The annual Sparrow Drive at Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County, Florida, is hands-down one of the coolest birding experiences we’ve ever had. Kudos to Marianne Korosy for all the work she does on behalf of these sparrows!
On a sunny, cool morning, more than thirty of us spent the day flushing sparrows in a recently burned field. We walked in a line, section by section, toward a series of mist nets set up across the field. Everyone yelled and clapped their hands, causing the sparrows to hop up from the grass in front of us. Any birds that flew into the nets were carefully extracted, banded, and released on-site. The sparrow drives are limited to 40 participants, so be sure to sign up for the Bird Brains list service to be notified of the next event.
Birds we captured during our sparrow drive included:
- 2 Wilson’s Snipe (not banded)
- 1 Henslow’s Sparrow (a lifer for us!)
- 5 Grasshopper Sparrow (A. s. pratensis)
- 8 Savannah Sparrow
- 9 Swamp Sparrow
- 3 House Wren
- 1 Sedge Wren
During the sparrow drive, we ran into Bill Phelan from the Florida Panhandle. We’ve crossed birding paths with Bill seven times in five states! Two of our most memorable encounters were at the Adirondack Birding Festival in 2012, where we got our lifer Black-backed Woodpecker, and the Cape Cod Birding Festival in 2014, where we were on a pelagic trip with “Big Year” birder Greg Miller. We always know we’ll have a great day of birding if we see Bill!
On the walk back to the car from the field, we were excited to find a Great-horned Owl nest. A quick stop at the Baycare ponds in Clearwater on the way home rewarded us with some great ducks, including Canvasback, Redheads, and Gadwall.
What an incredible start to our year-long birding adventure! Our goal is to see 500 species in the lower 48 states, and by the end of January, we’re almost at 100 birds. The diverse habitats of Florida, from the saltwater marshes of Fort DeSoto to the fields of Weekiwachee Preserve, have given us an incredible boost. With so much of the year still ahead of us and the spring migration to look forward to, we’re thrilled with our progress. This early momentum has us energized and excited for all the new species and unforgettable moments still to come.
Next stop – Winter birding in the Adirondacks!
Trip : Total Species: 48 Year Birds: 12 Life Birds: 1
2015 : Year Birds: 95 Life Birds: 2
Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List
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