birding – 3rin's View…

Wandering in Parks

On my days off I’ve been taking advantage of our mild Spring weather (knowing full well that heat and humidity are on the way) by toting my camera around various local parks. Our usual Spring blooms have been muted by the ongoing drought but there were still other signs of Spring.

At Booker Creek Preserve, a Wild Turkey tom loudly strutted his stuff in a nearby fallow field. I was impressed, though it didn’t seem like any of lady friends were. In the distance a pair of Sandhill Cranes were feeding, they likely had colts with them but sadly they were too far away for me to see.

At John Chestnut Sr. Park I was captivated by a squirrel exerting great effort to harvest dried fruits from a bush. I still don’t know what kind of a bush it was but apparently, it produced delicious fruit. While strolling along the boardwalk I had to watch where I put my hands as the park was literally crawling with tussock moth caterpillars. They may look cute and fluffy but those fuzzy hairs are defensive. Reactions to touching them range from irritating to downright painful (and I was not interested in finding out).

At Sawgrass Lake Park a noticeably large squirrel on a tree trunk caught my eye and its curious behavior drew me closer. The squirrel was intently gnawing the bark. After watching, I surmised that she was pregnant and was selectively chewing that section of bark for either the sap or insects inside, presumably needing extra nutrition for gestation.

I never know just what I might see in my local parks!

1 week ago 0

Alachua Savannah

After leaving Palatka I drove west toward the broad Alachua Savannah, south of Gainesville. I stopped and explored at two connected sites; Sweetwater Preserve and Sweetwater Wetlands. Both are roughly the same size at 125 acres but they are owned by different government entities, protect different kinds of habitats, and are therefore, managed differently.

The Preserve encompasses a stretch of Sweetwater Branch (a small creek) with narrow, dirt trails that wander through an upland forest. In contrast, the adjacent Wetlands are a series of highly engineered water retention basins that serve as a natural filtration system to improve water quality before it flows into Paynes Prairie and the Floridan Aquifer.

I weathered the hottest part of the afternoon next to the quiet creek in the shady Preserve before venturing over to the wide open Wetlands. As is usual with man-made waters- if you build it, wildlife will come. The tall berms between basins afforded not only great views of wildlife but of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to the south as well.

I spotted dozens of species of birds and quite a few alligators as I strolled the along. It was difficult to tear myself away but I still had a 2.5 hour drive. It turned out to be a good thing that I left when I did as my route home from the Wetlands paralleled Paynes Prairie State Park and there was enough light left to spot a herd of horses from the roadside lookout.

It was my first time seeing some of the wild-roaming Florida Cracker horses and I enjoyed watching the interaction of the band. The mares, and last year’s young (which was still trying to nurse), were carefully watched from the side by their stallion (there was another small band in the distance that he kept a wary eye on). I had surmised he was a stallion by his stance and thick neck but then he relieved himself, letting it all hang out which erased any doubt (see photo above).

Even though much has changed in the Alachua Savannah during the past 250 plus years, William Bartram’s description of the area from 1774 still holds true: it is a vast, fertile savanna surrounded by forests, teeming with cattle, horses, and wildlife.

2 weeks ago 0

Pecking Order

In honor of National Bird Feeding Month, I thought I’d update you on my bird feeder camera. Last week I relocated it to a sunnier spot in my front yard (and moved that feeder to the backyard- never fear, my birds still have options).

The camera caught two new species at the feeder, both of which, for different reasons, surprised me. Between working and relaxing, I spend a decent amount of time out in my yard and this is the first time House Finches have made an appearance. They aren’t an uncommon species, but they are a new yard species for me. As for the Palm Warbler, it is a winter visitor that I first noticed a few years ago and I’m always pleased when the little tail bobber returns. Since they typically dine on insects I didn’t expect it to show up at the feeder. Ever resourceful, they resort to seeds during colder weather.

What’s most notable is the “ownership” of my new feeder. Apparently, it belongs to the grackles. Not only are they the first and last visitors every day, but they chase off all the other species (with two notable exceptions).

In between grackles other birds swoop in but there is a hierarchy among those species. The small birds and cardinals cede to the jays, which in turn defer to the woodpeckers. All of them will take flight when a grackle appears. Thus far, only a pandemonium* of parakeets or a crow outrank grackles.

*Don’t you just love the collective nouns of different animal species? Even when feeding, a group of parakeets is definitely a wild and noisy thing!

2 months ago 0

A Walk in the Park

The weather down here has been incredible lately, with daytime temperatures in the upper 70s and plenty of sunshine. On Sunday I drove down to Myakka River State Park. It was the first state park I visited in Florida when I moved here back in 2019, right about this time of year. While I’ve returned to wander a few times since, I don’t think I’ve had quite such an amazing experience before.

Northern Cardinal – Male (*Cardinalis cardinalis*)

As the afternoon heated up, I headed into the forested hammock. The thing about winter in Florida, I go through a lot of clothes! When I left my house it was 59° so I wore jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. By the time I parked at the trailhead, it was mid-70s and sunny so I switched into shorts and a tshirt. I started the day on an open trail but by mid-afternoon, the sun chased me onto a much shadier trail. We may not get showy Fall colors down here but as you can see, the foliage was definitely festive!

For the last part of my day, I trekked south along the much-diminished Myakka River. Though our dry season has just started, most of Florida is already in a Stage 1 drought. As a result, I was able to reach sections of the river that would typically be completely under water.

I perched on one of the trees downed by last year’s hurricanes and waited, knowing that low water levels elsewhere in the park would bring wildlife here. I didn’t have to wait long, as a steady stream of birds and even a raccoon soon stopped by.

Black-necked Stilt (*Himantopus mexicanus*)

As for alligators, you know what they say, if there’s water in Florida it’s a safe bet that there’s gators! I admire them from a distance because although they mostly laze about, they are surprisingly quick and agile. The momma gator in the video below swam over to warn me to stay away from her not-so-little babies.

American Alligator (*Alligator mississippiensis*)

December 23, 2025 0

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

I wanted to take advantage of the last of our Spring weather (before it really heats up down here in Florida) so I headed over to explore Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The refuge’s name came from an early epithet for a nearby winding waterway, now known as the Imperial River.

The wetland sanctuary at the western edge of the Everglades, spans over 13,000 acres. Much of it first set aside in 1954, though protections for the heart of the property began much earlier. In a way, we can thank the fashion industry for that.

Ladies’ hats in the late 1800s were elaborate displays, featuring fancy feathers and floral elements. The feathers were sourced from wild birds, usually during breeding and nesting season when they were at their showiest.

Milliners were paying $32 an ounce for the feathers, which was more than the price of gold at the time. As a result, plume hunters around the world were killing over 5 million birds a year. By 1900, they had wiped out an estimated 95% of Florida’s shorebirds (primarily herons, egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, and Flamingoes).

Near the center of what is now the sanctuary was a massive rookery, which locals took upon themselves to hire protection for in 1900. Some fifty years later, the area again needed protection, this time from logging. Again, local residents fought to save the area. In 1954 the first section of land was set aside to protect a stand of ancient bald cypress trees.