Greetings,

Mr. Gail Menk and I headed out to the Springhill Road Sewer Treatment Plant as
well as the Southeast Farm one this morning.  A few interesting finds:

  At Springhill Rd, we encountered over 50 cattle egret.  They're back!  We also
came across a solitary sandpiper, ~4 stilt sandpipers, and a number of migrating
E. kingbirds.

  At Southeast Farm, there were 3 redheads still lingering.  We also got some
good looks at a white-rumped sandpiper. Gail contacted me this afternoon, and
said he believed this was an early record for the county.  Additional sightings
here included blue grosbeak, swallow-tailed kite, and a loggerhead shrike that
was feeding on a sparrow or finch that he had impaled on the barb-wire fence!

  Cheers,

  -Andy Lantz

---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In addition to the report by Andrew Lantz and Gail Menk there is a sandpiper at
Tram small pools 1,2 and 3
that suggests a Reeve with longish yellow legs, scaly buff upperparts and an
unmaked buff-gray breast.
Colorful bill is two-toned. In flight the tail has white outer ovals as in
Peterson. Face is buffy, It is larger than the White-rumped Sandpiper. I have
many photos to develope. Seen between 2:30 and 5:00.

If you go it is best to park near the main building and go in and ask
permission. Closed on the weekend.

Jim Cavanagh
Tallahassee


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I received a call from Gail Menk yesterday afternoon regarding the "Mystery
Bird" at the Tram Road Sprayfield ponds sited by Jim Cavanaugh.  I went out both
late yesterday afternoon and this morning without much luck.  I thought I had it
spotted yesterday but didn't get a really good look.  Later on, I found what I
thought was the same bird but it had a very dark breast with an abrupt cuttoff
and was pretty obviously a Pectoral Sandpiper. I found it again this morning.  
Jim's description indicated a clear breast and a thin, bicolored bill.  My bird,
like Jim's, was buffy in overall color, about the size of a Solitary Sandpiper
(nearby) a scaly pattern to the back, and a bicolored bill.  But the bill was
relatively thick and the breast was definitely not clear.  I feel we are
definitely talking about two different birds.

Other observations of potential interest:

Redhead - 2 male, 1 female
Missippi Kite - flying over ponds this morning
Black-bellied Plover - about 5 yesterday, none in full breeding plumage
Lesser Yellowlegs - lots
Solitary Sandpiper - at least 2
Spotted Sandpiper - seen yesterday only
Least Sanpiper - scads
Semipalmated Sandpiper - at least 2.  Based on dark legs, size relative to
leasts, rel. short thick bill, black and white coloration.
White-rumped Sandpiper - at least 2 rump apparent on flushing
Stilt Sandpiper - at least 2
Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows (thought I saw a Bank and maybe a Tree
Swallow but the little buggers were moving too fast for me)
Loggerhead Shrike

Marvin Collins
Tallahassee


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

For those of you who wished they could encounter the American bitterns
on Lake Miccosukee, there is still one at Piney Z Lake, (Lake
Lafayette).  After working on the least tern platform, we again saw the
lone bittern on the north east corner of Piney Z.  By heading towards
the east levee, walk across it and scan around the canoe portage sign.
If no luck, then walk among the button bushes and grassy point coming up
with volunteer pines.  It is dry enough (the lake is down 3 feet) for
most to walk without wet feet.  Look for sparrows, too.

A fellow birder, and list reader, wrote me back and proclaimed "I really
dig the black primaries and secondaries. Kind of odd on a brown bird."
(J.S.)  I tend to agree.  He was politely skeptical that I saw so many
AMBI on Miccosukee!  (and I had witnesses!)

We still have least terns, at least 5.  I also saw a lone forester tern,
feeding on the lake.  A challenge we are having on the nesting island
will be the vegetation.  We applied herbicide, sparingly, to keep the
area beach like.  One surprise, was signs of 6 turtle (softshell)
nesting sites.  I watched one actually scooping out her nest.

