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 To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe: E-mail this command to [log in to unmask]: UNSUBSCRIBE UV-Birders To change your e-mail address: E-mail this command from your old address to: [log in to unmask]: CHANGE UV-Birders [new e-mail address] Web based archives and subscription management are available at: http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html