• Birding without bins, Chimney Swifts and Baseball - Monday 29 June 2009
You can pretty much bird anywhere, except maybe on the moon and this last couple of weekends I experienced what it's like to be a birder not birding. On Father's Day, David (my father-in-law) and I went fishing up the St Marks river. We got one small Largemouth Bass between us! We are such great anglers...J.R Hartley eat your heart out. Anyway I left the bins at home...on purpose but still had a great time birding! It is possible to bird without optics. In a 3 mile stretch of the river I heard 4 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Least Bittern, Acadian Flycatchers, Great Crested Flycatchers, Summer Tanagers, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireos, Hooded and Prothonotary Warblers, Northern Parula and many other typical woodland birds. I also had both kites, Broad-winged and Red-shouldered Hawk. I reckon we had almost 50 species...without optics. Try it, it's fun and tests how good you are birding by ear .
This last weekend we took a family trip to Atlanta. I had tickets to go watch the sox play the braves so when in Rome....we went to the World's largest aquarium and took the baby to a kid's museum. The game was a close one, Mark Kotsay drove in Kevin Youkilis for the games only run giving the Red Sox the win. Yay! During the game I enjoyed watching a dozen or so Chimney Swifts flying around above the upper deck where I was sitting. The 40,000+ fans were probably oblivious to them as they zipped around catching their food. Pretty cool to watch.
The Georgia Aquarium is truly awesome and is home to hundreds of marine species from all over the world including 3 Beluga Whales and 3 Whale Sharks. My personal favorite though was the Lion Fish.
I'm kind of bored of writing about birds all the time and haven't even been birding that much of late. I've rekindled my interest in natural history as a whole and other outdoor pursuits, such as fishing, which I have neglected the last few years. Well no more. I guess I am also bored of mainstream birding especially listing. What's the point? It seems a purely egotistical pursuit in my opinion and really does nothing to stimulate the old brain cells anymore. I've found myself becoming more interested in nature from a big picture point of view and am having a lot of fun observing species behavior and their interactions with other species and the habitats they reside in. I guess I was inspired by William Stolzenburg's book "Where the Wild Things Were". If you haven't read it, please do it's a can't put down read and a fascinating perspective of the state of our species. So from this point on my blog will be devoted to a whole smorgasbord of topics. Birds will feature but not all the time.
This Carolina Anole got territorial when I approached him for a picture. They bob up and down and look like they're doing push ups. They will flare a flap of skin from under their throat which looks like the inside of a watermelon.
We took our first vacation in 2 years last weekend and headed up to the North Georgia mountains for some fresh air, singing warblers and beautiful scenery. Even though the mountains are only 375 miles north of Tallahassee the breeding birds, particularly the warblers, are a lot different. We didn't really target any specific species but we were excited about visiting Georgia's highest peak, Brasstown Bald, which is a couple hundred feet or so below 5,000. Two species breed on the mountain that we really wanted to see namely Canada Warbler and Ruffed Grouse. We have seen the former here in Tallahassee but they aren't very common and only occur during fall migration. The latter is just cool.
We visited Brasstown Bald on our second full day and arrived at the base of the peak, accessed by a typically winding mountain road, a little before 9am. While Maisie ran around the vacant parking lot, Julie and I began to hear several bird singing that we weren't all together familiar with. On my way to the restroom I heard what sounded a little like an American Robin song but speeded up and shorter. I soon spotted the culprit. A cracking male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We've seen many grossers but I'd never heard one singing before. An Eastern Phoebe was building its nest on a ledge under the restrooms roof. I got back to Julie and the baby and there was a stunning male Black-throated Blue singing at the top of the tree by the car. It was one of many we would subsequently see.
Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens
We hung around the car park for a while, mostly because Maisie did not want to sit in her stroller, and admired a whole bunch of cool birds. Wood Thrush, American Redstart, Dark-eyed Junco, Ovenbird, Broad-winged Hawk, Eastern Wood-peewee, Chimney Swift, Eastern Towhee, Black-and-white Warbler, and Worm-eating Warbler were all observed and most were singing. It didn't take long for us to find a singing Canada Warbler. Their song was easy to learn and we saw one of the 2 singing males. Mega bird!
Giff Beaton's book, Birding Georgia, is excellent and he suggests that birders take a hike along Wagon Train Road where one may be fortunate enough to find a Ruffed Grouse. We did flush one and as it ran up a densely vegetated slope it started drumming. I also heard another drumming in the distance. Canada Warblers were not hard to find along the trail and we had at least 4 individual birds, 2 of which were singing. We also heard a Veery singing near the peak.