Michael Hill
Tallahassee

Friday morning, Bill Hudgens, Saiju Gangadharan and I kayaked Lake Lafayette for
a couple of hours.  There were a number of Osprey, Boat-tailed grackles and
Red-winged blackbirds feeding babies in their nests along the dikes.  Saw
several flocks of Cattle egrets as well.

A Spotted sandpiper in breeding plumage reported by Tracee Strohman last week
was seen in the middle of the lake on a snag along with a Least tern.

The water level is near its lower limit but there is still enough water for
paddling and worth the trip if you can go.

Below is a list of what we saw:

Great blue heron


Great egret
Little blue heron
Green heron
Wood duck
Turkey vulture
Osprey
Anhinga
Bald eagle
Red-shouldered hawk
Common moorhen
American coot
Purple gallinule
Least tern
Spotted sandpiper
Red-bellied woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker
Great-crested flycatcher
Eastern kingbird
Prothonotary warbler
Barn swallow
Purple martin
Cattle egret
American crow
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
White-eyed vireo
Red-winged blackbird
Boat-tailed grackle
Common grackle

Fred Dietrich
Tallahassee, FL




---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Three glossy ibis at Crowder Road landing, Lake Jackson.

moorhen on nest

Very slow at the Indian mounds trail at Lake Jackson.? I was birding with my 6
year old who discovered 17 different ways to make fallen magnolia leaves pop
when you step on them----that may have limited my success.? I was looking for
migrating thrush-----no luck.? Some of the usual suspects, many were absent.

8 black-crowned night herons in Fred George sink's swamp.

Rodney Cassidy
Tallahassee


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lydia and I experienced our best fallout ever in north Florida this evening.??As
a very slow warbler day but a pretty good shorebird day rolled by on my 34th day
of birding in the last 36 days, it seemed this would not be one for our "record
books".?? We had a 7 warbler day going with a number of good shorebirds,
etc.?including Reddish Egret, Red Knots, WR sandpiper, GH Owl, Acadian
flycatchers,? seven brown-headed nuthatches, swamp sparrows, bank swallow,
seaside sparrow, and many of the showy shorebirds that have been reported the
last few weeks.? We also had 3 YB cuckoos before 6 pm to go with the seven
warbler species.

At 6:20 pm a bluish storm cloud rolled through and the winds began to
swirland.??At 6:21 pm 4 warblers landed in one of the oaks and I looked at my
watch as the oxygenated swirling winds (and the 4 warblers) told me things had
just changed.? In the next one hour?and 20 minutes we had 18 species of
warblers?in good volume, ??and my best and longest looks at a Canada warbler in
19 years in Florida.? I've seen them in a number of states before Florida.? The
Canada?flashed?its white eye-ring and the necklace was perfect.? A few years ago
in Texas as Frontera Audubon, I was watching a?Canada warbler when a well-known
bird guide walked up with his clients in tow.? He asked what?I was looking at I
told him a?"perfect canada"--like today's.? He said, I haven't seen a Canada
in?the Valley in 10 years----then he raised his binoculars and said " and there
is my first" and quickly showed his group.

One thing I like about birding is the correlation between work and success,?the
harder I work the luckier I get, I'm not sure that is true in most endeavors.

Bird List:? 114 species---18 species of warbler

Canada Warbler-----------1
Northern Parula----------22
Magnolia Warbler---------3
Cape May-------------------4
Yellow-throated-----------5
pine----------------------------7
prairie------------------------2
palm--------------------------1
Blackpoll-------------------3
Black & White----------3
American Redstart-----------8---three on one limb at the same time
Prothonotary------------1
Worm-eating------------1
Ovenbird-----------------1
Northern Waterthrush---------4-----my best ever in Florida
Louisiana Waterthrush-------2-----one posed for and hour and we took a number of
pics-----he stayed wide open and low and in the same area----aren't they
late????
Common yellowthroat--------4
Yellow-breasted chat---------1
Rose-breasted groskbeak------3-----beautiful male low and open
Summer tanagers------no scarlets

We also struck out on GC and Swainson's thrushes------I've looked for them?for
three days in two counties and I can't buy one.? I guess complaining wouldn't be
appropriate.....


