I led a very enthusiastic group of birders through some of the trails in the preserve this morning. When Whitey Markle asked me to lead a group from the St John's-Suwanee Sierra Club, little did I know that we would be starting at 10:00 AM. I voiced my doubts that there would be many birds around at that time. I soon was to realize that some birds did in fact wait around for us. The species weren't in abundance, but we did get some good looks at a few good birds. Yellow-throated Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Pine Warbler, Northern Parula, and my first of the season Blackpoll Warbler. I did not get a photo of the Blackpoll today, but dug through my photos and found the one I have posted here from 2016. There also were at least 4 Clapper Rails calling out along the marsh edges. We all got a good look at one at the canoe launch. For the two hour trip a total of 26 species was recorded and the eBird link can be seen here.
Good Birding and good company.
Fred Hileman
President
Citrus County Audubon
Good Birding and good company.
Fred Hileman
President
Citrus County Audubon