Spring migration was starting to build in Tampa Bay, and we turned it into a relaxed two‑day birding weekend. On Saturday with our local Audubon group and Sunday with our friend Phil. The birds were steady, and the weather was warm, which reminded us why the spring season is such a joy.
Spring has officially arrived, and with it, a welcome wave of migrating birds. Many species fly incredible distances in the spring and fall, and their routes often include stopovers on the west coast of Florida. One of the best parts of spring migration is seeing the birds in their vibrant breeding plumage. The colors of their feathers, beaks, and legs change, making for some truly spectacular sightings. Take a look at these pictures of a White Ibis to see the difference between its non-breeding and breeding plumage.
Saturday: Spring Migration with Audubon
On Saturday, March 28th, the St. Petersburg Audubon Society led a field trip to Fort DeSoto Park. As a group, we saw 41 species, including seven different warblers and both White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos. Other highlights were a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, an Indigo Bunting, and an Orchard Oriole. Unfortunately, we dipped on the Swainson’s Warbler that had been reported the day before.
Sunday: Birding Tampa Bay with Phil
The next morning, we were up at the crack of dawn to look for ducks with our good friend, Phil Eicher. Phil is a famous duck hunter, but luckily for us, duck season was closed. We met at 5 a.m. to catch the sunrise over Tampa Bay and had an absolute blast in Phil’s custom, Louisiana-style duck boat, complete with lawn chairs. The birds included an impressive 400 Lesser Scaup along with a few remaining Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, and Ring-necked Ducks. We stopped at four different spots and picked up three new year birds: Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover, and Spotted Sandpiper.
Finally, we went back to Fort DeSoto three more times during the week, but still had no luck with the Swainson’s Warbler. A beautiful Cape May Warbler was a very nice consolation prize!
Two days of spring migration — one with our Audubon group and one with Phil Eicher — made for a warm, easy weekend of birding close to home. Adding 16 year birds brought our total to 176 by the end of March, a solid start as spring really begins to unfold.
Trip Totals: 83 species • 16 year birds • 0 life birds
2015 Totals: 176 year birds • 5 life birds
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