If anybody wants to go tomorrow----I'm game---email -----it's not like I'm
setting home after today's results.? The fallout stopped at?7:48 pm-----when I
had time to look at my watch again.
The only thing we couldn't find were birders.


Rodney and Lydia Cassidy
Tallahassee, Florida

PS? We had a three legged alligator on the trail just behind the "bathroom
mound" that lay in the trail like a dog, it?would?occasionally hiss as we walked
by on the trail, it was?still there when we left around dark.?? Our first night
in a while to not see caprimulgids driving out after dark.


We couldn't post earlier------we just got in.
????


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Good morning nflbirders,

The following is a review by Gail Menk of the:

History of Robins in Tallahassee.

In her posting of 4 April (nflbirds), Linda Most suggested that this Nimrod
"will have some comment on the history of robins in Tallahassee".  Why not ?  - 
as follows:

In a letter to Tallahassee ornithologist Robert White Williams dated September
27, 1925, Francis M. Weston, author of "A Study of the Birdlife of Northwestern
Florida", wrote from Pensacola:

"I was very much surprised at your expectation of the probable future nesting of
the robin and the house wren in northern Florida.  I do not know how much either
of them is extending their ranges, but it would never have occurred to me that
either would ever reach this far south in summer".

To date, I know of no hard-core evidence of the house wren ever nesting in
Florida;  however, Williams would no doubt have felt vindicated to learn, around
seven years after his death in 1940, that "Turdus migratorius" was first
confirmed as a breeding species in Florida on 22 August 1947 in Pensacola where,
ironically, Weston had resided since 1916.

In Tallahassee, J. C. Hardin observed a robin during 27 July through September
of 1943.  On 29 July 1961, Storrs Olson found an adult with 3 fledglings in town
which was confirmation of the second breeding record for the state.

Since 1960, there have been increasing reports of nesting robins or occurrence
of the species during summer at many sites in Tallahassee and to date I have
personally "mapped" more than 45 such sites mostly within the inner city and
within an area encompassed by Capital Circle and Interstate 10.

During the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas project, 1986-9191, the species was
confirmed as nesting in Escambia, Calhoun, Leon, and Duval counties. 
Interestingly, these four counties are in an alignment approximately 32 degrees
latitude, and any confirmed nesting below that parallel in the Gulf coastal
counties of north Florida would likely indicate a further extension of the
breeding range of "Turdus migratorius" which has been phenomenal during past
decades.

Robins, robins everywhere, or so it seems  -  Enjoy !

(Mr.) Gail E. Menk


Harry Hooper
Tallahassee, Florida



      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

As a humorous side bar to this excellent account, let me share how this lovely
species became dinner table discussion cuisine a half-century ago.

Around the time Storrs found the breeding birds in Tallahassee, my mother
(Rosabelle) came home from teaching one summer day at Ruediger School on Tharpe
Street, and told my dad (Dr. Henry) that her school children got great looks at
a robin outside her classroom. Ever the gruff skeptic, old Dad corrected her,
saying it was likely a towhee. This was about the biggest disagreement I ever
saw the two have! She was almost in tears.

The next day, just to show her how wrong she was, he went out to Ruediger
School, and here came the robin, hop hop hopping along. Mother grinned from ear
to ear, and there was no more sobbin'.

The lessons I took from my parents that day was that A) Stand your ground if you
think you're right, B) There's nothing wrong with skepticism, so long as it
doesn't become narrow-mindedness, and C) Rather than being pig-headed, do what's
necessary to find out the truth.

Peace to all of you,

Jim in Galveston


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Harry Hooper
   To: nflbirds
   Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 10:02 AM
   Subject: [nflbirds] Robins in Tallahassee


   Good morning nflbirders,

   The following is a review by Gail Menk of the:

   History of Robins in Tallahassee.

   In her posting of 4 April (nflbirds), Linda Most suggested that this Nimrod
"will have some comment on the history of robins in Tallahassee". Why not ? - as
follows:

   In a letter to Tallahassee ornithologist Robert White Williams dated September
27, 1925, Francis M. Weston, author of "A Study of the Birdlife of Northwestern
Florida", wrote from Pensacola:

   "I was very much surprised at your expectation of the probable future nesting
of the robin and the house wren in northern Florida. I do not know how much
either of them is extending their ranges, but it would never have occurred to me
that either would ever reach this far south in summer".

