The annual Sparrow Drive at Weekiwachee Preserve is easily one of the most unique birding experiences in Florida. On a cool January morning, more than thirty of us joined Marianne Korosy and her team to flush sparrows from a recently burned field and watch the banding process up close. It’s hands‑on, energetic, and unforgettable.
Flushing Sparrows at the Preserve
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
Once again, 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. Lastly, a quick stop at the Baycare ponds in Clearwater rewarded us with some great ducks, including Canvasback, Redheads, and Gadwall.
What an incredible start to our year‑long birding adventure. By the end of January, we were already approaching 100 species, thanks to Florida’s mix of marshes, pinewoods, and coastal hotspots. With spring migration still ahead, this early momentum had us energized for everything to come.
Trip Totals: 48 species • 12 year birds • 1 life bird
2015 Totals: 95 year birds • 2 life birds
Next up: Winter Birding in the Adirondacks — Snowy Owl, finches, and northern specialties
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