Author Archives: Amy

Green Birding in Southwest Volusia County, January 2015

by Amy Posted on 7 February 2015

I birded at Gemini Springs 15 times last month, where I recorded 74 species. This beats my previous January totals of 70 species in 2014, 68 in 2013, and 61 in 2012. It doesn’t feel like I made 15 visits to the park in January. I hope I can kind of keep it up, because I’d like to complete the February eBirder of the Month Challenge again. The challenge is the same as last February: complete 20 checklists at a patch. Last year I actually got a little bit sick of the same old same old at Gemini Springs day after day. Hopefully 20 lists in February will fly by like the 15 I did in January! The complete list for Gemini Springs is at the end of this post.

Since I’m so interested in my green birding list, I’m going to expand these monthly reports to include other green birding that I did during the month. In January I saw a total of 90 species without the aid of fossil fuel. Besides Gemini Springs, I also visited Audubon Park in Deltona twice, plus I made stops at Lake Monroe Park in DeBary and the Lake Monroe Boat Ramp in Enterprise. I found a few more birds during on a long bike ride around Konomac Lake mid-month. And I picked up a handful of species at home, too.

Here are some photographic highlights of my January green birding in southwest Volusia County.

For Christmas Arthur and I got a set of trailers to tow our kayaks with our bikes! We took them out on January 1st for a nice paddle at Gemini Springs where we picked up some trash and got a bunch of FOY (first of year) birds from the water.

Bikes & kayaks ready to go to Gemini Springs | 01 January 2015

Trash picked up in DeBary Bayou at Gemini Springs | 01 January 2015

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed Deer at Gemini Springs | 02 January 2015

Little Blue Heron at Gemini Springs | 02 January 2015

Bald Eagles at Gemini Springs | 11 January 2015

A fallen tree blocks the Spring-to-spring Trail | 11 January 2015

Red-shouldered Hawks at Gemini Springs | 12 January 2015

Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica)

Yellow-throated Warbler at Gemini Springs | 12 January 2015

Hermit Thrush at Gemini Springs | 14 January 2015

On January 16th I joined the West Volusia Audubon walk at Audubon Park in Deltona. I was super happy to see a pair of Eastern Bluebirds there, especially since I totally missed this species on my 2014 green list.

Eastern Bluebird at Audubon Park | 16 January 2015

The following photos remind me of someone we used to go birding with back in Illinois. This guy would often remark that a pair of different birds standing together were providing a “good comparison” in case people ever got them mixed up. Except he would say this, in humor, even if the birds were as different as an American Robin and a Mallard! But these two photos really are good comparison shots of two different species that people actually do often mix up. Ah, I miss that old bird club. 🙂

Anhinga versus Double-crested Cormorant at Audubon Park | 16 January 2015

Little Blue Heron versus Tricolored Heron at Gemini Springs | 17 January 2015

Snowy Egret at Gemini Springs | 20 January 2015

Painted Bunting in our back yard | 22 January 2015

Glossy Ibis sunrise at Gemini Springs | 23 January 2015

Brown Thrasher at Gemini Springs | 23 January 2015

Cattle Egret at Audubon Park | 24 January 2015

Black Vulture at Gemini Springs | 25 January 2015

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Northern Mockingbird at Gemini Springs | 25 January 2015

Swamp Sparrow at Gemini Springs | 26 January 2015

I’m not very smart – my mud-soaked socked foot at Gemini Springs | 26 January 2015

Gemini Springs bird list, January 2015
Blue-winged Teal – Anas discors
Hooded Merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus
Pied-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps
Wood Stork – Mycteria americana
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
American Bittern – Botaurus lentiginosus
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron – Butorides virescens
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Northern Harrier – Circus cyaneus
Cooper’s Hawk – Accipiter cooperii
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
Sora – Porzana carolina
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Limpkin – Aramus guarauna
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
Ring-billed Gull – Larus delawarensis
Forster’s Tern – Sterna forsteri
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Barred Owl – Strix varia
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike – Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
Hermit Thrush – Catharus guttatus
American Robin – Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Brown Thrasher – Toxostoma rufum
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Cedar Waxwing – Bombycilla cedrorum
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
Orange-crowned Warbler – Oreothlypis celata
Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
Pine Warbler – Setophaga pinus
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Prairie Warbler – Setophaga discolor
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis
Swamp Sparrow – Melospiza georgiana
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major
American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis

Posted in Gemini Springs, Green Birding, Kayak, Volusia Birding | Leave a comment

Banded, Flagged & Tagged

by Amy Posted on 4 February 2015

I found a few banded or marked birds last month. I always find it fun to learn about these specially marked birds, their journeys and life histories. It’s also interesting to learn how scientists are using the data in their studies.

Red Knots on January 5th

On January 5th I walked along the beach at Ponce Inlet for a while during Arthur’s weekly volunteer shift at the Marine Science Center. During my walk I found four lime-green flagged Red Knots. I reported all of these to http://www.bandedbirds.org. When flagged birds are in this database, you can see the reported resighting data immediately, which is neat. Here are the birds I found at Ponce Inlet on January 5th:

Red Knot T2T was first captured and banded on May 16, 2008. That means it was at least six and a half years old when I found it! It was banded in New Jersey and subsequently resighted many times, in New Jersey, South Carolina, and Florida.

Red Knot 2E7 was first captured and banded on April 1, 2014, in South Carolina. The bird was reported in Ontario in July of last year before my sighting at Ponce Inlet.

Red Knot 9PU was first captured and banded on May 14, 2010 in New Jersey. It has since been resighted in New Jersey, Georgia, Delaware, South Carolina, and Florida.

Red Knot 2YJ was first captured and banded on May 16, 2010, just two days after 9PU, at the same location in New Jersey.

Since these birds were all foraging together in a larger flock, I was curious if they have been reported together elsewhere. On November 10, 2011, both 9PU and 2YJ were seen at Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. On the same day, T2T was still in New Jersey. The following spring, T2T was in South Carolina on April 20, while 2YJ was still down in Florida. On February 14, 2014, 2YJ and 9PU were both reported in Ponce Inlet. There are a few more instances two or more of these birds being reported together. That’s pretty neat!

Wing-tagged Black Vulture at MINWR

On January 10th my parents joined my husband and me for an afternoon at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. We found a wing-tagged Black Vulture. Here’s a terrible photo.

The wing tag reds PXE. The bird was located along Kennedy Parkway close to Wilson’s Corner, loafing with a group of about 12 other vultures. With a quick Google search I found out about an ongoing study of vultures by the NASA Environmental Management Branch. I sent in the information and was thanked for doing so; unfortunately I didn’t learn anything more about this wing-tagged bird but presumably the birds in the study are year-round residents of Merritt Island.

Piping Plovers and more Red Knots on January 19th

On January 19 I again walked the beach at Ponce Inlet while Arthur was volunteering. I found a few more flagged Red Knots and three color banded Piping Plovers.

I reported the Piping Plovers, but I haven’t heard anything back yet.

UPDATE 2/6/15: Luck would have it that just days after I posted this, I heard back from the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team about all three of these birds. Updates in red:

This bird “was captive-reared after his nest washed out in a big wave at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 2012.” The eggs had to be recovered; 3 of the 4 were found after diligent searching. The eggs hatched and the healthy chicks were raised until they were flighted. They were eventually released close to the site where the nest was washed out. This bird was given the nicknamed “little Cooper”.

This is another bird from the Great Lakes Piping Plovers population. It hatched in 2014 at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin.

This Piping Plover was hatched in 2009 at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Since 2012 she has been seen nesting in Gulliver, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

I also found and reported six different flagged Red Knots in three separate flocks over a 3-mile stretch of beach.

Red Knot 047 was first captured and banded in September 2009 at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts.

Red Knot 038 was first captured and banded in September 2009 at Monomoy NWR.

Red Knot 2A1 was first captured and banded in September 2011 at Monomoy NWR.

Red Knot AV8 was first captured and banded on August 27, 2007, in New Jersey.