   To date, I know of no hard-core evidence of the house wren ever nesting in
Florida; however, Williams would no doubt have felt vindicated to learn, around
seven years after his death in 1940, that "Turdus migratorius" was first
confirmed as a breeding species in Florida on 22 August 1947 in Pensacola where,
ironically, Weston had resided since 1916.

   In Tallahassee, J. C. Hardin observed a robin during 27 July through September
of 1943. On 29 July 1961, Storrs Olson found an adult with 3 fledglings in town
which was confirmation of the second breeding record for the state.

   Since 1960, there have been increasing reports of nesting robins or occurrence
of the species during summer at many sites in Tallahassee and to date I have
personally "mapped" more than 45 such sites mostly within the inner city and
within an area encompassed by Capital Circle and Interstate 10.

   During the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas project, 1986-9191, the species was
confirmed as nesting in Escambia, Calhoun, Leon, and Duval counties.
Interestingly, these four counties are in an alignment approximately 32 degrees
latitude, and any confirmed nesting below that parallel in the Gulf coastal
counties of north Florida would likely indicate a further extension of the
breeding range of "Turdus migratorius" which has been phenomenal during past
decades.

   Robins, robins everywhere, or so it seems - Enjoy !

   (Mr.) Gail E. Menk

   Harry Hooper
   Tallahassee, Florida

   __________________________________________________________
   Be a better friend, newshound, and
   know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






------------------------------------------------------------------------------


   No virus found in this incoming message.
   Checked by AVG.
   Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.8/1413 - Release Date: 5/3/2008
11:22 AM


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It was far from a fallout, but there was good activity all day today at the
SGISP Youth Camp.  Saw 17 species of warbler, highlights being:

Bay-breasted (3 ad/m)
Magnolia (4 ad/m)
Cape May (1 ad/m, 1 ad/f)
Black-throated blue (1 ad/f)
Black-throated green (1 ad/m)
Yellow-breasted chat

Other migrants:

Y-B cuckoo (8)
R-T hummingbird (10)
E wood-pewee (2)
Swainson's thrush (2)
Wood thrush (1)
R-E vireo (12)
Scarlet tanager (4)
R-B grosbeak (1)
Blue grosbeak (4)
Indigo bunting (3)

The biggest surprise, though, was that I was there from 9:00 until 5:30 and saw
only 1 other birder the entire time.

John Murphy
Alligator Pt, FL

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Eventful day birding.? By 3 pm we had 5 of the resident warblers, the usual but
good shorebirds and a "lost" redhead duck.? We only ended up with 95 species for
a 10 plus hour birding day.? Lydia found one outstanding bird----a Philadelphia
vireo------we watched it for twenty minutes and I did my best to turn it in to a
warbling vireo-----so that I would have 7 vireo species in north Florida in a
month.? My conscience, its dark?lores, and the three witnesses prevented me from
making it into the warbling vireo that I need for Florida.? When Lydia said
"there is something wrong with this vireo, it's too small and the yellow is
washed across its breast the eye isn't red or yellow"--------I thought, here we
go again!!? We found Fritz Davis' Bell's vireo in an oak 30 yards from this one
8 days ago.?

Thanks to birders Diane Vacca and Sylvia Cohen of Tallahassee who helped us
track the vireo for 10 to 15 minutes while Lydia was doing her best to take
pictures of this hyper vireo.? They showed up about 20 minutes after Lydia found
the PhVi, and got good looks at the vireo as well.? I think that I'll buy a
lotto ticket now------- I've had an outstanding bird---by my standards--------
for each of 5 weeks in a row Philadelphia Vireo------Bell's Vireo--------Gray
Kingbird--in Tallahassee-----Wilson's Warbler------Canada Warbler-------three
mini-fallouts and a second Philadelphia Vireo in a little more than a month.? I
had my 200th species in Wakulla County?since the last week of March, I've only
missed two days of birding since the last week of March-------that may be
affecting my luck.

