From: Rex Rowan <rexrowan@gmail.com>
To: Alachua County birding report
This morning Bob Carroll picked up Miami birder Toe Torres in Hawthorne and took him to Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve, where I joined them. Toe’s Florida life list, though 405 species long, was still lacking Hairy Woodpecker. He’d seen one in Virginia, where they’re much more common, but never in Florida. Hairies have been found along the Red Loop at Longleaf the past two or three years, and Ron Robinson and Jim Allison found one out there on March 11th, so that’s where we searched. We wandered for a good mile over the sandhills back there, but finally located it in about the same place where we saw it last year. Walk out the Red-White Connector (turning left onto the service road), and when the trail forks at the beginning of the Red Loop go straight (which is the right fork). Before long you’ll pass the turnoff to the camping area. Just stay on the main trail for about a hundred yards beyond the turnoff and you’ll be in Hairy Woodpecker territory. Listen for its drumming; it drums more often than it calls. We had to go off the trail to see it, and found it in some pines about a hundred feet from the fence marking the northern border of the property. I was looking at a different stand of pines when I heard Bob and Toe calling for me, and I ran back, but not quickly enough. Oh well, I’ll see it during The June Challenge…
Geoff Parks sent me an interesting email at 8:30, while I was at Longleaf: “I’m too busy to do anything about it right now, but there seem to be several migrants singing around Loblolly [NW 5th Avenue just east of NW 34th Street]. I’m hearing a Gray-cheeked Thrush through my office window, and when I came in there was an unusually high-pitched Black-throated Blue. I don’t want to cause a false panic but there’s a slim chance that it was a Cerulean…”
Speaking of migrants, have you watched “Gulf Crossing” yet this spring? It’s a 2013 film about trans-Gulf migration and it features some really beautiful photography. Watch the first minute and a half – just birds and landscapes – and maybe you’ll watch the rest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e20qNjdcSUk
Debbie Segal is looking for photos from Sweetwater Wetland Park (which opens on Saturday!). She writes, “I am preparing a power point presentation of the Sheetflow Wetland (aka Sweetwater Wetland Park) and would like to get a few more photos of birds, people, and/or the public use facilities. Do you know a few folks who might have some photos to share with me? If so, can you please forward this email to them or send me their names so I can contact them?” Let me know if you’ve got photos and I’ll put you in touch with Debbie.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park has just posted a job announcement for their park biologist position (Environmental Specialist I). The preserve is one of the largest remaining tracts of Florida dry prairie. It is a breathtaking and remote landscape. Housing may be provided on site. This position had been held for many years by Paul Miller. He was a strong advocate for the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, which still exists in small numbers at the preserve. It will take a special person to fill this vacancy given the urgent actions needed for the sparrow at this time. There is a very short application deadline (May 1). Please forward this announcement to anyone you know who may be interested. Here is the direct link to the application site: https://jobs.myflorida.com/viewjob.html?optlink-view=view-796452&ERFormID=newjoblist&ERFormCode=any
Alachua County environmental officials are seeking public input on the 1,179 acre Watermelon Pond Preserve at a public meeting on May 4th at 6 p.m. at the Archer City Hall (16870 SW 134th Avenue). They’re looking for input regarding hiking trails, interpretative kiosks, sandhill restoration, and management of the preserve.
This is probably going to end up humiliating me, but how many of you have tried subscribing to my Gainesville Sun blog and failed, and how many have successfully subscribed? Please let me know, since two or three people have complained to me that they can’t subscribe and I’d like to have a number when I talk to the Sun about it. Of course, if the number of people who have tried to subscribe is no more than two or three, I don’t think the Sun will pay a lot of attention to me…