Florida

We started and ended 2019 in Northeast Florida and Southern Georgia. This time we stayed in Fernandina Beach once known as the shrimp capital of the world and home to the New Year’s Eve shrimp drop. Just across the St. Marys River is the Cumberland Island National Seashore.

Rare Bird Alert

On our way north we stopped at the Weeki Wachee Preserve in search of the Hooded Oriole. This bird is quite rare in Florida and more than 20 birders were there viewing the bird when we walked up. It was probably the easiest rarity we have ever found. The Hooded Oriole is Florida life bird 321.

Next, we visited our friend Joe Welsh who has a beautiful property in the country near Floral City. While he has many birds coming through his property, Joe guided us to nearby Stage Pond and cemetery. Being that it was hunting season and the pond is located within the Citrus Wildlife Management Area we decided that wearing orange might be a good idea. Lots of good birds especially near the cemetery including White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lake Lindsey Mall and Deli, a very cool old Florida kind of place. On the road to Fernandina, we came across more than 500 sandhill cranes in a farm field just off I-75 near Wildwood.

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Fernandina

We checked into the historic Amelia Schoolhouse Inn where we had a drink at the Principal’s office bar. Next, we walked through downtown to enjoy the Christmas decorations and had a nice dinner at 29 South. Back at the Inn, we checked ebird to set a plan for the next day’s birding.

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Cumberland Island, as the crow flies, is just over 2 miles from the inn, but to get there we had to drive 28 miles to catch the National park ferry in St. Marys Georgia. Although the forecast and reality were a 100% chance of rain we did not let this dampen our day. Many birds were seen on the boat ride to the island. Upon arrival, we took the nearest trail leading to the Dungeness Ruins where we hoped to see the famous Cumberland wild horses. This former mansion was built by the Carnegie family and is a very interesting piece of history. After quite a bit of hiking through the grounds and the beautiful sand dunes, we finally gave up the search for horses. Between the ferry ride and hike we managed 32 birds but only cell phone photos due to the rain.

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Monday morning we drove to Fort Clinch State Park, set up the scope and found several of the wild horses feeding in the dunes across the river. We headed south along the coast stopping at Peters Point where we saw a few Gopher tortoises and a variety of beach and sea birds including our target Northern Gannet. Next, we stopped at the Birdwatch Station on Big Talbot Island. This place has a great boardwalk and also access to the beach along the inlet. No luck looking for Seaside and Nelson’s Sparrow, but found a good variety of other birds including Hooded Merganser, Marbled Godwit, American Avocet and lots of peeps.

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Huguenot

We started the year at Huguenot Memorial Park looking for the Purple Sandpiper and we are back today still in search of this life bird for Mike. You can drive your car on the beach to the north jetty, so getting to the birds is easy. Once again we dipped on the sandpiper but were able to see a bunch of shorebirds as well as Black Scoters feeding along the rocks. The last stop of the day was at the nearby Kingsley Plantation. This is the only plantation in Florida that still has remains of the original slave quarters. It was a very beautiful and yet sad experience standing beneath the 200-year-old trees and imagining life back in those days. All the usual herons and egrets were on the Fort George River in front of the plantation house. Two women passed by carrying a bucket of fresh oysters and a sleeve of crackers to enjoy while taking in the view.

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The Palace Saloon is the oldest continuous bar in Florida and located next to the downtown docks. We ordered drinks and soon met a local little person who was selling cookies and playing the harmonica. At sunset, we walked across the street for amazing views and photos. Fernandina Beach is a superb birding weekend location with it’s proximity to so many birding hotspots.

Trip Birds: 72   Year Birds: 3 Life Birds: 0

Next Up: Long Island North Fork