Florida 2nd – 15th June

A family holiday based in Central Florida, staying with relatives at Whispering Point, Casselberry north-east of Orlando. Their property includes a creek (nicknamed Henry‘s Creek, flowing from Lake  Howell) in 5 acres of well vegetated woodland).  Birding highlights in the grounds included numerous raptors overhead (especially Swallow-tailed Kite), Barred Owl, Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the nest, Great Crested Flycatcher and Northern Parula. An alligator was seen in the creek on the 8th. The holiday included several family trips – Disney, beach etc and birding trips aimed at target birds (Short-tailed Hawk, Least Bittern and Purple Gallinule.)

Swallow-tailed Kite	Barred Owl

4th June                  Black Point Drive, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge

Located east of Titusville, highlights were 11 species of wading birds including Green and Little Blue Herons, Tri-coloured Heron, Reddish Egret, Glossy and White Ibis, and Roseate Spoonbill. Shorebirds seen were Killdeer, Black-bellied Plover, Willet, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper and Black-necked Stilt. A pair of Eastern Kingbirds showed well en route around the circuit. Two plus pairs of Swallow-tailed Kites were also noted en route along SR-50.

Great Crested Flycatcher	Red-winged Blackbird

Tri-coloured Heron	Glossy Ibis

Eastern Kingbird	Turkey Vulture

6th June                  Red Bug Lake Park, Casselberry & Kraft Azalea Park, Winter Park

The local park off Red Bug Lake Road provided good views of Ospreys nesting on spotlight towers in the car park and a close up Red-shouldered Hawk. Wood Duck were noted on the lake and Great Crested Flycatcher, woodpeckers and two Northern Parulas were seen from the boardwalk. A short car ride to the Great Egret and Anhinga rookery at the Kraft Azalea Park provided excellent photo opportunities for these species as well as more nesting Ospreys.

Red-shouldered Hawk	Great Egrets

7th June                  Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore

Located east of Titusville, a family day out to the atlantic coast at the excellent and relatively quiet Playalinda Beach also provided views of a flock of Roseate Spoonbills on a roadside lagoon and White Ibis, Snowy and Great Egret on the beach. Brown Pelicans, Forster’s and Royal Terns plus one Caspian Tern flew over and a Florida Scrub Jay was seen near the ranger’s office when we departed.

Royal Tern	Brown Pelican

Laughing Gull	Snowy Egret

10th June                                S Central Florida & Lake Kissimmee area

A journey south of Orlando to find Short-tailed Hawk proved a great success. Following the directions described in Bill Pranty’s “A Birder’s Guide to Florida” to the Lake Wales, Frostproof region and parking in the exact spot described at Walk In Water Road (South of SR-60), an adult pale morph Short-tailed Hawk showed circling overhead drifting NW 09.10 – 09.15hrs and again briefly at 09.29hrs. Three Northern Parulas were also close by. Leaving the area eastward via SR-630 and SR-60 took me to Yeehaw Junction (great name!) and north on 15-441. Eastern Bluebird and Swallow-tailed Kite were noted on this route with more Eastern Bluebirds on Canoe Creek Road (turn west off 15-441 at Kenansville.) Taking Joe Overstreet Road to Lake Kissimmee provided two Crested Caracaras and many Cattle Egrets, along with Eastern Bluebird and Eastern Meadowlarks. Parking at Joe Overstreet Landing on the lake shore gave excellent birding with 3 Bald Eagles, 2 Snail kites, 15 Sandhill Cranes, 2 Whooping Cranes (from a release programme), 2 juvenile Loggerhead Shrikes being fed by a parent, and 2 Least Bitterns seen in flight. En route back to Casselberry 2 Sandhill Cranes were noted on Canoe Creek Road and 2 more on Narcoossee Road and 2 Chimney Swifts were over 441-192 in St Cloud. Overall an excellent but long day with 265 miles covered.

