The third week in Florida started very cold with frost once again and highs that never got out of the 50's with a bit of a breeze. Although cold and not super comfortable it was still much better than the weather at home that featured snow, wind and cold. I once again had to stay close to the house to take care of Wilson with just a few hours available. I started off at Gemini Springs Park before I headed back into metro Orlando to Ward Park to try to find a continued Cape May Warbler and perhaps get photos of the Western Tanager at the same location. I quickly found the Cape May Warbler (warbler species #13 for the year) but no luck with the Western Tanager. The cold temps and the breeze didn't help in tracking down birds. I then headed home and picked up Wilson and we returned to Gemini Springs Park for a long walk.
It was another frosty morning on Tuesday and after the sun came up it got a bit breezy. It was not a comfortable day to be outside although thankfully it was still much warmer than home! I had a limited amount of time available again before I had to get back to Wilson so I headed north about thirty minutes to Lake Woodruff NWR. I spent about two and a half hours covering various trails and came up just shy of 70 species with the only rarity of any sort being a continued Northern Yellow Warbler. Beyond the birds I also had some great looks at a pair of River Otters. I then headed toward home with a brief stop off at Lake Beresford Park which was very quiet. I then took Wilson for a walk a small park nearby which added a number of new species for the day despite the wind. The one upside for the morning was no mosquitoes!
On Wednesday I finally had a full morning to myself and I took advantage by heading well south in search of a rare Swainson's Warbler (more details at the following link). I had hoped to make the trip earlier but a variety of factors conspired against it. I was up well before sunrise to make the two hour drive down to Toni Robinson Waterfront Trail. It was breezier than I had hoped for when I arrived and those conditions made it a bit of a challenge to find birds. After about 45 minutes of waiting and listening I finally got brief glimpses of the Swainson's Warbler. I then had just one more quick look at the bird when it briefly interacted with an Ovenbird. This was the first Swainson's Warbler I had ever seen in the US (it became warbler species #50 for me in the US). The small park was quite productive for other stuff including a banded Northern Parula. I decided to try one more spot well down south before making the long drive back. This spot was Fort Drum Conservation Area in Yeehaw Junction (really...yeehaw junction). The area was great for warblers with a dozen species seen including two rarities with a Louisiana Waterthrush and a Magnolia Warbler. I wish I had more time to explore the spot and that it was close enough for a return trip but not on this vacation.
After such a long day with lots of driving the day before, on Thursday I stayed close to the house with visits to a number of local parks. I didn't have anything too notable, which given how well I have previously covered the areas is not too surprising.
Friday I stayed somewhat local again (within a half hour away) and started my morning at Lake Woodruff NWR (including some time predawn). It was a bit foggy to start the day and that kept some of my counts of waders down from previous visits as it was tough to see them moving early. There were loads of Black bellied Whistling Ducks moving out as I arrived. Rails were once again around in great numbers and diversity. The refuge produced almost 70 species before I headed home to pick up Wilson to go for a walk at Gemini Springs Park. We then headed to Blue Springs SP which is a well known location for manatees and the crowds to get into the park were crazy. We headed to a nearby boat launch area outside of the craziness and despite the heat of the day found some good birds including my first Short tailed Hawk of the year. The morning produced three new species for the year for me (Least Bittern and Purple Martin being the other two). The overwintering Northern Yellow Warbler also continued at Lake Woodruff.
On Saturday I headed southwest to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive where I spent nearly three hours on the drive and found a number of unusual birds including Barn Swallow, Lincoln's Sparrow and Northern Yellow Warbler. The area also featured large numbers of waterfowl of various flavors as well as lots of other marsh related species. Before dawn I explored an area just outside the gates and had at least two American Woodcocks. Once I was done with the drive I returned to the area at the beginning of the drive known as Apopka Birding Park to try for some new birds and got a few plus got photos of the long staying Ash throated Flycatcher. The wind was a bit of a factor throughout the day and made tracking down small birds tough sometimes.
The end of the third week in Florida ended on a record setting heat note with highs that eventually reached the mid 80's after the morning fog burned off. I once again stayed local with stops at Gemini Springs Park and Audubon Park. The fog made lighting bad for photos for most of the time I was outside so not many shots today. We have one marginally warm day tomorrow with some showers and then a big cool down that will likely last at least a week. Still better than home where a major snow storm is dumping feet of snow with bitter cold temps.
Overall for the week I had 141 species with four new for me in Florida (American Woodcock, Field Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow and Swainson's Warbler). Full details on warblers for the week at the following link: warblers.