Red Knot TNV was first captured and banded in November 2005 in Avalon, New Jersey. This bird is at least ten years old and has been resighted many times over the years up and down the east coast of the United States.

Red Knot V5M was first captured and banded in March 2011 in South Carolina. I’ve seen V5M before, at the end of 2013 during the Daytona Beach CBC.

Finally, also on January 19, I found another bird I’ve seen before. F05 has returned to Volusia shores once again! Now he’s even more famous — he’s been immortalized by Birdorable! 😉

Posted in Banding, Ornithology | Leave a comment

Birding Gemini Springs, December 2014

by Amy Posted on 7 January 2015

I birded at Gemini Springs 6 times in December, recording 69 species. In previous Decembers I’ve recorded 67 in 2013, 63 in 2012, and 58 in 2011.

Last month I added one new species to my all-time Gemini Springs list: Horned Grebe on December 1st. The complete list for the month is at the end of this post.

Here are some photographic highlights from the month that was…

Horned Grebe | 01 December 2014

Eastern Phoebe | 01 December 2014

Great Blue Heron | 01 December 2014

Painted Bunting | 01 December 2014

sunrise | 03 December 2014

Mourning Doves | 03 December 2014

Loggerhead Shrike | 10 December 2014

Coots in the fog | 15 December 2014

Wild Turkeys | 15 December 2014

On December 24th I came upon this turtle digging in the dirt. I believe she is a Peninsula Cooter and she was finishing up burying her nest of eggs.

Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis)

Peninsula Cooter | 24 December 2014

I also took this close-up of her feet and this short video.

Gray Catbird | 29 December 2014

December 2014 bird list, Gemini Springs
Hooded Merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus
Wild Turkey – Meleagris gallopavo
Pied-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps
Horned Grebe – Podiceps auritus
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Cooper’s Hawk – Accipiter cooperii
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
Sora – Porzana carolina
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Sandhill Crane – Grus canadensis
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
Ring-billed Gull – Larus delawarensis
Caspian Tern – Hydroprogne caspia
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike – Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
Marsh Wren – Cistothorus palustris
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
American Robin – Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
Orange-crowned Warbler – Oreothlypis celata
Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Prairie Warbler – Setophaga discolor
Eastern Towhee – Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
Field Sparrow – Spizella pusilla
Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis
Swamp Sparrow – Melospiza georgiana
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Painted Bunting – Passerina ciris
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major
American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis

Posted in Gemini Springs | Leave a comment

Daytona Beach CBC Seawatch

by Amy Posted on 31 December 2014

On Saturday I joined my friends Harry and Eli for a 10 hour seawatch at Tom Renick Park in Ormond-by-the-Sea. The weather was fine for standing around all day, but calm winds meant little excitement on the birding front. At least the company was swell. The ten hours didn’t pass too slowly. 😉

Eli and Harry have done the seawatch the previous three years, so I was the newbie. I hardly get to the beach and I’ve never done any kind of long-term seawatch like this. The closest I came was a handful of 2-3 hours searches for Razorbills a couple of winters ago in Ponce Inlet. Harry has many hours of seawatching experience, both here in Florida and back in old England.

Eli and I took a couple of walks on the beach to keep from falling asleep — I mean, to count shorebirds! Yes, we went out on a couple of shorebird-counting forays. Right off the bat on the first stroll I spotted a big pink something flying over the Halifax River. It was far and moving fast in the early morning sun. Sometimes big white birds can look pink in the right light, but I got Eli on the bird and even managed to snap this magnificent shot to confirm ID. Roseate Spoonbill was new to the seawatch list — yay me!

We counted 24 Red Knots on our 1+ mile walk south. The flock included Lime Green 4C2, first captured in South Carolina in October 2011. Others have reported this bird in New Jersey, and Georgia. This bird is also radio-tagged.

In the afternoon we trained our scopes on some distant fishing trawlers and their groupies, which consisted of gulls, pelicans, gulls, Northern Gannets, and gulls.

Harry spotted a couple of Parasitic Jaegers in the mix, plus a pair of Glaucous Gulls. I didn’t manage to get on them at all, which was a bummer. So was this find during our morning walk:

I didn’t see any bands so I left the bird (Northern Gannet) undisturbed.