Loggerhead Shrikes	Sandhill Cranes

13th June                                Blue Heron Wetlands Treatment Facility

Situated south-west of Titusville off SR-50, it is necessary to sign in at reception but the site provides excellent birding. Star birds were 9 Least Bitterns as well as 7 Green and 3 Little Blue Herons, 3 Common Ground-doves along the entrance road, a flyover Sandhill Crane and Chimney Swift. Unfortunately Purple Gallinule managed to evade me despite being apparently common at this site. Numerous alligators, a white-tailed deer, raccoon, and a snake species were also noted.

A drive up to Scotsmoor Landing north of Titusville proved fairly quiet, highlight was 3 Sandhill Cranes off Dixie Way.          

Least Bittern	Green Heron

14th June                                Wekiwa Springs State Park

Situated in north-west Orlando, exit #92 on I4, head west on SR436 then north onto Wekiwa Springs Road. This is a very popular local recreation area and weekends are best avoided, however it was our last day before travelling north and despite the crowds, close up views from a canoe were had of Limpkin and Anhinga, Green Herons and overhead Swallow-tailed Kites. Additionally a Northern Parula feeding overhead entertained us at our picnic spot.

Limpkin	Anhinga

 

Florida Species	List Status	Comments
Brown Pelican		Common along east coast
Anhinga		Common
Double-crested Cormorant		Merritt Island & Blue Heron Wetlands
Least Bittern	*Lifer*	2 Lake Kissimmee, 9 Blue Heron Wetlands
Great Blue Heron		Common
Great Egret		Common
Snowy Egret		Merritt Island
Reddish Egret		Merritt Island & over Red Bug Lake
Little Blue Heron		Merritt Island & Blue Heron Wetlands
Tricoloured Heron		Common
Cattle Egret		Common
Green Heron		Merritt Island, Blue Heron Wetlands, Wekiwa SP
Glossy Ibis		1 Merritt Island
White Ibis		Common
Roseate Spoonbill		Flock 20+ Merritt Island
Wood Stork		1 over I4 near Lake Buena Vista
Wood Duck		Henry’s Creek, Red Bug Lake & Blue Heron Wetlands
Mallard		Common
Mottled Duck		Small flock Merritt Island
Black Vulture		Common
Turkey Vulture		Common
Osprey		Common
Swallow-tailed Kite	North America List	Pair at Henry’s Creek, 2+ pairs near Christmas on SR50,  and sightings on 15-441
Snail Kite		2 Joe Overstreet Landing
Cooper’s Hawk		Henry’s Creek
Red-shouldered Hawk		Red Bug Lake + occasional sightings
Short-tailed Hawk	*Lifer*	1 adult over Walk In Water Road
Red-tailed Hawk		Occasional sightings
Bald Eagle		3 Joe Overstreet Landing (2 adults, 1 imm)
Crested Caracara		Adult and imm along Joe Overstreet Road
Common Moorhen		Common
American Coot		Merritt Island & Blue Heron Wetlands
Limpkin		1 Wekiwa Springs
Sandhill Crane		2 alongside 27-25S, 15 Joe Overstreet Landing, 2 nr Disney Magic Kingdom, 1 Blue Heron Wetlands, 3 nr Scottsmoor Landing off Dixie Way
Whooping Crane		2 Joe Overstreet Landing
Black-bellied Plover		Merritt Island
Killdeer		Merritt Island
Black-necked Stilt		Merritt Island
Greater Yellowlegs		Merritt Island
Willet		Merritt Island
Ruddy Turnstone		Playalinda Beach
Least Sandpiper		Merritt Island
Laughing Gull		Playalinda Beach
Ring-billed Gull		Merritt Island
American Herring Gull		Merritt Island
Caspian Tern		1 Playalinda Beach
Royal Tern		Playalinda Beach
Forster’s Tern		Playalinda Beach
Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon)		Common
Mourning Dove		Common
Common Ground Dove		3 Blue Heron Wetlands
Eurasian Collared Dove		Joe Overstreet Landing
Barred Owl		2 Henry’s Creek
Chimney Swift		St Cloud & Blue Heron Wetlands
Ruby-throated Hummingbird		1 at nest, Henry’s Creek
Red-bellied Woodpecker		Common
Downy Woodpecker		Henry’s Creek & Red Bug Lake
Pileated Woodpecker		Henry’s Creek
Great Crested Flycatcher		Henry’s Creek & Red Bug Lake
Eastern Kingbird		1 pair Merritt Island
Loggerhead Shrike		Occasional sightings
Florida Scrub-Jay		1 Merritt Island
American Crow		Common
Barn Swallow		Occasional sightings
Tufted Titmouse		Henry’s Creek
Carolina Wren		Red Bug Lake
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher		Common
Eastern Bluebird		Several south-central Florida
Northern Mockingbird		Common
European Starling		Common
Northern Parula		Henry’s Creek, Red Bug Lake, Wekiwa SP
Northern Cardinal		Common
Eastern Meadowlark		Joe Overstreet Road
Red-winged Blackbird		Common near water
Common Grackle		Common
Boat-tailed Grackle		Joe Overstreet Landing
House Sparrow		Outside “Wild Birds Unlimited”, Red Bug Lake Road

