In December I birded at Gemini Springs 7 times. My species total for the month was 63. Four of these were new for my year list, which ended at a total of 106 species. The new birds were Black-crowned Night Heron, Ring-billed Gull, Field Sparrow, and Baltimore Oriole. Only Field Sparrow was new for my all time Gemini Springs list, which stands at 110. Field Sparrow was a new Florida bird for me as well. The complete list is at the end of this post. Here are some of my favorite photos from the month.
Northern Mockingbird | 01 December 2012
Red-bellied Woodpecker feathers | 01 December 2012
Bald Eagle pair; female on right | 02 December 2012
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 02 December 2012
gone to seed | 02 December 2012
misty morning | 10 December 2012
On December 10th I stopped to watch an Eastern Grey Squirrel busy in the treetop above me. I think she was gathering nest material. She would grab a leafy branch and then bring it into a large clump of vegetation that I think she was shaping into a cozy nursery. She would disappear into the clump and then each time she emerged, she would spend a moment washing her face and sides before proceeding to gather another branch. The below photo is awful but you can see she is working with a twig.
busy squirrel | 10 December 2012
Cooper’s Hawk | 10 December 2012
Grey Catbird | 10 December 2012
American Alligator | 10 December 2012
Osprey | 10 December 2012
Tricolored Heron | 10 December 2012
On December 28th Arthur and I went to the park in the afternoon for a short walk. We were surprised to see a Gopher Tortoise close to some picnic tables in the lawn area across from the dog park. A family was using the closest table, and a little boy was interested in the tortoise and watching it from a respectful distance. This was the second time I have seen a Gopher Tortoise at Gemini Springs. The park does not have the kind of sandy scrub or longleaf pine habitat where I would expect to find them, but obviously I am no expert.
Gopher Tortoise | 28 December 2012
Pileated Woodpecker | 30 December 2012
Northern Cardinal | 30 December 2012
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
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Black-crowned Night-Heron – Nycticorax nycticorax
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
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
Forster’s Tern – Sterna forsteri
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
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
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
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
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
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
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
Field Sparrow – Spizella pusilla
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
Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula
American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
