Sherri had to work on Tuesday so I was only out for a bit early before returning to be with Wilson (who is having a tough time with adjusting to the new location). I once again headed to Lyonia Preserve and this time it was clear so I was able to get better photos of the jays plus I got to watch the impressive numbers of American Robins leaving roost at dawn (I counted nearly 12,000 and certainly missed many!). I then came home and got Wilson and we walked at Gemini Springs again.
On the third day I initially had plans to make the hour drive down to Orlando Wetlands Park but after another less than ideal night of sleeping due to Wilson I instead drove north to Lake Woodruff NWR. Unfortunately it was quite foggy in the area so seeing distant birds was impossible although it was not all bad as the area is mainly out in the open and full sun would have been tough to take as the morning warmed up. Lots of good birds there among the marsh impoundments and the trails through the woods leading to them and managed a milestone with my 500th audio recording with a calling Blue winged Teal. After leaving there I headed south and explored more areas at Gemini Spring Preserve and added a new species to my Florida list with an Indigo Bunting plus had a slightly unusual Snail Kite over the marsh (sadly no photos of either of these two species)
Thursday found me exploring a few more spots in the local area and this time I headed east and south with stops at multiple small parks including Audubon Park, Thornby Park, Blue Heron Nature Park and Green Spring Park. I added a few new species for the year during the stops and had some great looks at some common species. In the afternoon while out near the pool at the house I had a somewhat unusual Barn Swallow fly past with a couple Tree Swallows.
On Friday I headed down to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive where I spent nearly four and a half hours exploring and finding loads of birds. The wildlife drive is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so I took the first opportunity I had to get down to this premier birding spot. I had huge counts of a number of species as well as a handful of rarities including two Northern Yellow Warblers, multiple Barn Swallows and a Bank Swallow. The stop produced two new Florida species for me (Northern Yellow Warbler and Bank Swallow) and brought my state list up to 253. It really is an amazing spot with huge numbers of waterfowl and waders plus others and it never fails to impress.
My plans on Saturday were to bird Seminole State Forest but when I arrived there the area was closed for a hunt of some type so I instead headed to Black Bear Wilderness Area which held some pockets of birds but it got really crowded (apparently a very popular hiking spot) so after about an hour I left and headed east to hit a few areas including Thornby Park and Lyonia Preserve. No really notable birds over the course of the morning although I did have my highest species count for a day so far with nine species.
To end the week I made the hour drive down to Orlando Wetlands Park before dawn so I could be there as soon as the gates opened at seven. I spent two hours exploring the various impoundments and had lots of birds with notable sightings including a continued female Vermilion Flycatcher, multiple species of waders on nests and some Common Gallinules in a tree (not something I have seen before). I then decided to take a side trip down to Hal Scott Regional Park and Preserve with the main target being Red cockaded Woodpeckers known to be in the area. I found the woodpeckers plus a few other pine specialists I had not yet had for the year. By this point the day had warmed up a lot and without any shade in the pinelands I headed back to Orlando Wetlands Park where I spent another two hours plus covering some new areas. I headed back toward home early in the afternoon and by that point it has clouded up and a few rain showers rolled through. A very productive day overall.
I ended the week in Florida with 132 species including a dozen species of warblers as well as three new species for me in the state.
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