Connecticut 16th – 22nd June

This week we stayed with relatives in Marlborough (but without our family who had departed for UK shores) in a heavily wooded rural area some 20 miles SE of Hartford. A new state for us, most birding was “backyard birding” with a few trips out and about. Highlights were the close views of birds on the feeders with Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Downy Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch among several other common species. Other scarcer birds seen around the garden were Great Crested Flycatcher, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-eyed Junco and Black-and-white Warbler. Birds overhead included Chimney Swift, Purple Martin, Red-tailed and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Red-tailed Hawks were commonly seen whilst driving around the area, a Turkey was also seen nearby and 2 Rusty Blackbirds were noted at Glastonbury fruit farms.

Black-capped Chickadee	American Goldfinch

White-breasted Nuthatch	Downy Woodpecker

Northern Cardinal	Tufted Titmouse

18th June                                Devil’s Hopyard State Park

A short visit to this wooded state park with river and waterfall provided a few birds, notably Brown Creeper and Black-and-white Warbler plus 2 snakes, believed to be water snake and garter snake.

20th June                                Connecticut River and coast

A drive southwards towards the coast with a stop at the town of Essex produced several gull species plus good views of Osprey by “Bill’s Diner” near Westbrook.

Connecticut Species		Comments
Snowy Egret		1 Westbrook 20th
Mallard		Westbrook 20th
Turkey Vulture		Common
Sharp-shinned Hawk		1 over backyard 19th
Osprey		2 Westbrook 20th
Red-tailed hawk		Frequent sightings
Turkey		1 Marlborough 16th
Ring-billed Gull		Essex 20th
American Herring Gull		Westbrook 20th
Great Black-backed Gull		1 Westbrook 20th
Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon)		Common
Chimney Swift		2 over backyard 15th
Ruby-throated Hummingbird		Frequent backyard visitor
Downy Woodpecker		Frequent backyard visitor
Great Crested Flycatcher		1 backyard visitor 16th
Blue Jay		Frequent backyard visitor
American Crow		Common
Barn Swallow		Common
Bank Swallow		1 over backyard 19th
Tree Swallow		Several Devil’s Hopyard 18th
Purple Martin		2 over backyard 15th
Black-capped Chickadee		Frequent backyard visitor
Brown Creeper		1 Devil’s Hopyard 18th
Tufted Titmouse		Frequent backyard visitor
White-breasted Nuthatch		Frequent backyard visitor
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher		Several Devil’s Hopyard 18th
American Robin		Common
Grey Catbird		Frequent backyard visitor
European Starling		Common
Black-and-white Warbler		1 Devil’s Hopyard 18th, 1 backyard 19th
Common Yellowthroat		1 daily in backyard
Rose-breasted Grosbeak		Occasional backyard visitor
Northern Cardinal		Frequent backyard visitor
Chipping Sparrow		Frequent backyard visitor
Dark-eyed Junco		1 Backyard visitor 19th
Rusty Blackbird		2 Glastonbury Fruit Farms 17th
American Goldfinch		Frequent backyard visitor
House Finch		Frequent backyard visitor

Bob Marchant 25th September 2008