A Mourning Dove joined us for a while, perching on a nearby century plant stalk.

Eli and I had a short walk to the north in the afternoon. We found a pair of Ring-billed Gulls dancing around.

We found another banded bird, a Ring-billed Gull. I submitted the tag info to the Bird Banding Laboratory. Hopefully I’ll hear back about this bird, too.

EDIT: I heard back about this bird. It was first banded in May 2012 as an adult bird hatched in 2009 or earlier. It was banded in Montreal, which is about 1200 miles, as the gull flies, from Ormond-by-the-Sea. Here’s the certificate I got with the information:

It was a good day out at the beach with my friends and ended with a nice group dinner at a local Chinese spot. I’ll do my last CBC of the season next weekend with Arthur in Ponce Inlet.

Posted in Banding, CBC, Volusia Birding | Leave a comment

Post-Christmas walk at Lake Apopka

by Amy Posted on 30 December 2014

Santa brought me a new camera for Christmas. Arthur and I headed to Lake Apopka on the 26th to give it a spin. The weather was fairly drearly and we missed seeing the Groove-billed Anis that have been hanging out there for a few weeks, but we had a nice walk and enjoyed our first visit to this local birding mecca.

We saw a couple of American Kestrels. One was quite distant and gave me a chance to check out the zoom on the camera. The bird is perched on the middle tree in the first photo below.

This Bobcat was also really far away. It disappeared into the reeds as we approached.

We also spotted no less than four North American River Otters crossing the path or bounding alongside it.

North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)

Along the trail we saw this pile of feathers. I think it might be an ex-American Bittern.

We weren’t the only birders out looking for the anis.

Even though we missed the anis, we did manage to get some good birds, including a flyover Fulvous Whistling Duck, which was a lifer. That one goes on my Better View Desired list, for sure. I’m happy with the camera so far — looking forward to giving it a good workout in 2015 and beyond. 🙂

Here are my eBird checklists from the walk: out and back.

Posted in Florida, Not Birds | Leave a comment

Birding Gemini Springs, November 2014

by Amy Posted on 3 December 2014

Last month I birded at Gemini Springs 7 times, recording 67 species. Last year I had 62 species, in 2012 I had 57 species, and in November 2011 (have we been in Florida so long already?!?!) I had 48 species.

Despite the apparently good number of birds for November, the month wasn’t particularly exciting and I didn’t add any new birds to my patch or year list. Photographic opportunities were lacking, too. So here are my highlights from the month.

Anhinga with Red-shouldered Hawk in background | 07-NOV-14

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 07-NOV-14

Swamp Sparrow | 11-NOV-14

Wood Stork pausing between probing the mud for food | 11-NOV-14

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Terrible Common Yellowthroat picture tortured by Photoshop | 24-NOV-14

Loggerhead Shrike | 24-NOV-14

Eastern Phoebe | 24-NOV-14

November 2014 bird list, Gemini Springs
Pied-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps
Wood Stork – Mycteria americana
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Sharp-shinned Hawk – Accipiter striatus
Cooper’s Hawk – Accipiter cooperii
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
Sora – Porzana carolina
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Limpkin – Aramus guarauna
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
Merlin – Falco columbarius
Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike – Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
American Robin – Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Brown Thrasher – Toxostoma rufum
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Ovenbird – Seiurus aurocapilla
Northern Waterthrush – Parkesia noveboracensis
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
Orange-crowned Warbler – Oreothlypis celata
Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla
Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
Pine Warbler – Setophaga pinus
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Prairie Warbler – Setophaga discolor
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis
Swamp Sparrow – Melospiza georgiana
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major
American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis

Posted in Gemini Springs | Leave a comment

Bird on your line? Don’t cut it!

by Amy Posted on 2 December 2014

The other morning while birding at Gemini Springs, I shared the dock with a woman who was fishing at the end. I was about finished scanning for birds when I heard her struggling. She had caught a Double-crested Cormorant on her line and she was trying to reel it in.

