red-eyed Vireos, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Northern Orioles. Thank you to Dean and Sally Jue for posting the Bell's Vireo. An hour later I met some visiting birders from Lake County who had heard about the bird so we returned to Tower Pond and relocated the vireo. Fritz Davis Tallahasse, FLSubject: Re: St Marks NWR and Sunday St George From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:03:13 -0400 Our Saturday list at St. Marks was similar to ones already reported with a few exceptions, the roseate spoonbill (appeared to be a second year bird) was in the headquarters pond with the egrets, herons and numerous black-crowned night herons.? I've birded quite a few days at St. Marks this month and the pond in front of the dilapidated viewing platform behind the fire tower was alive with shorebirds including bn stilts and 3 avocets.? We looked in several locations but could not find the wilson's phalarope or the western kingbird that was reported earlier. There was one American Golden Plover among the stockier black-bellied, it could be the same one I saw earlier this month and has been reported several times this month.? I also watched something that I hadn't seen----six common nighthawks mobbing a 3/4 sized nighthawk----it's vocalizations were clearly of a common-----and this all occurred with the sun overhead.... The Bell's Vireo was clearly the highlight of Saturday birding.? My monthly species count for Wakulla County is getting really high due to the storm timing and the wave of later migrants that has been arriving the last few days.? Other good birds included a female scarlet tanager and a great-horned owl.? Parula's were very abundant but my warbler totals weren't nearly as good as Don Morrow's stormy Monday results (4 species)----I spent much of the afternoon optimistically waiting for the Bell's.? The Bell's DOES NOT look like the western form Bell's found in the Kauffman guide-----it's not the drab western form-----that many of us are used to from the Western states. Sunday St. George-- I concentrated mostly on warblers----13 species-----but I missed worm-eating and ovenbird that the other birders were able to find.? Highlights were a Wilson's warbler at high noon. Male Cape Mays----picked up very late---almost one per hour-----plummage very bright YB Cuckoo-------7 Baltimore orioles-----6----a personal best for St George American Redstart------mostly males----5 Northern waterthrushes----vibrant with bright legs Black and whites were abundant-----19-----not the fallout of a couple of weeks ago Palms numerous 1 YR warbler still hanging around Rose-breasted grosbeaks----3 My highlight of the day was having 3 rb grosbeaks and 2 Am redstarts with a YB cuckoo in the same cluster of low oaks Northern Gannets----3 pods of seven diving within 3 miles of beachfront a couple of Herring gulls on the sound Chuck-wills-widow----abundant in ANF after dark two screech owls near Fred George sink at 11 PM Rodney Cassidy Tallahassee, Florida -----Original Message----- From: Don MorrowSubject: March, April Records (Gail Menk) From: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:09:55 +0000 posted for Gail Menk: SOME NOTABLE BIG BEND RECORDS FOR MARCH, APRIL On 3 MAR John Murphy had good looks at a Bank Swallow at Bald Point, Franklin County, along with 10-12 Barn Swallows. Said date of the Bank Swallow could vie or Florida's earliest- ever spring record; the earliest cited in the Stevenson-Anderson _Birdlife of Florida_ (1994) is March 9. By 7 MAR 3 Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs had arrived at the Springhill Road Sewage Treatment Facility (SRSTF) and were followed by large numbers of especially Lessers there by 13 MAR. The 2 American Pipits I listed there that day were to be the last I saw during said month. April records of the species have been rare for me locally. On 13 MAR I posted via Marvin Collins an American Golden-Plover at SRSTF and was surprised to learn that Jim Cavanagh saw 5 such birds there later that day. Five Golden-Plovers is a "good number" for Leon County. On 22 MAR two Wilson's Plovers near the Lighthouse at the St. Marks NWR (Harry Hooper, Yours Truly) were possible springtime arrivals from a wintering site somewhere points south of the refuge. On 25 MAR Donna Legare of Native Nurseries saw 2 American Avocets near St. Vincent Island (Gulf Co.). Thus there have been at least 6 such individuals observed on the Gulf Coast during March counting the 4 Avocets reported at the St. Marks NWR by Brad Bergstrom et al. during 15-22 MAR. At SRSTF a Pectoral Sandpiper on 27 MAR, 2 Black-necked Stilts on 3 April and 2 Stilt Sandpipers on 10 April were uncommon northbound migrants. At least 16 Long-billed Dowitchers were seen and heard there as of 3 April. "Calls" of the Mississippi Kite at Fran Rutkovsky's residence on 18 MAR and similar calls at my pad around that time did not fool either of us. Beware!, those imitating Jays, Mockers, et al. On 29 MAR a Screech Owl responded to my tape recording at Lake Jackson's Rhoden Cove as it has in the past few years. LJ's Crowder Landing is another site where the species will so respond, but not always. On 21 MAR I flushed a probably King Rail (said bird said "kek-kek-kek") left of Crowder Landing, Lake Jackson, and on 29 MAR I was delighted to see a Sora pointed out to Maggie Johnson and me at Williams Landing, Lake Talquin, by Andy Lantz. And the guestimated 75 Black Vultures near the fish cleaning station there were the most I've seen in these parts for many a year. On 12 APRIL Andy Lantz and I had good doses of app. 10 singing Hooded Warblers and lesser numbers of singing Summer Tanagers and Red-eyed Vireos at the Talquin Wildlife Management Area off Leon County's Geddie Road. Exhilarating! On 12 April I recorded a singing American Robin near Harry Hooper's residence on Pine Tip Road, more affectionately known as the Pine Tip Avian Sanctuary (PSAT) where I also heard a turkey calling, also exhilarating! Also, a Robin singing near PSAT suggests a summer breeding range extension of the species in Tallahassee. A NOTE OF APPRECIATION to those birders who have posted responses and commentary to my postings of past years--always informative and MUCH APPRECIATED. --------------------------------------- (Mr) Gail E. Menk -- Fran Rutkovsky Tallahassee, FL franrutkovsky AT comcast.netSubject: St Marks NWR From: "Don Morrow" <don.morrow AT tpl.org> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:48:20 -0700 I spent several hours in the early afternoon birding the area at the Mounds Pool trailhead (behind the bathrooms) and Lighthouse Pond. Birding was slow but steady. Mounds Pool Trailhead White-winged Dove Swainson's Thrush Catbird Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Red-eyed Vireo Yellow-billed Cuckoo Northern Waterthrush Ovenbird Blackpoll Warbler Black & White Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Cape May Warbler Prairie Warbler Hooded Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Blue Grosbeak Rose-breasted Grosbeak feral tabby cat with one eye, about the size of a small bobcat Lighthouse Pond Royal Tern Caspian Tern Forsters Tern Least Tern Black Skimmer Herring Gull Ring-billed Gull Laughing Gull Blue-winged Teal Redhead Lesser Scaup Willet Sanderling Least Sandpiper SB Dowitcher Lesser Yellowlegs Dunlin Semipalmated Plover Black-bellied Plover American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt elsewhere on the refuge American Avocet Red-breasted Merganser and reports of Roseate Spoonbill Wilson's Phalarope Sadly, I had to skip work all afternoon in order to get in a little Spring birding.Subject: Apalachee Audubon Birdathon - Mighty Marauders Team Results From: "Marvin Collins" <mcollins AT nettally.com> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:13:19 -0400 Ed Woodruff, Matthew Muller, and Marvin Collins birded for charity from 6:00AM to 8:30 PM Sunday April 27. We started at Black Swamp Nature Preserve in Tallahassee. Areas included St. Marks NWR, Bald Point State Park, Alligator Point, and various points in between. Out total was 110 species. Best birds included: Eared Grebe in breeding plumage in the bay near the lighthouse at SMNWR. The bird was a long ways away with heat distortion so the identification isn't absolute but the yellow patch behind the eye appeared to be a flair rather than a wide stripe as shown for the Horned Grebe. The usual Herons and woodstorks but no White Ibis! Mississippi Kite, my first of the season Soras appeared fairly plentiful American Avocets, 3 in breeding plumage at Tower Pond Whimbrel Least Tern - the most common at SMNWR Chuck-Will's-Widow and Common Nighthawk - both heard on Longleaf Road just before