John Murphy's post indicating the 17 warbler day with no birders in sight is
very comparable to my May observations.? I saw 4 birders all day in St. Marks,
it is a near miracle that Diane and Sylvia showed up while we were tracking the
Philadelphia vireo.? We had been alone for two days of birding.

Other good birds included:

Yellow wablers------2-------very bright
American redstarts-------7--------usually they are a one or two bird affair at
St Marks
Bobolink
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Chuck-wills-widow

Almost zero migrant activity until 7 pm.



Rodney and Lydia Cassidy? plus mini birding?crew
Tallahassee, Florida






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I head out to St. Mark's yesterday and had a decent
morning.  While I didn't have as much success as
Rodney, I was happy!  53 species.  Around the tower
pond trail and bathroom area, I came across these
migrants:

Common yellowthroat
Yellow-throated warbler
Black-and-white warbler
Black-throated-blue warbler (female)
Blackpoll warbler
Prothonotary warbler
Swainson's Warbler (probably???)

Today I went out with Gail Menk to a few local spots.
Here's some of the highlights:

*2 soaring Mississippi kites at Stoneler Rd.
*Red-eyed vireo calls and a summer tanager at
Ochlocknee WMA.
*Swallow-tailed kite and Prothonotary warbler at the
end of Tower Rd.
*N. rough winged swallows and a large water moccasin
that I came close to stepping on at the Edison
wetland.  Apparently it has become a tradition that
when I go birding with Gail, I get scared by a snake.

Cheers,

-Andy





      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
Birdsong Nature Center
Saturday, May 10
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  $3 Friends, $6 nonmembers, children half-price

* 8:30 AM Bluebird Trail monitoring

International Migratory Bird day is held annually worldwide on
the second Saturday in May and is an invitation to celebrate
and support migratory bird conservation. The theme for 2008 is
“Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, and People.” 

Migratory birds travel long distances between breeding and
non-breeding sites throughout the western hemisphere. In 2008,
IMBD will explore the birds that make these fantastic journeys,
the habitats on which they depend, and the people who are important
to the conservation of birds and their habitats along the way.

Join us at Birdsong and learn about birds, their habitats, and migration.
Pick up your Migratory Bird Card and take a walk through several bird
information and activity stations, visit our Bird Window and Butterfly Garden,
and take a short hike on our trails. Bird information/activity stations will be
available from 10 AM to 2 PM. Two guided walks will be scheduled.
Bird Window and Trails are open from 9 AM to 5 PM; a self-guided trail map
is available. There will be a short presentation on migration at 11 AM and
Backyard Birds at 1 PM.

Those interested in bluebirds may want to join our Bluebird Trail monitors
at 8:30 AM. See information on Bluebird Trail Workdays in the newsletter.

1-800-953-BIRD
birdsong@...
http://www.birdsongnaturecenter.org

Birdsong Nature Center is on N. Meridian Rd. (Rt. 155)
in Grady Co. GA, about 20 miles north of I-10. Watch for
the small sign, "Birdsong Nature Center", on the right,
4 miles past the Grady County sign.


Note from Fran:  I will be greeting visitors in the Bird Window from
noon to 2.  Stop in and say hello and see what birds are there.


--
Fran Rutkovsky
Tallahassee, FL
franrutkovsky@...

Biked from Forestmeadows to Lk Victoria and along Lk Jackson for 37 birds today.
The more interesting ones for me along this regular route were the Purple
Gallinule, E Wood Pewee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Cattle Egret, Red-tailed Hawk,
Black Vulture and lots of Indigo Buntings.

Last week I looked for the Osprey nest on the power lines off the Lk Overstreet
trails. They ended up ignoring the new platform and built on the power line
supports, despite the anti-nest metalwork that was installed a few months ago. A
Great Blue Heron nest is in a nearby pine tree like last year, too.

Tracee Strohman
Tallahassee

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am one of the leaders on the upcoming marathon pelagic out off Ponce Inlet on
Saturday May 17th. Are there any birders from the Tallahassee area going on the
trip? If so I have space for one in my truck and will be leaving town after work
(7pmish) on Friday 16th and returning on Sunday morning (18th). call me at
850-425-1170. Chris if you still want to carpool then that's cool but I wont be
coming home till Sunday am.

