If you have been reading this blog and think you might enjoy bird watching, we encourage you to check out your local Audubon Society. They will have field trips that are geared for both beginners and experienced birders.  Your local Audubon will usually have binoculars you can borrow.

We are members of the St. Petersburg Audubon Society (SPAS) which hosts a monthly walk to Boyd Hill Nature Park.  Ron Smith leads the walks and is one of Pinellas County’s best birders and author of ‘A Birder’s Guide to Pinellas County’. Ron has been very helpful over the years in identifying birds we weren’t sure about. During the walks, he always points out every bird we see and has a couple of pretty good bird jokes too. During this month’s walk, we saw 41 species of birds including Limpkin, Purple Martin, and Hermit Thrush.

Before the walk on March 7, 2015, Ron spotted a Cave Swallow on Lake Maggiore and we could tell he wanted to see it again. A group of us went to look for it after the walk and were rewarded with a life bird! They were flying with Tree and Barn Swallows. Thanks to JoAnna Clayton for sharing this awesome picture of the Cave Swallow!

On Sunday we went to one of our favorite parks in Clearwater; Kapok Park. New birds for the year included Pileated Woodpecker, Green Heron and  Common Yellowthroat. Kapok Park has a boardwalk through a pond and old live oaks that attract a nice variety of birds.

 

 

Sharon’s office is on Blue Heron Lake in St. Petersburg which also gets quite a few good birds. There has been a pair of Brown Thrashers almost every year. Google the song of the Brown Thrasher and you will know why it’s one of our favorites. The bird showed up on March 10 so we are hopeful for a successful nesting season.

 Next up: The Big ‘O’

Trip : Total Species:   83   Year Birds:  10  Life Birds: 1

2015 : Year Birds: 120   Life Birds: 5

Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List