So often I find discarded fishing line and trash dumped on the pier, and junk left behind by fishermen stands in the spring run and bayou at the park. Unfortunately this reflects badly on all fisherfolk and I have a very bad impression of fishing enthusiasts that I find it hard to get over. The fact that this woman did not simply cut her line, which I believe most fishermen in her position would do, made my day. I rushed over to help her reel in the bird.

I grabbed her net when the bird was close and managed to get the net under the struggling cormorant. Naturally the bird had no idea we were trying to help it so it put up a fight. The fisherwoman and I lifted the bird up and then we worked together to control the bird’s beak. Besides being deadly-stabby, Double-crested Cormorant bills have the added bonus of a hooked tip. If it gets your finger, its more difficult to extricate said finger from the grabby/crushy grasp.

We both took care to keep our faces away from the stabbing bird. My partner had a pair of needle-nosed pliers handy, and she used those to gently grasp the bill — but not before my right index finger got scraped good.

The pliers proved very handy and eventually I was finally able to control the cormorant’s bill and body while the fisherwoman removed two hooks from the bird. One was stuck in a wing and the other in the flesh of a foot. I don’t know if the hooks were barbed like the ones in this tutorial, but I do know they were removed very quickly in the hands of the fisherwoman. This tutorial was created with coastal fisherfolk and Brown Pelicans in mind, but the idea for any bird/situation is about the same.

After the hooks were removed, we released the bird. During the entire ordeal, the fisherwoman was obviously distraught. As we struggled, she repeated over and over that she did not see the bird in the water. She didn’t realize the bird was diving under the water where she was fishing. All I could do was thank her profusely for doing the right thing and not cutting her line. Doing so would have left the bird with hooks in its body and the added danger of entanglement from any attached line. It was an unfortunate incident made right and it gave me a brighter impression of fishers.

Posted in Florida, Gemini Springs | 2 Comments

1st Time Bahamas — Lifers in Freeport

by Amy Posted on 11 November 2014

At the end of October*, Arthur and I took a short cruise to Freeport in the Bahamas with Celebration Cruise Line. When I say short, I mean: we left the Port of Palm Beach Sunday night, arrived in Freeport Monday morning, left the Bahamas early Monday evening, and were back in Palm Beach Tuesday morning.

For our short time on Grand Bahama, we used the guide services of longtime island resident Erika Gates. We were joined by another birding couple for the day. Our tour included transportation from the port to four different birding locations and a pleasant lunch at the Garden of the Groves. Erika was a friendly and knowledgeable guide and we were very happy to finish the day with our brand new Bahamas list at 49 species, 9 of which were lifers.

Erika picked us up at the port taxi stand after we disembarked. She told us about the history of Freeport on the drive over to our first stop, The Emerald Golf Course. This is an abandoned course which is now a birding hotspot on the island. Here we spent just over an hour and found 26 species, including 5 lifers: White-cheeked Pintail; Least Grebe; La Sagra’s Flycatcher; Red-legged Thrush; and Worm-eating Warbler. That last one was a nemesis of mine for a while, and continues to be a county thorn in my side. They regularly migrate through central Florida, but I manage to miss them every season. So please, don’t ever mention Worm-eating Warblers to me.

Looking for birds at Emerald Golf Course

La Sagra's Flycatcher (Myiarchus sagrae)

La Sagra’s Flycatcher at Emerald Golf Course

Least Grebe at Emerald Golf Course

American Kestrel at Emerald Golf Course

Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)

Black-throated Green Warbler at Emerald Golf Course

The most exciting bird at this spot was a species I’d seen many times before. We were walking along a dilapidated golf cart path when I noticed a sparrow hopping along the concrete in front of us. I got it in my bins and said something like, “Sparrow up ahead on the path! Hey, that looks like a Lincoln’s Sparrow! What do you think, Erika?” She got a bit excited but also said she did not know what it was, because they don’t get any sparrows on Grand Bahama! All five of us tried to get better looks and I was sure it was a Lincoln’s. I got some photos for ID of this locally rare bird. It was a life bird for Erika.