   I also wanted to let folk know that we have tickets available at Wild Birds
Unlimited for two events. The Apalchicola Riverkeeper festival which takes place
this coming Saturday and we also have tickets for the Apalachee Audubon Society
Annual Dinner on May 15th.

   cheers

   Andy Wraithmell
   www.surfbirds.com/blog/limeybirder
   www.wbu.com/tallahassee
   www.wbubirdingblog.blogspot.com





---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I managed to relocate the gray kingbird that I stumbled across the other day.?
(The gray kingbird that I had near my house two years ago that was very tolerant
of cars and people and I never saw it fly in alarm.)? This kingbird, which was
located between the 4th and 5th power poles?(1/4-1/2 miles south of the?south
gates?of the Springhill?treatment plant) south of the plant's?south fence line
on the ANF.? (The?forest service?road that runs east from?Springhill?Road is now
open again and except for one?dry sand patch at the entrance seems very
passable.? I made it through with no problems in a rear wheel drive street
vehicle.)? I pulled up directly under the bird, the bird is very skittish and
seems to move with traffic.? I glassed the wires from the west side and didn't
pick up the bird.? I made a 1/2 mile loop around the?"highline" and glassed back
from the east---at which time I spotted the bird.??Of the four times that I have
found this bird?it seems to react less when I?drive very slowly near the bird.

To get to the bird, turn left at the south boundary of the spray field.? Travel
east to the "overhead?electric transmission line" turn right on to the
electric?ROW.?? Two of the four times the bird was on the south fence line
within a few yards?of the FS road so watch close?on your?way to the power line.


I observed something yesterday evening?that I thought was interesting as well.?
An anhinga in Lake Jackson (hwy 27 launch) was beating a large centrarchid
(fish)?against a stump.? The bird seemed very experienced at this,? it appeared
to use momentum to rock the fish back and forth before slamming it into?a
stump?that it was sitting on.? The behavior went on?for 3-5 minutes.? Finally,
the fish became "more cooperative" and the?snakebird seemed to choke it down?a
little slower than usual, but the fish disappeared none the less.? There seemed
to be?much more thought in this process than I would have given the anhinga
species credit for.? I'm curious as to what is imprinted/hardwired and what is
learned in this species.

I've recently seen a few anhinga's?in town, very high up,?riding the thermals.?
In Texas, I've seen flocks of up to?2,000 anhinga?riding the thermals during
migration in both spring and fall-----has that behavior been observed
locally????----the last question marks were intentional.

10 BC night herons and 1 possible YC at the Fred George "roost" late yesterday.


Rodney Cassidy
Tallahassee, Florida


R????


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Folks,
Just wanted to let everyone know that the feeders at Tall Timbers will be
off-line for the summer (Through Labor day).  Regardless, you are always more
than welcome to bird TTRS.  However, be advised that we recently burned the
majority of habitats along and around the Stevenson Trail and Bird Window.  This
being said I was still able to string together a descent list of 50 species the
other day...  The highlight was Least Bittern.  During the summer months (Mid
May through August) birding is best from predawn to about 10:00 am.
Good Birds,C.K. Borg{ckborg@...}Tall Timbers / Tallahassee
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live SkyDrive lets you share files with faraway friends.
http://www.windowslive.com/skydrive/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_skyd\
rive_052008

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Apalachee Audubon Banquet and Program
Thursday, May 15,
United Church in Tallahassee, 1834 Mahan Dr.
Social begins at 6 PM, dinner served at 6:30
http://apalachee.org

The speaker will be Bob Montanaro, Pelican Island
Audubon Society, Vero Beach, FL

"Osprey Diary: Wildlife & People of Pelican Island National
Wildlife Refuge"
See http://www.ospreywatch.org for more info about the Osprey Project 

$10 tickets available through Wed, May 14, at Native Nurseries 
and Wild Birds Unlimited; Or purchase tickets at the door.
Our dinner features a homemade meal--- an accurate head
count of attendees for planning is important!

