Listing has become part of my enjoyment of birding, and BIGBY listing is a major component. BIGBY birding is “green” birding – getting around without the use of fossil fuels. I spent a great deal of today birding and covered about 35 miles on foot (9) and bike (26). Covering that ground I found 61 species. The Volusia Big Day high count is 95 species, so my total is nowhere near the record, but I’m still well pleased – especially considering my inland location.
I had some big misses, including birds I have seen in recent days at locations I visited today: Belted Kingfisher; American Kestrel; and Loggerhead Shrike. I’m also skunked for the year on some relatively common birds that I had hoped to pick up today, but didn’t: Black-and-white Warbler; Limpkin; Barred Owl; Green Heron; ugh, the list goes on. And if I had been thinking, Rock Dove and House Sparrow would’ve been gimmes at the grocery store parking lot, but I forgot to make that little detour on the way home.
I biked to Gemini Springs in the morning, and walked a much longer route than I normally do, including the entire stretch of the Spring-to-spring trail. I came home at lunchtime with 50 species.
Ospreys, Gemini Springs
In the back yard I added Chipping Sparrow and Downy Woodpecker.
Downy Woodpecker, our back yard
In the afternoon I biked to the East Regional Rail Trail, which winds through Enterprise and Deltona. I stopped at Audubon Park where I added 7 species to the day’s list. Biking home I heard American Crows flying overhead and then I had bike around a Wild Turkey in the path — my last bird of the day.
Hooded Merganser, Audubon Park
My pace was quite leisurely; my impressive-to-me total leaves me with a target to beat on a future outing! Here’s my list for today:
Blue-winged Teal – Anas discors
Green-winged Teal – Anas crecca
Hooded Merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus
Wild Turkey – Meleagris gallopavo
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
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
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
Greater Yellowlegs – Tringa melanoleuca
Lesser Yellowlegs – Tringa flavipes
Wilson’s Snipe – Gallinago delicata
Ring-billed Gull – Larus delawarensis
Forster’s Tern – Sterna forsteri
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Carolina Chickadee – Poecile carolinensis
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
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Orange-crowned Warbler – Oreothlypis celata
Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
Pine Warbler – Setophaga pinus
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major
American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
