If you’re interested, we’re going to look for Great Horned Owl and Barn Owl at the La Chua Trail on Sunday evening. Meet on the boardwalk at 8 p.m.
This morning’s San Felasco Hammock field trip was successful. It started with a bang, when a Broad-winged Hawk flew over the parking lot, giving everyone a good look – except me, since I was across the street checking the trail mileages at the informational kiosk. We went left from the kiosk, following the Yellow Trail, then cut back on the Hammock Connector, and returned to the parking lot via the Blue/Yellow Trail, a walk of about three and a quarter miles. We found the Eastern Wood-Pewee where the Yellow Trail meets the Hammock Connector, got looks at Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos along the Hammock Connector, and, shortly after turning onto the Blue/Yellow Trail, found Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded Warbler. But most of us only heard the Hooded, didn’t see it, so four of us (out of the original ten) crossed the street and walked down the Moonshine Creek Trail a little past the first bridge to a place where a creek flows over the trail, and there we found a Hooded that wasn’t so shy.
Yesterday Chris Cattau found a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron along Camps Canal. “Coming from the road, I think it would have been about 50 yards after the trail does that steep downhill drop.” He sent a map:
https://goo.gl/maps/rLZAHR3SVZ32
Two days ago Karen Brown saw a flock of Wild Turkeys “on the east side of Hague Dairy Road just before NW 156th Avenue.”
More White-winged Doves. Chris Cattau writes, “I’ve had good luck the last two years in the neighborhood just east of Newberry elementary school. This year I pulled over at the intersection of SW 254th Street and SW 17th Avenue in Newberry and saw 4-5 without even getting out of the car, including two mating in a tree in someone’s front yard, and I heard singing coming from what seemed like all directions. Last year I saw two at the same intersection with just a little more effort.” Yesterday Cindy Boyd saw two, and heard several more, in the Watermelon Pond WEA parking lot on SW 250th Street.
Chris Farrell of Audubon Florida requested that this message be distributed to all Audubon chapters in North Florida: “Julington-Durbin Preserve is a great example of Florida’s work to conserve habitats that birds depend on. The preserve is truly a special place that contains rare sandhill habitat that grades down through wetlands to the shores of Julington and Durbin Creeks. It is a wonderful refuge for people and wildlife given the highly developed surroundings. Unfortunately, local developers are attempting to purchase most of this preserve for conversion to more residential development! We need to make sure decision-makers understand the importance of this habitat and refuse the proposal. I’m asking birders to visit the preserve and send me a short summary of their experience. Did you see a unique species, an interesting behavior, or just enjoy the peace of being with nature? I will use these accounts as we talk with decision-makers to avoid losing this special place. Please send any accounts of your visits, including pictures, to Chris Farrell at cfarrell@audubon.org . Thanks for your support!” The Julington-Durbin Preserve is at 13130 Bartram Park Boulevard in Jacksonville. It’s one of only a couple of places in Duval County where you can find Bachman’s Sparrow. If you go, the e-Bird Hotspot is at https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1674650
(By the way, for those too young, too old, or outside the mainstream, the subject line refers to a pop song from 1986.)