Lincoln’s Sparrow at Emerald Golf Course

Our next stop was Erika’s house to see what birds might be visiting her extremely bird-friendly property – Garden of the Gates. We walked the paths and checked out the many water features, looking for birds. Here we saw 19 species, including two lifers: Loggerhead Kingbird and Thick-billed Vireo. We also had really nice looks at a bunch of migrants.

Red-legged Thrush in Erika’s yard

Northern Parula in Erika’s yard

Our next destination was Reef Golf Course, another unused golf course, where we saw 7 species during our brief stop. We didn’t add any lifers here, but 5 out of the 7 weren’t seen anywhere else during the day.

Green Heron at Reef Golf Course

Our final stop with Erika was at the wonderful Garden of the Groves, where we had 22 species. Two of these were life birds: Cuban Emerald; and Greater Antillean Bullfinch. The 12-acre tropical garden was designed as a gift to the founders of Freeport, Mr. Wallace Groves and his wife Georgette. In addition to exploring the paths here in search of birds, we had a nice lunch at the on-site cafe.

Cuban Emerald at Garden of the Groves

Our birding group at Garden of the Groves

Our guide Erika at Garden of the Groves

At the end of the afternoon Erika brought us back to the port. From the ship’s deck I kept a list of birds seen at the Freeport Cruise Port, where I found four species total and added my final Bahamas species: Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

We had a Groupon-style deal on the cruise which made this little getaway an affordable short and memorable birding trip.

*October 2013

Posted in Bahamas, Cruise Birding, Life List, Travel | Leave a comment

Birding Gemini Springs, October 2014

by Amy Posted on 7 November 2014

Last month I birded at Gemini Springs 10 times, recording 71 (+1) species. I think that may be my best month at the park; it certainly blows away my total of 57 species from last October. The complete list for October 2014 is at the end of this post.

It was a pretty exciting month. Four birds were new to my all-time list for Gemini Springs: Blue-winged Warbler; Tennessee Warbler; Magnolia Warbler; and Summer Tanager. Four species were my FOY (first of year) at the park: Northern Harrier; Merlin; Sedge Wren; and Baltimore Oriole. I had another 12 FOF (First of Fall) species, including Palm, Orange-crowned, and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Pied-billed Grebe, and Tree Swallow. Yeah, it was a good month. Here are a few photos.

The month started out with lots of standing water still in various parts of the park. I checked this meter a few times, but unfortunately I don’t have any idea what it “should” be in a normal October. Hopefully I’ll remember to check next year. I’ll also try to remember to have a look before our rainy season begins! Anyway, here is the level from October 5th.

water level near the spring | 05 October 2014

Eastern Grey Squirrel eating magnolia seeds | 05 October 2014

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Pileated Woodpecker | 06 October 2014

Brown Thrasher | 07 October 2014

sunrise | 13 October 2014

On October 13th I saw this female American Kestrel trying to have breakfast. She was being harassed by a pair of Blue Jays. In this photo she’s trying to yell them off. You can see her meal, a dragonfly, at her feet.

American Kestrel | 13 October 2014

Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)

Southern Leopard Frog | 13 October 2014

American Coots | 14 October 2014

It’s not a very natural photo, but on October 20th I was pretty excited with another first. I’d never seen a Praying Mantis before! There were two on the bike path. One was moving very slowly, and the other wasn’t moving at all. After watching them awhile I gently poked them off the path so they wouldn’t get run over. Praying Mantises can run!

Praying Mantis (Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina))?

Praying Mantis | 20 October 2014

Black-and-yellow Argiope | 20 October 2014

Also on October 20th, I found a dead Tricolored Heron. Its neck looked like it might have a small injury but it appeared to be otherwise intact. This is a detail of its feathers; I also took a photo of its head.

