I turned off of US 98 onto Lighthouse Road at 5:30 am, heading to St. Marks NWR for a shorebird survey. I had time for several stops to listen for nightbirds – the gate doesn’t open until 6:00 am. A half moon intermittently appeared between clouds; its light muted by a high fog layer. Fireflies were blinking. Pig and Leopard frogs were croaking.
Chuck-wills-widows are still calling. They will quiet down when they start feeding young. A pair of Screech Owls gave their ululating trill from somewhere out in the woods and by the time the sun rose, I was at the far end of Stony Bayou and had added Least Bittern, Wood Duck and Barred Owl to my list.
Shorebird populations at St. Marks peak in mid-winter and are at their low point in late June. Our shorebird numbers have dropped 85% over the last two weeks as wintering birds have left and migrating species have finished moving through. Today, I had only 349 shorebirds of 15 species. There were still a few late migrants: White-rumped and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit and Red Knot. Semipalmated Sandpiper numbers are still strong, but they don't usually drop until June.
There were local breeders; Wilson's Plovers, Willets and a pair of Oystercatchers. The remaining birds included species in which first year birds don't migrate, like Semipalmated & Black-bellied Plover and Short-billed Dowitcher. Most of them were in non-breeding plumage.
It’s late May at the refuge. Beautyberry and Rose Mallow are blooming. There are clouds of dragonflies. Female Eastern Kingbirds are gathering thistle down to line their nests and the heat of summer is settling in for a long stay. It is an interesting year at the refuge.
Long-legged waders: herons, egrets and ibis, are scarce this summer. For years the big rookery on East River Pool had provided a morning spectacle as hundreds of waders took flight, heading out to feed. The rookery is almost empty now, possibly a victim of several dry Springs that dropped the water level on East River Pool. Wading bird rookeries need water for protection. The occasional nestling that falls in the water attracts gators, which keep nest predators like racoons at bay. The waders have moved off, but perhaps they will return.
Purple Gallinules are returning to Headquarters Pond, where they used to be plentiful. Salt water from Hurricane Michael killed the White Waterlilies in the pond. Purple Gallinules spend most of their time walking on floating vegetation and had depended on the waterlilies floating leaves. Then, a strange thing happened. There had been a small patch of Sacred Lotus in the back of Headquarters Pond, which survived the hurricane and has now spread across the pond. Purple Gallinules have returned and are using the lotus’ floating leaves as platforms from which to feed.
Reddish Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills are showing up at the refuge. They have South Florida populations that nest early and they are now dispersing Northward. They are most plentiful at the refuge in June.
Come down to St. Marks. There’s still a bit of shorebird migration to go, breeding birds to watch and always something interesting going on
Don Morrow - Tallahassee, FL