October’s End
With the anticipation of strong southwesterly winds today and the remote possibility of pelagics thanks to Hurricane Zeta, we arrived at the refuge about 7:45 this morning. What was quite strange was with the exception of a refuge staff vehicle, there were no other vehicles on our drive to the lighthouse. And no vehicles at the lighthouse. Felt as we were in a dead zone having the refuge to ourselves. Winds were generally out of the southwest at 15 mph with a few gusts up to 25 mph. Most birds were either airborne or hunkered down behind stiff vegetation.
Pelagics including frigatebirds were not to be had. Ducks were also difficult to locate. We had a lone female Blue-winged Teal. Two flocks of approximately 20 to 25 ducks each were observed but could not get a decent ID. One flock over Lighthouse Pool appeared to be Redheads and the other over East River Pool may have been Blue-winged. Neither landed or were close enough to satisfy our guestimate IDs.
There were large numbers of a few species, numbers that we have not seen in the recent past: Willet 100+, White bis (adults) 100+, tree swallows over Lighthouse Pool 60+, Red-winged Blackbirds 150+ in an extended flock heading south toward Stoney Bayou Pool #1. The flamingo was in the center of Mounds Pool #1, approximately 500 feet east of Lighthouse Road. Checked the hammock behind the bathrooms and found a single Black & White Warbler, a couple of cardinals and a catbird. Lynn heard a cacophony of chips, whistles and caws in the hammock but was not able to discern the callers due to the wind in the trees and none showed any signs of fluttering amongst the wind-blown movements of the leaves and palm fronds.
Today’s list: (40 species)
- Blue-winged Teal: 1 female
- Pied-billed Grebe: 5
- American Flamingo: 1 Mounds Pool #1
- Double-crested Cormorant: 75
- Anhinga: 2 (male & female)
- Brown Pelican: 27
- Great Blue Heron: 6
- Great Egret: 31
- Snowy Egret: 6
- Little Blue Heron: 5 (adult)
- Tricolored Heron: 6 (adult: 5, 1st yr 1)
- Reddish Egret: 1 (adult)
- Green Heron: 1
- Black-crowned Night Heron: 1 (1st year)
- White Ibis: 100+ (adults on dry flats northeast of lighthouse)
- Turkey Vulture: 3
- Osprey: 1
- Bald Eagle: 1 (adult on nest at pine island on west side of Lighthouse Road)
- Northern Harrier: 1 (female / juv.)
- Clapper Rail: 1 (heard in salt marsh)
- Common Gallinule: 4 (in Headquarwters Pond)
- Greater Yellowlegs: 4
- Willet: 100+ (salt marsh bar east side of Lighthouse Road)
- Ruddy Turnstone: 1
- Laughing Gull: 36
- Herring Gull: 1 (1st winter)
- Forster’s Tern: 7
- Royal Tern: 4
- Black Skimmer: 5
- Belted Kingfisher: 4
- Tree Swallow: 60+ (flock over Lighthouse Pool)
- Carolina Wren: 1 (heard)
- Gray Catbird: 3 (hammock behind bathrooms)
- Northern Mockingbird: 2
- Brown Thrasher: 1 (hammock behind bathrooms)
- Black and White Warbler: 1 (hammock behind bathrooms)
- Eastern Towhee: 2
- Northern Cardinal: 6 (male & female)
- Red-winged Blackbird: 150+ (large flocks)
- Boat-tailed Grackle: 30+
Harry Hooper, Tallahassee