Tricolored Heron detail | 20 October 2014

sunrise | 22 October 2014

Palm Warbler | 29 October 2014

Sedge Wren | 29 October 2014

Barred Owl | 31 October 2014

By the end of the month, the water levels had decreased across the park.

water level | 31 October 2014

October 2014 bird list, Gemini Springs

Pied-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron – Butorides virescens
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Northern Harrier – Circus cyaneus
Accipiter sp. – Accipiter sp.
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Sandhill Crane – Grus canadensis
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
Common Ground-Dove – Columbina passerina
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Barred Owl – Strix varia
Chimney Swift – Chaetura pelagica
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
Merlin – Falco columbarius
Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike – Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Red-eyed Vireo – Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
Sedge Wren – Cistothorus platensis
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Brown Thrasher – Toxostoma rufum
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Ovenbird – Seiurus aurocapilla
Blue-winged Warbler – Vermivora cyanoptera
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
Tennessee Warbler – Oreothlypis peregrina
Orange-crowned Warbler – Oreothlypis celata
Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla
Northern Parula – Setophaga americana
Magnolia Warbler – Setophaga magnolia
Black-throated Blue Warbler – Setophaga caerulescens
Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Prairie Warbler – Setophaga discolor
Summer Tanager – Piranga rubra
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Indigo Bunting – Passerina cyanea
Painted Bunting – Passerina ciris
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major
Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula

Posted in Gemini Springs | Leave a comment

Birding Gemini Springs, September 2014

by Amy Posted on 2 October 2014

In September I birded at Gemini Springs 21 times. I recorded 64 (+2 sp.) species of bird, a good increase over last year’s 56 species. The complete list is at the end of this post.

Clapper Rail was new to my park list; I heard at least one individual calling during much of the second half of the month. Also new to my all-time park list: Rock Pigeon (flyover flock); Peregrine Falcon (a thrilling fly-over); Common Nighthawk; Yellow-throated Vireo; and Purple Martin (a small flock; rather late). Those last two are kind of overdue as they’re not all that rare and have been recorded by others in the park. Gray Catbirds arrived right on time at the very end of the month.

There was a lot of rain during the month. The bayou / spring runs were higher than I’ve ever seen them and there were a lot of paths that were completely flooded. The sinkhole area flooded over until a small ditch was dug to a retention area — but then the entire area flooded over again a couple of days later. All the extra standing water gave mosquitoes extra breeding grounds; late in the month mosquitoes were the most annoying I’ve ever noticed at the park.

Here are some photo highlights from a month of birding at Gemini Springs.

Great Blue Heron | 01 September 2014

Golden Silk Orb-weaver sp. | 01 September 2014

Limpkin | 01 September 2014

During my walk on September 5th, I saw a few of these guys:

Air Potato Leaf Beetle | Lilioceris cheni?

Air Potato Leaf Beetle | 05 September 2014

Apparently Air Potato Leaf Beetles were brought in to combat the Air Potato problem at the park. Without really knowing too much about this problem, the idea of bringing in non-native beetles to consume non-native plants makes me uneasy. I need to learn more about this procedure. Anyway, the beetles got busy on the air potatoes.

Air Potato leaves | 05 September 2014

Barred Owl | 05 September 2014

This time of year, the seeds of the Magnolia trees at the park are ripening. And all around the park I could hear squirrels eating the seeds. Squirrels chewing with their mouths open sound like rocks being rubbed on metal files.

Magnolia tree seeds | 05 September 2014

This squirrel looked a bit rough, perhaps with a bot fly infestation. Bot flies are annoying to squirrels but most are not permanently debilitated by the flies.

Eastern Gray Squirrel | Sciurus carolinensis

Eastern Gray Squirrel, possibly with bot flies | 05 September 2014

I also found a very large snake skin on September 5th.

snake skin | 05 September 2014

I wanted to pull it out to take a picture of its full size, but it was so damp out I was afraid the skin would disintegrate when I touched it. It was surprisingly thick and durable; it felt like a bike inner tube! And it was kind of scary big.

snake skin detail | 05 September 2014

snake skin all stretched out | 05 September 2014

flooding around the sinkhole | 08 September 2014

Gemini Springs spring run water level 9/8/14

high water in the spring run | 08 September 2014

Blue-striped Garter Snake | Thamnophis sirtalis similis

Blue-striped Garter Snake | 10 September 2014

tadpole in sinkhole flood area | 13 September 2014

Eastern Gray Squirrel | 13 September 2014

Ovenbird | 15 September 2014

Bald Eagle watching over the spring run | 16 September 2014

Green Heron on the fishing pier | 16 September 2014

Young Little Blue Heron hunting in the sinkhole floodage | 20 September 2014

Red-shouldered Hawks — can you tell the male from the female? | 21 September 2014

