While using the eBird app, we noticed that we saw our record 123 Florida birds in January 2016. We already picked up two rarities so far this month, the Whooping Crane and Red-cockaded Woodpecker, so we decided to try to break it.
The Whooping Crane was at Paynes Prairie on the Bolen Bluff trail. Quite a few species were seen along the trail and through the scope at the observation platform. The Whooping Crane was working the marsh with a group of Sandhill Cranes. Also in the vicinity were several wild Bison. There were many signs of wild horses, and on the loop trail back, we saw three right next to and on the trail. Later, we met our friend Joe Welch at the Citrus Wildlife Management Area, where we located a family of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers along the Number 10 trail.
We decided to make a trip to the Florida East Coast and visit Merritt Island Refuge and Wildlife Drive. Always a birding hotspot, we saw 31 year birds here. At the nearby Cape Canaveral Seashore entrance, there was a Florida Scrub-Jay, and while scoping the beach area, we observed a few Northern Gannets diving offshore. A stop along Pumphouse Road added several duck species to our list. The next morning, we birded the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, where we added Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Purple Gallinule, Grey-headed Swamphen, and Orange-crowned Warbler. A stop at the Scissortail stakeout netted a Western Kingbird, but not the Scissortail Flycatcher. By the end of the day on January 24, we are at 109 species.
Back home in Cedar Key the next morning, Sharon picked out a Bonaparte’s Gull among the Laughing Gulls and Ring-Billed Gulls in the Back Bayou. Easiest year bird for the challenge.
Down in St. Petersburg for a work trip, we took time to visit Fort DeSoto and found hundreds of Redheads in the always reliable Tierra Verde ponds. Nanday Parakeets were seen in the park, and a few of the regular wading birds. We hoped to add lots of shorebirds, but it turned out not to be a very birdy day. Only added one of the plovers we hoped for; Semi-palmated Plover. Also added the target Loggerhead Shrike.
Crescent Lake Park is almost a guarantee for Monk Parakeet, and we got it. Here we also added Red-tailed Hawk, which we do not see often in St. Petersburg. We saw a Horned Grebe in the bay near the Howard Franklin bridge, and by now, we were at 123 bird species.
Sweetwater Wetlands offered some spectacular finds, including Sora, Least Bittern, and Marsh Wren. Great looks at a Savannah Sparrow. The next stop was the LaChua Trail at Paynes Prairie. Limpkin and Snail Kites are almost always there, and we were happy to see them. Two adult Bald Eagles almost locked talons in the air near the boardwalk. Two juvenile Bald Eagles were nearby as well.
The last stop for the day and the month was the retention ponds near the Butler Plaza shopping center. Egyptian Goose, the target bird, was a no-show. However, we came across three Wilson’s Snipe out in the open for our best ever looks. Our final target bird, Rock Pigeon, should have been a slam dunk, but was nowhere to be found.
Going through photos from January 27, we noticed a Whimbrel on the sandbar. Pays to double-check, especially for distant birds. Two new birds not previously seen in January of any year are the Least Bittern and Ovenbird. We ended January with 131 species and look forward to more challenges.
Trip Birds: 131 Year Birds: 131 Life Birds: 0
Next Up: Migration in Levy County
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