Wednesday, February 4: Flint Pen Strand

Today seemed like the best possible weather day to visit. Monday and Tuesday morning temperatures began in the low 30s, today was in the upper 40s, Thursday is supposed to rain all morning, and Friday is supposed to be back in the 30s. So although it was cloudy to partly cloudy all day, it was the most favorable.

And it turned out pretty well with 47 species of birds identified, plus two more that Merlin thought it heard but which shouldn't be there and weren't counted.

Sunrise was spectacular as the sun appeared and disappeared in the clouds.

The route was a little different than normal. As I reached Poorman's Pass, an American Kestrel flew north in the distance, so I followed. I finally somewhat caught up with it a little past the fourth dip in the road. It was still to the west, so a little cross-country hike through the vegetation was needed.

The bird wasn't very considerate and would fly farther back each time I started to get close enough for a decent photograph. The photograph isn't very sharp, but it's the best that the Kestrel let me get. However, while trying to sneak up on the Kestrel, I discovered an Eastern Bluebird hiding behind a Wax Myrtle bush and two Blue-winged Teal flew overhead. So the trek was rewarding in spite of the recalcitrant Kestrel.

Purple Martins aren't here in numbers yet, just seven today, but those that were here were already beginning to squabble over who got which nest box. One pair finally claimed the box in the photo and the others contented themselves by inspecting the remaining boxes. Only two others appeared to be paired up.

Freezing temperatures at the start of the week really did a job on a lot of the plants. Grasses were crispy, Alligator Flag leaves were brown and drooping, Swamp Ferns were mostly done for, and even Coco Plum bushes appeared frost-bitten on the edges. Only the lakes, two spots in the marsh with deep water, and parts of the Kehl canal north of the trails provided any habitat for water reliant birds. So although most of the species were present, none was there in any numbers. Seven Little Blue Herons and seven White Ibis were the most of any and there were just one each of Pied-billed Grebe, Common Gallinule, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Snowy Egret, and Tricolored Heron.

The combination of cool temperatures, overcast skies, and diminishing water levels also meant that herps were rare. Only three gators were observed and no butterflies or dragonflies were seen.

The most frequently seen birds were 23 Boat-tailed Grackles, 18 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 13 Palm Warblers. Other warblers were Common Yellowthroats and one Orange-crowned Warbler by the parking lot cypress dome.

Friday, February 6: Pepper Ranch Preserve

Another morning with temperatures starting in the mid 30s plus a steady breeze, so with one exception, birding was done by car. But it was still a rewarding morning.

The Bald Eagle at the left was soaring over Pepper Road near marker A, well away from where the pair of adults is nesting. It was one of four raptors seen. Others were the female Snail Kite, also in the air and away from where she has often been seen, the pair of Crested Caracaras still picking up sticks but not taking them anywhere particular, and of course, Red-shouldered Hawks.

The palm that the Crested Caracaras are nesting is still unknown. Several times one would fly into the top of a Cabbage Palm with a stick, but it would later fly out with either a different stick or no stick.

They are generally in the same area between two of the cattle watering holes, but they've flown into so many different palms that the location of the actual nesting tree remains a mystery.

The cold start to the morning quieted many of the typical early birds. Usually on the path to the Lake Trafford observation deck, lots of small birds call from the oaks, maples, and willows surrounding the path. Today there were only Palm Warblers.

More Common Gallinules have taken up residence at the observation deck. The three that roam below the deck were still there, and three more were in the reeds and cattails to the west. A total of 10 Common Gallinules were spotted this morning.

Anhingas, Double-crested Cormorants, roosting Cattle Egrets, and Red-winged Blackbirds were the others most frequently seen from the platform. The Forster's Tern in the photo was on its usual stump in front of the deck, but its fellow tern wasn't spotted.

The mass of Black-bellied Whistling Duck that had been in Marsh B was gone today, so it was much quieter.

Birds that were present were Anhingas, an adult Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egrets, Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Little Blue and Tricolored Herons, a Belted Kingfisher, and the Pied-billed Grebe at the lower right.

The female Snail Kite flew over heading west.

The air temperature was cool enough that no gators were at the surface of Lake Trafford and they were absent at the spots along Pepper Road where they are occasionally seen. Actually, there were no herps of any kind, and no insects either. Mammals were just White-tailed Deer, Gray Squirrels, and two feral hogs mixed in the the large herds of cattle.

The most often seen of the 46 species of birds after Cattle Egrets and Turkey Vultures were 19 each of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Double-crested Cormorants, 17 Palm Warblers, 13 Eastern Meadowlarks, and 12 Glossy Ibis.

The Glossy Ibis were all in a vast open area along Sunflower Trace Road where the water is shallow. Other birds in there were Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, a Green Heron, Great Egrets, a Little Blue Heron, and a couple of Anhingas. A pair of Common Ground Doves foraged in the road while Yellow-rumped Warblers were up in the palms and other trees along the sides of the road.

My yard

Cold temperatures made the bird feeders very popular. Seven Painted Buntings, four males and three females, were there all times of the days. The three males at the left were joined by a Pine Warbler on Wednesday. The other male and one female were on the other finch seed feeder.

Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Blue Jays spent their time at the big sunflower seed feeder. Mourning Doves, Common Grackles, a Carolina Wren, and Gray Catbirds were foraging on the ground.

A Red-shouldered Hawk occasionally lands in the tops of the pines during the afternoons, much to the consternation of the Gray Squirrels, Mourning Doves, and Blue Jays. However, the Painted Buntings and Cardinals carry on normally. Their feeders are under an oak and close to the branches where a hawk couldn't get them.

Nighttime mammals have been just the regular: Southern Flying Squirrels, Cottontail Rabbits, Virginia Opossums, and Raccoons.

Most of the opossums tolerated others nearby, but two of the Virginia Opossums weren't very compatible and another chase ensued.

A Bobcat wandered through on Wednesday but only paused to get a drink of water before continuing on. One feral cat showed up on the trail cameras a couple of nights.

Just out of curiosity, I combined my bird lists from Flint Pen Strand, my yard, and Pepper Ranch Preserve and wound up with 64 species of birds seen this week.