sunrise. Gray Kingbird - I counted at least 7 at Alligator Point Wood Thrush - At least a couple heard at Black Swamp and Vicinity Black-throated Green Warbler - seen near the restrooms at SMNWR Cape May Warbler - Male and female seen in the same area Black and White Warbler - most common bird (aside from gnatcatchers) in that area Black-throated Blue Warbler - seen near the sanctuary near that tip of Alligator Point Blue Grosbeak - pretty common Orchard Oriole - only one at Alligator Point. Last Friday morning (4/25) I took a preliminary look at Black Swamp Nature Preserve, RWW Birding Trail, and the Elberta Pond Park (aka Church's Chicken Pond). I heard and was able to call in both a Yellow Breasted Chat and a Swanson's Warbler at RWW but had no luck with those species yesterday. There were Solitary Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs at RWW both days. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Brown Booby From: "glendajoyce6009" <glendajoyce6009 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:09:04 -0000 Good Evening, Sorry for the late post. I uploaded a few pictures of the Brown Booby that I saw on the public pier while visiting St. Augustine for the photography/birding festival. These pics were taken April 12. Very interesting looking bird. He kept hidden behind a big utility? box at the end of the pier, making it very difficult to get full shots. He acted like he was missing a few crayons from his box....maybe that is why he is so misplaced? Glenda Simmons TallahasseeSubject: Re: Bell's Vireo at St. Marks NWR From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:03:38 -0400 Lydia and I watched the Bell's vireo from 6:57 pm until 7:41, (it was very close----10 ft at times)? on Saturday.? We had waited for it after I talked to Fritz in the field.? We took some pictures but i haven't looked at them yet.? I've seen Bell's in several western states------this Bell's is not like the ones I had seen before-----it is the Eastern form as shown clearly in the large Sibley.? I hope to send out reports for two days birding this weekend plus a pelagic trip earlier. Rodney Cassidy Tallahassee, Florida austrina1 AT aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Dean and Sally JueSubject: Fw: Sprague's Pipits in Leon County From: Harry Hooper <sn_egret AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:54:45 -0700 (PDT) Afternoon nflbirders, Unfortunately, with the e-mailing of Gail Menk's synopsis of the Sprague's Pipit last weekend, I wrote in the subject and introductory sentence that Gail was referencing the status of the species in the Panhandle. This was my error and I apologize. What should have been written in the subject and introductory lines was the following: Sprague's Pipits in Leon County. Gail's synopsis is below for those who may not have had the opportunity to read it. Harry Hooper Tallahassee, Florida ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Harry HooperSubject: Piney Z today From: "Tracee Strohman" <tracee11 AT earthlink.net> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:10:02 -0400 A quick ride along the lake and cadillac bike trail yielded some fun variation and good first looks of Blue Grosbeak, Purple Gallinule and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The American Bittern still eludes me but I did note Pine Warbler N Parula Great Crested Flycatcher E Kingbird Brown-headed Cowbird Tracee Strohman Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Bell's Vireo at St. Marks NWR From: Dean and Sally Jue <dsjue AT embarqmail.com> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:55:37 -0400 (EDT) Fritz Davis just reported (10:50 AM, Saturday, April 26th) that there is Bell's Vireo at the restroom behind Tower Pond at St. Marks NWR. This is the location of the Mounds Trail Nature Trail. The bird has been there for the last 20 minutes and it is also singing. There is a juvenal American Redstart as well. Good luck Best, Dean and Sally Jue Tallahassee, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: TTRS Least Bittern From: CK Borg <ckborg AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:46:58 +0000
... the Least Bittern has been around now for at least three consecutive days.
It can be heard from the Gannet Pond bird window at the end of the Stevenson
Trail. I'm hoping it will eventually make an appearance.