Squawroot
We almost made it to the top of the mountain but the final steps were not stroller friendly and by now Maisie was sound asleep so we headed back down to the car trying not to wake her! Back at the carpark we watched a pair of juncos feeding their chicks. A couple of Broad-winged Hawks began displaying much to the annoyance of the Chimney Swifts. I'd never seen a swift mob a hawk before and I'd never seen them fly through the canopy either. It begged me to ask whether Chimney Swifts nest in tree cavities. Further research required!
We rented a cabin for our three-night stay, which was west of the small town of Cleveland in White County. It was very reasonably priced and they ran a special offer of stay 2 nights get one free. Bonzer! Our cabin was called Sandalwood and we rented it from Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals. The woods around the cabin were great for birding and we racked up about 30 species just from the balcony. Julie spotted a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting on her beautifully constructed nest. Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
Other birds included Hairy Woodpecker, Worm-eating Warbler, Wood Thrush, Great Crested Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing, Cooper's Hawk and Chuck-wills-widow.
We visited the nearby Ana Ruby Falls where we got very close looks at Louisiana Waterthrush and despite the fact that the signs looked promising, we didn't see any pit vipers!
The falls reminded me of Aber Falls in North Wales back home.
There were 3 Luna Moths resting on the walls of the visitor center.
Another good spot for birding was Smithgall Woods located off alt-75 not far from the weird german wannabe town of Helen! We hiked the Laurel Ridge Trail and had some good birds. Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler , Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush and Hooded Warbler were all found as well as a singing Yellow Warbler. Maisie enjoyed checking out the flowers. Mountain Laurel
Green Pitcher Plant
We had a great trip and will definetly go back for another short break sometime soon. We won't forget our bird song CD's next time!
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Friday 10 April 2009
While scouting for our birdathon I got great looks at this male Scissor-tail first reported by RC last week. Always a cool bird to see.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
You’ve heard the saying “sing for your supper?” Well, here at Audubon, we bird for our breakfast!
That’s right: it’s Birdathon time, when we put our binoculars where our mouths are (well, not literally) and get back to our birdwatching roots. For those not familiar with this traditional Audubon fundraiser, we spend the day—from before sun-up to after sundown—beating the bushes for every species of bird we can possibly identify. What we ask of you, if you’re interested, is to throw down a gauntlet for us: sponsor us at a set amount or for a bigger challenge, an amount per species—making us earn every penny in exchange for Hooded Warblers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Bald Eagles and more.
This year, our Tallahassee policy team (Team White Ibis) is planning our whirlwind “Big Day” for THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 11, and we hope to see between 130 and 160 species (weather, migration and stamina willing!). Your pledge will not only egg us on (pun intended), but will help support core Audubon of Florida policy work.
Whether it’s 2 cents or $2 a bird, every pledge can help make a difference for Florida’s wildlife (and is tax-deductible to boot). Pledge now via email, and we’ll let you know next week how we fared, with all the juicy details (Surprise migrant fallouts? Shorebird bonanzas? Lingering winter ducks? Tantalizing possibilities!).
Thanks in advance for any support you can lend, as well as the personal commitment you’ve each made to conserving Florida’s wildlife and wildlands.
If you would like to make a donation please send us an email
Spent a few hours at St Marks NWR today with Mary & Susan and totaled 62 species including this very obliging Swamp Sparrow who was difficult to digiscope but I did manage this one ok-ish from above shot. Taking pictures down there before the evening ain't that great due to the light conditions but the birding more than compensates. There were still a few ducks on Lighthouse Pond including Canvasback, American Wigeon, both Scaup, both Teal, Redhead, Bufflehead and Northern Shoveler. There were about 20 million Myrtle Warblers, who will have thankfully departed for the north soon! We did have pretty close looks at one furtive Sora. Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Brown-headed Nuthatch - Tuesday 24 February 2009
I took a very pleasant stroll along the trails at Tall Timbers Research Station this morning and had a little under 50 species in 3 hours or so. The highlight was an encounter with 2 very obliging and unconcerned Brown-headed Nuthatches. Both birds fed on a burnt pine snag about 20 feet away and allowed me to take a few digiscope shots. Past experiences involving digiscoping this species have all ended in total failure so I was a bit chuffed that these guys gave me the opportunity.
Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla
Other birds of note along the trails included 4 Pine Siskins and 3 Purple Martins had returned to their Gannet Pond gourd villa.
Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus
The Red-headed Woodpeckers were, as usual, very obvious and very territorial this morning. I guess spring is not that far away here in the Florida panhandle.
One of my favorite birds to watch and in my opinion one of the best looking birds we get here in Florida. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...all digiscoped from my driveway this evening.
I am a Park Ranger with the Florida Park Service and work at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. I shall be posting pictures and accounts of my wildlife adventures at the park and beyond. Hope y'all enjoy it. Peace Out!
Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens
Squawroot
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
Mountain Laurel
Green Pitcher Plant
Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla
Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus
Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
White-throated Sparrow Zonotrochia albicollis
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
American Robin Turdus migratorius