White Ibis | 21 September 2014

On the 21st I had a very nice outing. I saw 36 species, including my first Common Ground-Dove in several months, a juvenile Loggerhead Shrike, my first Purple Martins at the park, a raucous family of Northern Mockingbirds that was fun to watch, a good number of warblers, etc etc. It was a good morning. When I got back to my bike I saw a lanky tortie cat hanging out by the bike rack. I made kissy noises, not really expecting the cat to approach me, but she did. Two of her kittens followed her, and eventually I got the two youngsters in my hands. But now what? The mother cat came and went, soliciting pets and purring loudly. I figured I would be able to catch her up eventually, but first I needed some help. I asked passersby for a box, but had no luck. Eventually a chap from the park came over and brought me a box. The kittens promptly escaped. As they made their escape, a third kitten appeared. Oh boy. The park chap brought over some cat food and eventually I caught the two kittens again, along with their sibling. I got ma cat too, but she went ballistic when I tried to put her in the box. I finally got in touch with my family and they arrived with a cat carrier for ma cat. They’ve all checked out healthy at the vet and have had their first round of shots. The two orange ones are boys; the black kitten is a girl. They don’t have names yet.

Cats! | 21 September 2014

Flood relief — ditch dug between sinkhole and retention area | 24 September 2014

On the 27th my mom and I attended a bird walk at the park sponsored by Lyonia Preserve and West Volusia Audubon. I rarely see other birders at the park so it was nice to see a bunch of them at the same time. We had a late start time (10AM!) and didn’t see a huge amount of birds, but it was a nice morning nonetheless.

Birders! | 27 September 2014

Gemini Springs spring run water level 9/27/14

even higher water in the spring run | 27 September 2014

Little Blue Heron checking out the sinkhole and adjacent retention area — both completely flooded | 29 September 2014

See? I told you I’d have more photos for September than I had for August. 😉

If you are a fan of Gemini Springs, please consider becoming a Fan of Gemini Springs on Facebook!

September 2014 bird list, Gemini Springs

Wood Duck – Aix sponsa
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
white egret sp. – Egretta/Bubulcus sp.
Green Heron – Butorides virescens
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Clapper Rail – Rallus crepitans
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Limpkin – Aramus guarauna
Sandhill Crane – Grus canadensis
Spotted Sandpiper – Actitis macularius
Rock Pigeon – Columba livia
Common Ground-Dove – Columbina passerina
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Barred Owl – Strix varia
Common Nighthawk – Chordeiles minor
Chimney Swift – Chaetura pelagica
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus
Empidonax sp. – Empidonax sp.
Great Crested Flycatcher – Myiarchus crinitus
Eastern Kingbird – Tyrannus tyrannus
Loggerhead Shrike – Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Yellow-throated Vireo – Vireo flavifrons
Red-eyed Vireo – Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Purple Martin – Progne subis
Barn Swallow – Hirundo rustica
Carolina Chickadee – Poecile carolinensis
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Brown Thrasher – Toxostoma rufum
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Ovenbird – Seiurus aurocapilla
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla
Northern Parula – Setophaga americana
Yellow Warbler – Setophaga petechia
Black-throated Blue Warbler – Setophaga caerulescens
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Prairie Warbler – Setophaga discolor
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major

Posted in Gemini Springs | 2 Comments

Author Archives: Amy

Green Birding in Southwest Volusia County, January 2015

Banded, Flagged & Tagged

Birding Gemini Springs, December 2014

Daytona Beach CBC Seawatch

Post-Christmas walk at Lake Apopka

Birding Gemini Springs, November 2014

Bird on your line? Don’t cut it!

1st Time Bahamas — Lifers in Freeport

Birding Gemini Springs, October 2014

Birding Gemini Springs, September 2014

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

My Favorite Blogs

Recommended Links

Favorite Bird Cams

Archives

Categories