Best,
C.K. Borg{ckborg AT hotmail.com}Tallahassee
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Subject: Late Weekend Report: SGI / St. Marks NWRFrom: CK Borg <ckborg AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:57:26 +0000 Folks,...spent most of Saturday (9am to 3:30pm) at St. George Island (SGI) with Ron Christen, Michael Hartley, John Murphy, and Dotty Robbins with hopes the passing cold front would produce favorable birding conditions. Focusing on the State Park youth camp we tallied over 55 species including 13 warbler species and both eastern orioles and tanagers. Highlights were by far and away the numerous excellent looks at Blackpoll Warbler, Cape May Warber, Tennessee Warbler, and Wilson's Warbler. Other noteworthy birds included Cliff Swallow, Swainson's Thrush and Rose Breasted Grosbeak including many of the usual suspects such as Sandwich Tern. In general migrant songbird diversity was good by abundance was poor. For instance, there were no more than 2 individuals of each warbler species detected. There was a strong steady wind out of the southwest that lead many of us to believe that the majority of birds passed over SGI for more productive inland habitats. If anyone was around from 3:30 to dusk and observed otherwise please let me know (Luke or Michael?). ...Sunday was my Biking Big Day Challenge (see http://www.birdyear.com/Protect%20Birds/BigDay_profiles.html) at St. Marks NWR Lighthouse Unit. The day began predawn with hope of hearing an owl or two, but no dice. As daylight progressed I was greeted by a resounding songbird chorus complete with many recently arrived neo-tropicals such as yellow-billed cuckoo, acadian flycatcher, and summer tanager. I birded my way along the primitive hiking trails (105 and 106) and then around Stoney Bayou (Pool 2) in hopes of picking up freshwater marsh birds. At the juncture of dikes 106 and 127 (far end of the twin dikes) I had excellent looks at least bittern, sora, and purple gallinule while a skulking king rail vocalized. Along dike 127 was a male yellow-breasted chat and adult bald eagle, but for the most part SB-2 was in want for birds. Birding along CR 59 offered a mixed bag of St. Marks standards but sorely lacking were anhinga and pied-billed grebe. The coastal hammock along the Mounds interpretive trail was very quiet but I did pick up some nice birds. Most notable was a St. Marks trans-gulf rarity likely blown in via the stong westerlies. A stunning male golden-winged warbler! Tower Pond offered up nice looks at gull-billed tern and many shorebirds such as dunlin, short-billed dowithcer, and semipalmated plover. Picnic Pond, always good for something, produced a hunting merlin as well as a lone woodstork. Lighthouse Pond was teaming with shorebirds including an incredible female wilson's phalarope, American oystercatcher, American avocet, and several whimbril (but no red knots or marbled godwits). Also present were some lingering waterfowl including blue-winged teal, redhead, and lesser scaup. I then back tracked towards East River Pool and dike 104 in hope of picking up a reported gray kingbird (and possibly my straggling anhinga and grebe), but no dice for all three. I did however find a hermit thrush and prothonotary warbler along dike 102. Once the refuge staff completes their work on this trail, it should offer some nice birding opportunities for the more intrepid. I wound out the day cycling into twillight and then darkness along dike 105 all the way to its juncture with 123. Along the way I picked up a hooded warbler (my last diurnal species for the day) as well as barred owl, common nighthawk, and chuck-wills-widow. In all it was an excellent day and I will most certainly do it again. The final tally was 113 avian species with 16 shorebirds and 11 warblers! As with any big day there were common birds inexplicably absent, but likewise some excellent and very unexpected others. The least common denominator in a cycling big day is largely ones inability to revisit sites. As a result I emphasized as much habitat diversity as possible and in so doing visited many under birded sites on the refuge. This of course required peddling and or walking tens of miles! A day to remember and also to replicate, because I have now established a personal benchmark that I must surpass. ...My apologies for the late report. Good Migrations and as always Peace Out, C.K. BorgTallahassee / Tall Timbers Research Station _________________________________________________________________ In a rush? Get real-time answers with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_realtime_042008 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: spotted sandpipers at Piney Z From: "Tracee Strohman" <tracee11 AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:10:08 -0400 Today there were 2 spotted Spotted Sandpipers at the first main fishing finger, near the wooden dock. Tracee Strohman Tallahassee [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: 4-22-08 TTRS From: CK Borg <ckborg AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:02:51 +0000 Heard a calling Least Bittern on Gannet Pond from the Tall Timbers bird window... will be interesting to determine if there's a breeding attempt this year. C.K. Borg Tallahassee _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself wherever you are. Mobilize! http://www.gowindowslive.com/Mobile/Landing/Messenger/Default.aspx?Locale=en-US?ocid=TAG_APRIL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: forgot to mention From: "Luke DeGroote" <degroote.1 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:06:34 -0400 I forgot to mention. I also