RSVP to Chef Tim Smith at 850/933-5979, esp. if you plan on
purchasing tickets at the door on May 15.


Bob Montanaro's presentation uses a combination of still and
video photography to tell the story of the 2007 Osprey nesting
season at Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
He also introduces us to some of the staff and volunteers who
work at the Refuge; they describe from first hand knowledge
some of the challenges now facing Pelican Island NWR and
America's refuge system as a whole.

Highlights of the program include dramatic still and video footage
of the Osprey young learning to fly, a very inquisitive Great Horned
Owl nestling, contentious Bald Eagle/Osprey encounters, heated
Osprey sibling rivalry, and other wildlife found elsewhere in the Refuge.

Pelican Island NWR was America's first Wildlife Refuge, established
in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Two Floridians approached
President Roosevelt with the need for creating this Refuge. Their request
followed a successful campaign two years earlier by the American
Ornithologists' Union and the Florida Audubon Society to pass legislation i
n Florida calling for the protection of non-game birds.

This year for dinner we'll enjoy a delicious homemade Greek meal,
courtesy of our very own local Audubon member Tim Smith, who
serves as both our Banquet & Awards Chairperson. Tickets are $10
per person available thru Wednesday, May 14 at Native Nurseries
or Wild Birds Unlimited. After May 14, purchase tickets at the door on
Thursday, May 15. Location is United Church in Tallahassee.
RSVP to Tim at 850/933-5979, especially if you plan to purchase
tickets at the door on Thursday, May 15.

Bob Montanaro's presentation is a perfect opportunity to learn more
about how we can continue the rich Florida tradition of protecting
our birds. Please join us for this special occasion and bring a friend
or family member with you!




--
Fran Rutkovsky
Tallahassee, FL
franrutkovsky@...

Gail Menk, Maggie Johnson and I went out to Rococo Rd. and Lake Miccosukee this
morning.  What a beautiful spot!   I believe we saw 34 species total, highlights
including:

pine warbler
northern parula
yellow-throated warbler
yellow-breasted chat
summer tanager
indigo bunting
white-eyed vireo
yellow-throated vireo
blue grosbeak
northern bobwhite

Cheers,

-Andy Lantz


---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We had an intersting afternoon today. We spotted one
wild Turkey coming for feed and water and then a
Turkey Vulture showed up to finish off a squirrel I
had knocked off. After they tried to nest under the
car hood and chewed wires I declared war!! A second
Turkey walked along the property line. An immature RT
Hummingbird joined the adults and went from feeder to
feeder and to the plants. We had at least 5 Tufted
Titmice squabbling, Chickadees, Cardinals, Blue jays
and Crows visited all day.A N Parula and a female Blue
Grosbeak enjoyed the birdbath. Everyone decided they
had urgent appointments elsewhere when a very large
raccoon ambled in for corn and water. He stayed a good
while before wandering off. It was a really good
afternoon.
Alice and Joe  McAlpion  Suwannee County


      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

I've got one, maybe two, pair of Mississippi kites breeding/nesting in
the deep woods of my eastern Leon county neighborhood.  I didnt't
realize these birds were breeding in this area.  I know they haven't
been in our neighborhood before...what about in this general area?
Thanks for any feedback.
Patty Draper, Tallahassee

I witnessed a mature bald eagle steal the prey of a redtailed hawk right in my
front yard last week!  It was so cool and of course I didn't have my camera.  I
was walking to my mailbox and the hawk tried to manuever away from the eagle,
both flying around 50 feet from me, of course, the eagle won the flight agility
contest but the red shouldered kept at least half of his/her kill.  I have a
nest of ospreys, mississippi kites, redtailed, red shouldered.  wonder where the
next is for the eagle?  last year the lakes at hilaman were polluted but i guess
now they are coming back....we have a great variety of birds and ducks now.  the
address is 2838 par lane, tallahassee

Sunny, and previously Ray

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "draperpatty" <draperpatty@...>
I've got one, maybe two, pair of Mississippi kites breeding/nesting in
the deep woods of my eastern Leon county neighborhood. I didnt't
realize these birds were breeding in this area. I know they haven't
been in our neighborhood before...what about in this general area?
Thanks for any feedback.
Patty Draper, Tallahassee




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I just added an interesting post to the WBU birding blog, if anybody is
interested, written by Thomas Wiatt who lives by Lake Talquin.

