Twenty participants enjoyed a beautiful evening for the Sunset Boat Tour, leaving the dock at Crystal River Preserve State Park.    Park Volunteer and Citrus Audubon member Holly Alexander provided the group on the boat tour of the refuge with interesting history and facts while pointing out numerous Eagle and Osprey nest.   Some of the nest were occupied, while a few nearby trees held mature birds we enjoyed viewing and photographing.
A most wonderful evening with a stunning sunset was enjoyed by all. Kathy Lemmer

​Sixteen birders had a very enjoyable and productive morning at Inglis Island

and managed to tally around 60 species!  The "Bird of the Day" honor had to
be split between a Summer Tanager and Prothonotary Warbler which were
very cooperative.

Starting off the trip in the large open area just inside the gate, a very active 
male American Kestrel provided great views as it flew from tree to tree and
several Yellow-throated Warblers were also flying back and forth between
trees, possibly feeding a youngster which was seen inside one of the trees. 
Another cooperative bird was an Anhinga drying out at the Dam and seemed
to enjoy showing off its "courting" turquoise eye make-up.

                        Another great CCAS Trip, Jim & Eileen ​

​On Friday March 22, twenty five arrived to a beautiful morning for birding. We headed straight out to the Temple Mound at the Crystal River and climbed to the top to enjoy the wonderful view and to spot several birds. Afterward we explored both the open field and wooded area of Mullet Hole and the Crystal Cove Trail which led us again to the Crystal River.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the beautiful scenery with coves, ponds and trails through the woods that this area has to offer.   Kathy Lemmer
Bald eagle                               Osprey                                                 Brown Pelican
Anhinga                                   Yellow-crowned Night Heron             Great Egret                
Red-bellied Woodpecker        Red-winged Blackbird                         Red-shouldered Hawk
Pileated Woodpecker             Common Grackle                                Mockingbird   
Cardinal                                  Ground Dove                                       Gray Catbird              
Eastern Bluebird                     Palm Warbler                                     Northern Parula         
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher           Bufflehead                                          Chickadee                  
Titmouse                                 Hermit thrush                                     TV/BV

Twenty folks joined our CCAS Trip at Potts Preserve for a rewarding and

adventurous bird walk.  The group tallied 34 species, including two special
appearances-a pair of Swallow-tailed Kites soaring low over the trees and
several Yellow-throated Vireos along the 2 1/2 mile trek.

Also, five species of warblers were seen, including the Yellow-throated and
the Black and White and the Woodpecker "Grand Slam" was achieved, with
the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker heard at the boat ramp.  

The bonus adventure for some was the crossing of the slightly challenging
boardwalk across a very wet cypress slough!  

                    Another fun Audubon Trip, Jim & Eileen
​

​Nine chilly birders began our annual car caravan through Half Moon Preserve.
Fortunately the morning warmed up a bit, remaining brisk and sunny- perfect
for lots of bird activity.  We drove the main road stopping occasionally along
the way.  At McKinney Rd we began our walk through beautiful oak hammock 
to the boardwalk.  Mills Creek meanders below- a very pretty sight with purple 
Iris in bloom, a Belted Kingfisher flying across, and the hoot of a Barred Owl
in the distance.  Oh, and a Wild Turkey briefly seen along the way !  The 34
species seen are posted on ebird.   Eileen Riccio

​3/1/2019

While fourteen hard working bird folks trudged a couple of miles up, down and around in the sun, three others enjoyed a mini big sit on the hill and in the shade.  They were Mike Smith, Mavis Grebenc, and Christie Anderberg.  Their "efforts" yielded a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a male American Redstart, and two female orioles!  The trudgers accounted for another forty two species including:
Six woodpecker species including upwards of ten Red-heads.  No Red-cockadeds or Hairies.
Six warbler species, including Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-throated, and Black and White.
Two Wood Ducks
A Blue-headed Vireo
A tom turkey that flew right past us
We tried hard to detect Bobwhite Quail that we know to be present, but we were unsuccessful.  Ken Spilios even braved the heather a couple of times trying to flush them.
A very enjoyable outing was had by all, especially the sitters.   Rey Wells

​​Seven excited folks joined us for our annual OWP bird trip and we were

immediately surprised when a Volunteer came up and told us that the
Tram was waiting for us!  Our driver/guide Mary was excellent and had
some good spottings for us, like Blue-headed and White-eyed Vireos and
a Gull-billed Tern hanging out with a Caspian and Forster's Terns.

The second surprise was the number of White Pelicans there and Mary
told us they had just arrived, all 200 of them!  We managed to see 52
species and all contributed to our tally which was great.  Some of the birds
were as follows:

o  Many Roseate Spoonbills well distributed around the ponds
o  Black-crowned Night Herons
o  Purple Gallinules
o  Bald Eagle
o  Many Wood Storks
o  Green Heron
o  All Egrets and Herons except Reddish Egret
o  Many Glossy Ibis with their deceptive green and bronze colors glowing
o   Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

The final surprise was a turquoise and black snake on the trail!  

          Another great day at Orlando Wetlands Park, Jim & Eileen

The Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk also sat for us  and gave us good poses .  Photo by Thomas Gulley
The Vermilion Flycatcher was a bit more elusive, but was seen by most as was a Yellow Warbler.  The day turned out excellent and let us tally 63 species.  The eBird list is here