had a swainson's thrush at St. George and yellow-billed cuckoos all weekend. Acadian flycatchers were abundant on the Wacissa as were yellow-throated and prothonotary warblers.Subject: St. George, tippy canoe and St. Marks too. From: "Luke DeGroote" <degroote.1 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:14:41 -0400 A friend of mine came into town so we spent the weekend birding. All in all, a good weekend but not a huge movement of birds. Saturday: Alligator point, Bald point and St. George Island. Fairly quiet overall with the highlight being 2 cape may and 2 wilson's warblers at the YMCA youth camp. Black-throated green, blackpole, yellow, yellow-rumped, palm, northern waterthrush, common yellowthroat, am. redstart, and ovenbird were all present (though I couldn't turn up the last two). More terns than I've been seeing including sandwich, least, caspian, royal, common, and foresters. Merlins were at Bald Point and SG. Sunday: Piney Z Lake, Wascissa, and Saint Marks NWR. The purple gallinule was new for my AOU list (Piney Z) and a wilson's phalrope (Lifer!) was mixed in with the shorebirds at the Saint Marks lighthouse pond. Good shorebirds as always. Luke Tallahassee, FLSubject: Sunday Tallahassee Saturday St. Marks From: Edwwjr AT aol.com Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:41:08 EDT Sunday I had my first goldfinch at the feeder in more than a week. Also had an orchard oriole. Last year a pair nested in the yard. The first brood of chickadees has fledged while the bluebirds and house finches are both still feeding young. In re-reading my post about St. Marks from Saturday, I realized I had left a yellow warbler off the list of birds in the second mixed flock that came through the area behind the restrooms. Ed Woodruff Tallahassee **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Western Tanager From: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:14:15 +0000 Hi all: As Fred Dietrich posted earlier, our "All Tuckered Out" Birdathon team went out yesterday and got 112 species. The male Western Tanager that's been here all winter, and whose photo was in the newspaper on Thursday with the Birdathon article, delined to show up for the count. However, today he made a lot of trips to the suet and jelly feeders, plus bathing. His colors were glowing in the sun, and his head is almost completely red. Gail Menk got some good looks this morning at him. If this follows the usual pattern of stocking up on food and coming to the feeders a lot, he'll be departing for the west any day now. The latest I've recorded one is April 23rd. I have not heard this one calling as I have in other years. -- Fran Rutkovsky Tallahassee, FL franrutkovsky AT comcast.netSubject: Audubon events with Todd Engstrom From: franrutkovsky AT comcast.net Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:12:08 +0000
Apalachee Audubon events
http://www.apalachee.org
Wednesday evening, APRIL 23rd
Informal social begins at 7:00 PM; program from 7:30 p.m.-9 pm
at the United Church in Tallahassee, 1834 Mahan Dr.
"That place on 98 ... What do they do there anyway? "
a presentation by Todd Engstrom, the Associate Director
of the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory (FSUCML)
On Saturday morning, MAY 3rd, we are invited to a field trip led by
Todd at the FSUCML, located at 3618 Highway 98, St. Teresa, FL 32358.
Located on St. James Island in northwest Florida, the FSUCML offers
unique opportunities for research, education, and outreach on the Gulf
of Mexico in a biologically diverse, pristine environment. Habitats range
from inshore oyster reefs to offshore patch reefs, from freshwater bogs
to sea grass and salt marshes. The FSUCML is in close proximity to the
St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge, the Apalachicola National Estuarine
Research Reserve, and Tate's Hell. Research is conducted by faculty in
residence and from the departments of biological science, oceanography,
geology, and anthropology.
Todd will be our expert interpreter explaining these diverse habitats & related
research at FSUCML. Todd earned his PhD at FSU in 1986 and since 1990
has worked as an ecologist in the south Georgia/north Florida region, notably
at Tall Timbers Research Station and for The Nature Conservancy, directing
the Greenwood Project in the Red Hills region of Georgia. During 2007 he led
a search for the Ivory-billed woodpecker on the Apalachicola River for the
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Join us for an in depth look
at our local environment.
http://www.apalachee.org
--
Fran Rutkovsky
Tallahassee, FL
franrutkovsky AT comcast.net
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Subject: Apalachee Audubon Society BirdathonFrom: Fred Dietrich <fdietrich AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:24:37 -0700 (PDT) On Saturday the All Tuckered Out team conducted its annual fund raising
birdathon. We started with our own yards and then carpooled to Waverly Pond,
Tallahassee Mall, Northwood Mall, Lake Elberta, Springhill Road Sewage
Treatment Plant, Munson Slough and the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
A weakening storm front brought an early morning rain and then increasing winds
as the afternoon progressed. It was a beautiful day but the birds were rather
hard to come by with all the wind limiting their movement and making it
difficult to hear them calling. In all we tallied 112 species for the day with
the highlight being a Roseate Spoonbill that was hanging out with the
cormorants at Headquarters Pond. When something spooked the cormorants, it
found a thermal and lifted off far to the north.
