Chasing (and missing) a Godwit at Fred Howard Park

So it was twitch time. With the predicted heavy rain still far off in the Gulf and with a couple hours to spare thanks to my understanding wife, we made a bee-line for Fred Howard Park to look for a possible new Life Bird: A Bar-tailed Godwit. I wasn't even going to try but a post came through that the bird was there now and we arrived in less than 90 minutes at the described location.

We arrived and, as Dad paid the entry fee, I jumped out to scan the flock in the area where the bird was not long ago. The bird...was not there. All we found were a few Marbled Godwits hanging with Willets on the beach.



We decided to walk around the parking lot and take a rest stop. The most obvious birds were Red-winged Blackbirds feeding along the vegetation.



Laughing Gulls were resting on top of the restrooms so I had to take a quick close-up while I could.



The rain was beginning to move in on us, wave after wave, as we rounded the western edge of the park. Not much there but a Semipalmated Plover.



Back by the initial flock the best I could discover was a Wilson's Plover. Not too bad, but not the bird I was after.



I had thought I saw a possible candidate bird as we drove in so I opted to go back and see if it was THE bird. Nope. Just another Willet. I had to retreat to the car as the rain increased and we watched another Semipalmated Plover along the embankment.



On the opposite side of the road I spotted a few Common Loons coasting in the gloom.



Not willing to conceded defeat yet, we headed back and the flock had shifted to the other beach. Right by the road was a small flock of Short-billed Dowitchers in the seaweed.



People were crossing the beaches and flushing the resting flocks, especially the hundred Black Skimmers just looking for a place to relax.



Still no Bar-tailed Godwit. Dang. Time to give up. Rain was still coming. On the way home, we made a stop at a water treatment plant where we noticed a TON of ducks on the ponds there. Dad stopped the car and I got out in the pouring rain to get some shots for later processing. Most ducks we have ever seen in one spot ever. I am guessing 6,000 Redhead.



The shot above is just one frame of a couple of dozen I took of the entire scene. I made panoramas of each side but am not sure how to present such a large photo here. I did make sure to take a closer shot of one very lightly colored Redhead before I had to escape the rain. My camera was getting too wet.



We headed home. Life Bird #2 missed for the trip. Oh, well. According to later forum posts, the Bar-tailed Godwit headed North and was spotted miles away and even returned to the first spot after we got back to Orlando. Thanks, Godwit. No year-ending new birds for me. Guess I will just have to gear up for local birds next week.

Black Point Drive, Part 2

Now that I had gotten my target bird, Gadwall, I continued my tour of the loop at Black Point. I wanted to try and make it around to the entrance again before dark so I made my way down the road, stopping briefly to get some other shots along the way. Just past Stop 7 I spotted a small flock of American Avocets resting in the shallow water.



To the right, a Belted Kingfisher watches for its next meal.



Some of the driving was slow as tourist stopped in the middle of the road to stare at something they have never seen before like this gator drifting up near Stop 10. "That's a baby!," I told them as I passed them on the left.



Back to the entrance and back to Stop 4 to see if the Gadwall had come closer to the road. Nope. Oh, well. I had the ID shots I was after so now a I could take a casual drive as sunset approached. There were not a lot of shorebirds around only a Semipalmated Plover...



...and a few peeps on the mud flats.



I relocated the Reddish Egret that was posing during my last trip. This time it was dancing around and fishing.



Drifting by in one of the impoundments, a male Northern Pintail. Such an impressive duck.



Approaching the Avocet flock again, I found a Snowy Egret cruising the edge of the road.



As the last of the day's sunshine finally breaks through the clouds a Pied-billed Grebe chugs along.



Nearby, a pair of Hooded Mergansers looks for a place to rest for the night.



Finally, a flock of Roseate Spoonbills glows in the waning light. One even yawns as I make my way towards home.



12 hours and 300 miles later and I can get some sleep myself. A long day but an inspiring one. I love Black Point Drive.

St. George Island Vacation, Pt. 4

The boys and I took one last walk down the shoreline on the northern edge of the island. I had only been over there during high tide and wanted to see what might be feeding there on the mudflats. There were a different variety of species on this side.

Out on the far edge of the flats were Killdeer and a Semipalmated Plover.



A bird I find more and more attractive as I photograph them, Willet, feeds in great morning sunlight.



Out at the tip of the island, a large gull fed on something mysterious on the beach. As we got closer the gull walked to the edge of the beach and I could see it was an adult Herring Gull. I am used to juveniles on the Atlantic side of the state so the adult version was throwing me for a minute.



But what was it feasting upon? Yum! An octopus!



On our walk back, we had many other birds fly past us. This Brown Pelican made a close pass.



As did this Laughing Gull.



We got back to the campsite and packed up and began our trip home. There were a couple of stops I wanted to make along the way so we headed over to Bald Point. The weather was taking a turn for the worse (it had been raining inland for a day or so) and there were not a lot of birds to be found.

The best spot was the main entry to Bald point which was alive with sparrows, Blue Birds, and more. I stepped out to investigate and heard a familiar voice. A Carolina Chickadee!



Finally, I found some Brown-headed Nuthatches. Not the Siskins I was hoping for but something nice all the same.



A great trip. Some day we will have to get back here and really go through the other bird sites such as St. Marks. Until then, back through the rain, into the night, and home.

Other Shorebirds inland

No pictures this time but I swung around the local lakes and added the following shorebirds to our neighborhood totals for the year: Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, and more surprising a couple of Semipalmated Plovers.

With little to no rain, however, the lakes are nearly dry beds and I bet the shorebirds will abandon all the local lakes soon. Time for these birds to get up north, anyway.