Go birding with us!

Meet at the Wild Bird Center at 8:00am the third Saturday of each month to carpool to a local birding hotspot. We should be back at the Wild Bird Center by about 10:00am.

Bring binoculars, field guides, sun screen and a hat. A limited number of binoculars will be available for loan.
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March 15, 2008, Pine Craft Park

Trip Report: Another beautiful day in Florida and another great morning for birding. The overnight rain cleared by the morning and it was sunny and warm at one of our favorite hot spots. The activity along Phillippi Creek included several herons and egrets. The hawk activity captured our attention for several minutes. A Coopers Hawk was spotted high in a tree on the far bank and several other juveniles made appearances. Not all the juveniles could be positively identified but it was fun to watch their behaviors as they played hide and seek with us. Other species observed this morning included several Great Blue Herons, Little blue Herons, Tri-color Herons, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Wood Storks, White Ibis, Moorhens, Mallards, Laughing Gulls, Purple Martins, Northern Cardinals, Palm Warblers, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Starlings, House Sparrows, Blue Jays, Catbirds, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and perhaps most impressive was a mature Barred Owl sitting high in a tree watching us watch birds.

Join us April 19 at Felts Audubon Preserve to help celebrate Earth Day.

See you in the field!
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February 16, 2008, South Lido Beach

Trip Report: Another beautiful morning on the Florida Gulf Coast. This morning's bird walk was conducted at South Lido Beach. We walked the nature trail and saw a total of 16 species including a small flock of White Pelicans gliding easily across the bay. Our list also included some striking views of an Osprey soaring overhead and precariously perched atop some Austrailian Pines. Other species identified include the Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, Double-Crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gull, Laughing Gull, Turkey Vulture, Fish Crow, Sandwich Tern, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Northern Cardinal.

Our next bird walk is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2008

See you in the field!
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Saturday, Jan 19, 2008, Pine Craft Park

Trip Report: The fog didn't deter us from going to Pine Craft Park this morning in search of the Bell's Vireo that had been reported on the Christmas Bird Count. Within minutes of arriving the bird was spotted and everyone got a good look at this rare visitor to the state of Florida. For some of us, this was a new addition to our life list. Other species we identified this morning included an Osprey, Great blue Heron, Great Egret, White Ibis, Woodstork, Snowy Egret, Palm Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Common Moorhen, Laughing Gull, Hooded Merganser, Anhinga, Gray Catbird, and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.
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Saturday, Dec 15, 2007, Thompson Park

Trip Report: Another beautiful warm, 70 degree morning at Ken Thompson Park on City Island. A bit breezy as a cold front is coming through today bringing rain and cooler temperatures. Our species count this morning was 22 including the following - Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Killdeer, Brown Pelican, Double-Crested Cormorant, Kingfisher, White Ibis, Laughing Gull, Turkey Vulture, Little Blue Heron, Least Tern, Wood Stork, Mourning Dove, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Starling, Great Egret, Spotted Sandpiper, Fish Crow, Boat-tailed Grackle, and one tentatively identified female finch or grosbeak with heavy streaking on the breast.
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Saturday, Nov 17, 2007, Longwood Run Community Park

Trip Report: The morning was clear and the temperature in the low 60's. The park was quiet with very little bird activity at first. We then drove a short ways to the Tabernacle and stopped along the way to view a beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk. Our species list this morning included: Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Grackle, Black and Turkey vultures, Double-Crested Cormorant, Gray Catbird, Blue Jay, Northern Shrike, Laughing Gull, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher and Red-Tailed Hawk.
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