After a long but uneventful trip in the Subaru and LaQuintas, we are settled in Cedar Key for a nice change of scenery. This morning, as we sat on the back deck, we were treated to this visitor – a Little Blue Heron.
On a long walk later on, these were among the many birds we saw.
This morning, there were all sorts of birds out back at low tide. This group had Wood Storks (the ones with black on the back), American White Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and White Ibises,
Groups of Roseate Spoonbills came and left.
Later we went downtown and found these groups of Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans hanging out in the sunshine.
We’ve seen 65-70 species here this week, more than half from our deck. We’ll head north in the morning after a nice stay in Cedar Key.
Yesterday morning, it was cold (40) here at Paynes Prairie Preserve when I went out for a walk. I was bundled up and the birds were puffed up. A Red-Shoulder hawk eyed me as I headed out.
Weather is finally turning away from parkas toward shorts weather and we, and the mosquitos, can’t wait.
As a pilot, I’ve often thought of vultures as graceful in the air but ugly on the ground. Their soaring abilities always catch my attention and adoration. Yeah, I kind of love them.
Aside from South Texas trips, most of my experience has been with Turkey Vultures but the recent Florida journey put me up close and personal with hundreds of Black Vultures. Myakka River State Park was crawling with them and while they drove my dog Penny nuts, they gave me a chance for a number of interesting photos.
The campsites have warnings that Rangers may use explosive devices to move vultures away from the campground and parking areas.
“Are you as bored with these birders as I am?”
“You know, I could go for some carry-out carrion about now.”
“Who passed gas?”
Vultures may not grace the covers of bird magazines or birders’ license plates but they have some redeeming values – well, perhaps not that many. They are, like many of us, best appreciated from a distance. So in any case, give my vulture pals some love.
One of the reasons we are traveling to Florida is to see some birds which I’ve never seen; many of the birds we’ll encounter are those that also frequent the Southwest but there are some that are more unique to Florida. Here are a few of my top ones (photos are by an excellent photographer, Mark Vance, who has a gallery on Flickr here.
A large, white, bald-headed wading bird of the southeastern swamps, the Wood Stork is the only stork breeding in the United States. Its late winter breeding season is timed to the Florida dry season when its fish prey become concentrated in shrinking pools. Photo by Mark Vance
An unusual bird of southern swamps and marshes, the Limpkin reaches the northern limits of its breeding range in Florida. There, it feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, which it extracts from their shells with its long bill. Its screaming cry is unmistakable and evocative. Photo by Mark Vance
A strikingly marked raptor of wetlands in the southeastern United States, the Swallow-tailed Kite captures flying insects or plucks insects and lizards from the tops of trees. Photo by Mark Vance
A bold and curious bird, the Florida Scrub-Jay can become hand-tame in areas where it comes in contact with people. Unfortunately, it is restricted to the rare oak scrub community of Florida, a habitat under constant threat of development, and is classified as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Photo by Mark Vance
I’ve mapped out a three month trip to Florida. It was much tougher than planning to go to the Southwest because Florida state parks fill up fast — often I grabbed the last site available — and the state wants all the money up front. So I’m sitting with over a thousand dollars on my AMEX card so I guess we’d better go.
I got some advice from my brother and sister-in-law, some birding friends, and used two birding guide books: Birding Florida by Brian Rapoza and the slightly-dated A Birder’s Guide to Florida by Bill Pranty.
Right now, we are planning to head out right after New Year’s, subject to weather forecasts. We take the Airstream to Georgia and then down to a big birding festival in Titusville in January.
We then hit some good birding spots in southern Florida for February. (The Keys were out of the question since everything there is tied up 10 months ahead of time.)
In March, we work ourselves up the western side of Florida, hoping to hook up with some old friends from Central New York who winter there. We end up in the Pensacola area as we think about heading home in mid-April.
One of the nice things about hauling your own lodging is that you are flexible. If we find Florida to crowded, too wet, to0 Republican (just kidding!), we can head back to our old haunts along the Gulf Coast, and just eat some of the deposits. The long-range forecast (30% cooler and wetter down south and 30% warmer up here) adds another element but we’ve done the rainy slushy winter and Florida’s got to be better. In my next post, I’m going to pick a few target birds for the trip.
Autumn is here, the leaves are starting to change rapidly, and we’ve had several frosty mornings to remind us what is up ahead. While some folks plan their winter travel all summer, it takes a few wakeup calls, like the need for a wood fire, to focus my attention on where we’ll go this winter with the Airstream. Which has resulted in a “Florida vs Texas” question — we’ve always gone to Texas and last year to Arizona, New Mexico, and California — we’ve never gone to Florida. My brother and sister-in-law, who travel widely with their restored Airstream, like the Florida state parks a lot. So, I’m leaning in that direction but also finding that many others are — and have tied up good parks half-a-year ago.
The Airstream is parked on the back lawn for repairs before the next big trip. Trees are just showing color but are vivid on the mountains.
I have started by thinking about attending part of the Space Coast Birding Fest in Titusville, Florida and have reserved a spot at a local KOA. We try to avoid commercial parks but there are times where the “cheek by jowl” spacing has to be endured. Other than that, I’m thinking of probably not going to southern Florida because those parks are all full. Right now, the agenda is wide open so if you have a favorite spot, let me know.
There are lots of Florida birds I’ve never seen — Wood Stork is a good example — so I’m looking to adding to my life list. We also wouldn’t mind avoiding the long drives we made last year. We are looking forward to visiting Pensacola again where back in the dark ages, I was a budding naval aviator. It will be fun to revisit the Cubi Point Officer’s Club which is part of the Naval Air Museum but reportedly, much tamer than when I was there. (Their chocolate milk shakes were to die for!) Well, not exactly.
So, with mixed feelings, we are planning to skip the places we’ve come to really like over the last four trips — Goose Island State Park, Falcon State Park, Lost Maples State Park, and Patagonia State Park to name just a few. If we don’t like Florida, we can always jump on I-10 and head west for a couple of months. That’s the joy of flexible schedules and dragging your home behind you.