I write as an intended inspiration. If you haven’t birded FL, it is fun !!  And the beaches and palm trees are soothing. (temps got to mid 80‘s)

Read on if you wish…..now back to the local and our spring.

Just back from a family trip to Florida. The focus was not birding, but I managed to get in a decent share. Even birded with Corinth’s John Sutton.  All sites

visited are on the Great FL Birding Trail.     Indian River Waste Water Treatment Plant,  Vero Beach was my favorite.    Did make it up to Merritt Is. NWF.

111 species.  2 firsts:  2 separate Least Bitterns, and bunch of looks at Ma and Pa Painted Buntings.  Heron family is everywhere.  Not many Wood Storks.  Lots of water.…so many waders.         1000’s of Am. Coot !!    Vultures abound.   No shortage of people or traffic but terrific birding !!! 

Florida    Birding       March 13-21, 2016

_ Common Loon                       1

_ Pied-billed Grebe        50        

_ American White Pelican           30

_ Brown Pelican                        100

_ Double-crested Cormorant

_ Anhinga

_ Magnificent Frigatebird                       9

_ American Bittern         1

_ Least Bittern               2    (first)

_ Great Blue Heron

_ Great Egret

_ Snowy Egret

_ Little Blue Heron

_ Tricolored Heron

_ Cattle Egret    lots

_ Green Heron

_ Black-crowned Night-Heron     4

_ White Ibis       lots

_ Glossy Ibis     lots

_ Roseate Spoonbill      30

_ Wood Stork   6

_ Black Vulture

_ Turkey Vulture

_ Wood Duck

_ Mottled Duck

_ Blue-winged Teal        400

_ Northern Shoveler       2

_ Green-winged Teal      2

_ Ring-necked Duck      40

_ Lesser Scaup             120

_ Hooded Merganser     20

_ Red-breasted Merganser         1

_ Osprey           lots

_ Swallow-tailed Kite      2

_ Snail Kite                   8   (all together)

_ Bald Eagle                 2

_ Northern Harrier          2

_ Sharp-shinned Hawk   1

_ Red-shouldered Hawk             5

_ Crested Caracara        4

_ American Kestrel        6

_ Sora                          2 (great looks at one)

_ Purple Gallinule          2

_ Common Gallinule      40

_ American Coot                       1000’s

_ Limpkin                      10

_ Sandhill Crane                        8

_ Black-bellied Plover                8

_ Killdeer                                  2

_ Black-necked Stilt                   20

_ American Avocet                    6

_ Greater Yellowlegs                  3

_ Lesser Yellowlegs                   24

_ Willet                         24

_ Spotted Sandpiper     1

_ Ruddy Turnstone                    12

_ Sanderling                  30

_ Least Sandpiper         30

_ Stilt Sandpiper                       40

_ Long-billed Dowitcher             60

_ Wilson’s Snipe                       1

_ Laughing Gull             50

_ Ring-billed Gull           lots

_ Herring Gull                a few

_ Caspian Tern              4

_ Royal Tern                  4

_ Black Skimmer                       1

_ Rock Dove                 60        

_ Eurasian Collared-Dove          8

_ White-winged Dove                 1

_ Mourning Dove                       20

_ Belted Kingfisher                    12

_ Red-bellied Woodpecker                     8

_ Downy Woodpecker               2

_ Hairy Woodpecker                  2

_ Eastern Phoebe          1

_ Blue-headed Vireo      2

_ Blue Jay

_ Florida Scrub-Jay   1  at Merritt Island, in pk lot

_ American Crow                       pile

_ Fish Crow                   lots

_ Tree Swallow              100’s

_ Tufted Titmouse                     6

_ House Wren               1

_ Ruby-crowned Kinglet             2

_ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher             1

_ Eastern Bluebird                     1

_ Gray Catbird                           8

_ Northern Mockingbird             everywhere

_ European Starling

_ Northern Parula                       4

_ Yellow-rumped Warbler            lots

_ Yellow-throated Warbler          1

_ Pine Warbler               1

_ Prairie Warbler                        1

_ Palm Warbler                          lots

_ Black-and-white Warbler          2

_ American Redstart      1

_ Common Yellowthroat 6

_ Eastern Towhee          1

_ Savannah Sparrow      4

_ Song Sparrow                        1

_ Swamp Sparrow                     4         

_ Northern Cardinal

_ Painted Bunting            pair,  first ever.

_ Red-winged Blackbird

_ Eastern Meadowlark               2

_ Common Grackle

_ Boat-tailed Grackle                 lots

_ Brown-headed Cowbird

_ House Sparrow

Happy days.

Bill Shepard       

Project Coordinator

CT River Birding Trail

2360 Academy Road

Thetford Center, VT  05075

Home: 802 785-2855