First birds of the morning were 5 Western Kingbirds up on the Harmon Road wires. Actually a GOOD start. Several sparrows were winging their way across the grasses and into the palms. Probably Savannahs. An unrecognized call sounded in their direction. Still trying to figure it out.
Just after trying for a bad shot of one of the sparrows I edged down Harmon and was met by a Scissor-tail Flycatcher in the company of 2 more Western Kingbirds. As I slowed for a photo, the Kingbirds spooked first and I had a brief couple of seconds to try for the Scissor-tail.
Click. Flash. It flew off. Not a great photo considering the fog and the early hour but the closest I have ever been to one. I’ll take it. For now.
Swung down Lust Road. Dump trucks were warming up in the fields. Eastern Phoebes swooped along with the Northern Mockingbirds. An American Kestral was at its usual post, waiting to snag a dove or Warbler.
Found one Sparrow in the brush and tried to remember the details. Even sketched them out in the notebook so I could rely the info to Paul. Later checking with the Sparrow book showed it to be a 1st Winter White-crowned Sparrow.
Cattle Egrets, Killdeer, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Palm Warblers rounded out the morning run. Off to work.
Thoughts of the birds and potential new ones swirled through my head all day. Work was slow, for once, so I wrapped up and headed back out for one last gasp and got to the Zellwood area by 3:30.
The Common Goldeneye seen earlier in the season was not around. Or it could hold its breath for 10 minutes. Did pick up 31 Hoodies, 2 Cattle Egrets and a Little Blue Heron. Something dived in the distance bring hope for the Goldeneye but it was just a Pied-billed Grebe.
To Laughlin Road.
Some Sparrow was hiding in the brush as I arrived. I parked and walked back and began pishing. To my complete surprise it brought up 2 Northern Waterthrush immediately. A Savannah Sparrow lit briefly, crown raised, and then disappeared. The Gnatcatcher couldn’t care less.
A walk into the field flushed a Wilson’s Snipe. 2 More soon followed the call and flew 15 feet from me. Myrtle Warblers tried their best impressions of Sparrows but all I could manage were a few more Savannahs.
Suddenly, I noticed I was under a Tree Swallow storm. The first circled past but as I was scanning the horizon to count Vultures I noticed that the flock consisted of a large number of them far beyond the 100 swirling past me. I put the conservative estimate at 1,500.
A Red-tailed Hawk was trying to grab the thermals as a Harrier swooped at it repeatedly. A Sharp-shinned Hawk flap-flap glided in their general direction. I gathered a few more common species and headed back to Lust Road.
Once there, a small group of birds jumped up into a roadside tree. 6 White-crowned Sparrows! They were soon joined by some Chipping Sparrows toward the parked dumptrucks. A couple Western Kingbirds hung out on the distant wires past the gate.
Counted a few more common species and made one last run at the Kingbird Roost which was now becoming the Robin Roost. I stopped counting at 400 as a lot were dropping into the orange groves but they were joined by more Kingbirds and other birds I could determine without a scope.
A Red-shouldered Hawk perched nearby and was harassed by another Kestral. The birds continued to make their way to the roost site. The sun was setting fast. No more Scissor-tails to round out the day.
The last good pass as the light was fading was a cruising Northern Harrier.
The longest day of my GBBC counting ended before nightfall but it was a good weekend. Despite the missing of the Snow Goose on Sunday.
Now it seems I need to try and verify my Least Tern sighting in Orlando. Never been officially documented in Florida in Winter. A couple weeks to get it.
You can still enter your own bird counts to the GBBC count for a while. Just go to here.
Can’t wait until the next year’s count.
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