Fred Dietrich
Tallahassee, FL
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Subject: nighthawks are backFrom: Linda Most <lrmost AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:46:17 -0700 (PDT) I'm hearing them in my neighborhood for the first time tonight. They started right at dusk. anybody else? Linda Most Tallahassee ---------------------- Bird where you are. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJSubject: Scarlet Tanager in Tallahassee From: "Robert Lengacher" <rlengach AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:02:36 -0400 In what has become a mid-April tradition, I observed 4 Scarlet Tanagers in our backyard in Indianhead Acres. Between 2:00-3:30 I observed on male. A little while ago, I observed 2 males and 1 female. These may be my latest spring Scarlet Tanagers, but I usually record them during the second-third week in April here in town. Despite their coloration, their habits and contrast with surrounding vegetation make them a challenge to spot if they are not moving. Good birding, Rob Lengacher Tallahassee, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Sprague's Pipits in the Panhandle From: Harry Hooper <sn_egret AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:50:23 -0700 (PDT) Afternoon nflbirders. The following is a synopsis of the Sprague's Pipit in the Florida Panhandle: A likely candidate for Leon County's bird-of-the-year is a Sprague's Pipit at Lake Iamonia reported by Todd Engstrom on 7 January, the first known county record of the species since one was flushed by yours truly at the Springhill Road Sewage Treatment Facility (SRSTF) on 12 November 1993. Some 12 years previously, Robin Carter reported an individual at Lake Jackson on 19 November 1981 which was followed there by reports of 1 to 3 such birds during ensuing weeks. The first record for the Big Bend is by Herbert L. Stoddard on 24 November 1927 at Lake Miccouskee, Jefferson County. First records for Leon County appear to involve 4 individuals found at Lake Jackson by William Cross during November 1953 which were later listed on the Tallahassee Christmas Bird Count of 5 January 1954. Of the 12 or more records of the species for the county, 9 occurrences were during 1954 to 1965 (totalling 18 individuals) with dates ranging from 19 October (1956) to 14 April (1965). The latter date span is the basis for status of the species in Florida as cited in The Field Card of Florida Birds (10c-4b) by Henry M. Stevenson. During 1964 and 1965, a most intriguing event occurred in Tallahassee as cited in part from an article by Henry M. Stevenson and John Ogden in The Florida Naturalist, (Vol.38: 124,130): "On January 25, 1964,a bird flushed from an abandoned airport at Tallahassee appeared to be a Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii). Not until it was collected on the following day did we realize that it was actually a Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) - a first record for Florida and the Southeastern United States (The Auk, 81 : 559). On March 14, 1965, Stevenson flushed a seemingly identical bird from the same small area of this airport. On the following day, both of us flushed similar birds repeatedly, in fact two on one occasion, and agreed that this was the same species collected there in 1964. After several attempts, one of these birds was collected by the senior author and Ernest Stevenson on March 22. To our surprise, it proved to be a Sprague's Pipit! Another of this species was found there by various observers intermittently until April 14." The section of the airport so attractive to these two species was of maximum elevation, dry, and with sparse vegetation. Broom sedge covering much of the surrounding area, was nearly absent from this area, being replaced by shorter forms of grass and herbs, generally about 6 inches high. Dominant among these were wiregrass (Aristida sp.), and a species of St. Johnswort (Hypericum gentianoides). Not only here, but in other areas visited by the pipit, considerable bare ground was always visible, the soil always a light yellowish or tawny color. Although the birds sometimes ranged near the abandoned asphalt runways, this fact may have been coincidental. Never, to our knowledge, did either species take cover in the denser vegetation covering most of the airport." The Sprague's pipit has been recorded at only 4 sites in Leon County - Lake Jackson, Lake Iamonia, SRSTF, and at the above referenced airport (near Mabry Street). All reports at Lake Jackson have been at low lake stages and Todd Engstrom's bird at Lake Iamonia on 7 January was found in "dry to moist spongy peat that was wet in the lowest elevation" later midst, sparse patches of grass ... with more and taller vegetation closer to shore. This was prior to the heavy rainfall which was to occur later during January and February. Good show, Tood ! Reports of the Sprague's pipit have become a premium commodity in the inland Big Bend. (Mr.) Gail E. Menk ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: St. Marks on Saturday From: Edwwjr AT aol.com Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:42:35 EDT I visited St. Marks NWR Saturday afternoon hoping to find some migrants. I found two small mixed flocks between 3:00 and 4:30 in the area behind the restrooms. In the first flock were a yellow billed cuckoo, prothonotary warbler, red-eyed vireo, blue-gray gnatcatcher, orchard oriole, and a tufted titmouse. In the second flock were a pine and palm warbler, great crested flycatcher, red-bellied woodpecker, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and a tufted titmouse. There were also 3 avocets in Tower Pond. Ed Woodruff Tallahassee **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Indigo or Blue Bunting. From: "Candace" <ralph_candypfau AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:12:07 -0000 Today I was talking on the phone and as I looked out on my birdbath I saw a very solid dark blue slim bird on the fence above the bath. At first I thought an indigo bunting. It definitely was not a blue bird or grosbeak. I wish I had been able to get a picture but could not leave the phone. I watched the bird for a while. And by the time I was off the phone and had my camera, he was gone. Of course. Also, I have a female ruby-throat that has the most yellow throat. You can't see it here.... http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/nflbirds/photos/view/21be?b=1 But up close it is really yellow. My son says it is just pollen. Is that true? Anyone seen pollen like this on the female. I will hope the blue bird comes back. Getting ready for our trip to England. Candy Pfau Palatka, Fl.Subject: Scarlet Tanagers & Misc reports From: Andrew Wraithmell <wbubirdingblog AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:39:21 -0700 (PDT) Mary & Susan report 2 male Scarlet Tanagers on Alligator Drive yesterday as
well as Blue Grosbeaks in Bald Pt SP. They also had a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in
their Waverly Hills yard this week.
We have had 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows feeding over our East Park Ave
neighborhood this week. Looks like they are going to nest over by the mall
again. I've seen them a lot around the Winn Dixie on E.Park & Magnolia. Last
year they nested in a pipe on the Petco building.
On Tuesday night we saw an adult Red-headed Woodpecker in the dead pines just
north of Headquarters Pond at SMNWR. This was my first record of this species
on the refuge and was presumably a migrant.
Thanks to Michael for the heads up on the Least Terns. I really hope the terns
take to the nesting platform. My Parents and I saw 8 Least Terns there on
Wednesday, sitting on the tall wooden poles along the first fishing finger
adjacent to the car park. The nesting Bald Eagles in Piney Z have two very
large youngsters who I anticipate will fledge fairly soon. Whilst enjoying the
Least Terns we saw one of the adult eagles hunting at the back of Lake
Lafayette.
Andy
www.wbubirdingblog.blogspot.com
www.wbu/tallahassee.com
www.surfbirds.com/blog/limeybirder
www.pbase.com/limeybirder
---------------------------------
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Subject: frog eating hawk and warblersFrom: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:51:14 -0400 I hope this thing isn't full of question marks.? I watched a red-shouldered hawk slink/sneak into it's very concealed nest while carrying a large frog that was impelled on it's beak.? I guess the little ones like frog legs.? I came up with 5 warblers including ovenbird and black and white, better than I usually do in Leon County.? Messers Hill and Goodheart have done a good job with their least tern nesting area at Piney Z.? The gators will probably keep the raccoons away, I hope the gators don't like tern chicks.? I have always had good luck with migrants on the north shore of Lake Lafayette--it is the first place in Florida where I saw the blackburnian warbler.? There is no trail between the railroad and the lake. I saw palm warblers that were singing incessantly and seemed to be setting up breeding territories, I've seen them and many other warbler species on their nests in Saskatchewan and other points north.? Maybe these two didn't read the literature, I will on their status again in a week.? Again, I apologize for the question marks, they don't show up on my laptop. Rodney Cassidy Tallahassee, Florida austrina1 AT aol.com 16 of 17---I stayed inside one day to prove to Lydia that I'm not OC.?? ? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Question marks. From: austrina1 AT aol.com Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:06:05 -0400 I am getting lots of responses to our posts regarding the numerous random question marks.? The answer to "So, what's with the question marks?", is I don't know.? I vaguely remember reading a post somewhere along the way that stated that some AOL users have this problem when posting to a group. I apologize for the question marks, however I don't know what to do about them.? If anyone out there has a suggestion, please email me. Thanks, Lydia Eblen [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] |