   I birded River Rd between the entrance to Three Rivers State Park and Butler
Rd in Jackson County yesterday evening and found 2 singing Yellow-breasted
Chats. They were either side of the first 100 feet of Butler Rd (sandy track),
which runs west off River Rd a few miles north of Three Rivers State Park. One
bird was showing very well and sang continuously for 15 minutes, in full view,
about 50 feet from the roadside. I managed to videoscope him and will add the
footage to my blog at some point.
   I spent an hour driving between and scanning each one of the many ponds that
lie either side of River Rd. I had a male Least Bittern in flight, 2 singing
King Rails and last years pair of Purple Gallinules are back.
   The swallow roost three ponds south of Butler Rd was spectacular and consisted
mainly of Trees and Barns but I did manage to pick out 8 Banks. Lots of the
swallows were resting on dead snags along the east side of River Rd.
   The night ended with the glorious sight of 4 male Common Nighthawks hunting
moths alongside CR-286, which runs North/South between Sneads and I-10.

   Andy Wraithmell
   www.wbubirdingblog.blogspot.com
   www.surfbirds.com/blog/limeybirder




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Gray Kingbird seen in Edinburgh Estates in Tallahassee two years ago was
seen again this morning @ 8 am.? He was in exactly the same location, across
from my house, as last time.? I checked about fifteen minutes ago and he was no
longer there.? If anyone needs this bird for the county let me know and I'll
keep you updated.

I did not get a photo of him, but will continue to try.?

Lydia Eblen
Tallahassee, FL


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Good morning nflbirders,

The following is a review of Scarlet Tanagers by Gail Menk

Re:  The Scarlet Tanager in Springtime Tallahassee

Several years ago and well into June, Jack Skalicky, an experienced birder from
the Great Lakes region, reported three wood thrushes singing along the ravine on
the eastern side of Lake Elberta Park (Churche's Chicken), On 25 April of this
year, I hiked the trail in hopes of hearing such singing.  SERENDIPITY :
Instead, I heard a "raspy" robin-like song which at first puzzled me but which I
eventually determined to be probably that of a Scarlet Tanager.  Seeing is
believing and I was to feel better when the bird finally popped out into plain
view on a snag and displayed its striking red and black plumage.

I can relate but  four-or-so previous hearings of that song in Leon County and
there was a time when I was hard convinced that the species was to be listed
during springtime locally until 9 May 1998 when good friend Harry Hooper, to my
pleasant surprise, called out a male as we drove up the road from Lake Jackson's
Crowder Landing.

A search of the literature reveals that the scarlet tanager has been no stranger
county-wise during April and May, i.e. (fide Henry M. Stevenson) one was
reported in the backyard of one Dr. Hood on 22 April 1956 along with Summer and
Western Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Orioles (Dig that
combo!). Other spring records include an individual reported at Betton Hills on
16 April 1958 by Elizabeth Stoutamire, a singing male in the yard of Henry M.
Stevenson (HMS) on 12 May 1961, followed by a yard report at the Borrors'
residence two days later and second occurrence of a male in song at the
residence of HMS on 26 April, 1981 (it pays to know the song).

Since 1998, an increasing number of birders at large have reported 40 + scarlet
tanagers in springtime Tallahassee, most or all which were from "hot spots"
other than at residential feeders as opposed to some of those overwintering
Summer and Western Tanagers which do frequent feeders well into April.  I
venture to reason why.  According to the S&A Birdlife of Florida, "The Scarlet
Tanager is a treetop species usually hidden or obscured by the foliage of the
upper canopy".  Kenn Kaufman states that the species like to forage in tall oak
trees which Tallahassee has aplenty.  And local birder Rob Lengacher advises
that, despite their coloration (males), they are hard to spot if they are not
moving.  Ergo, have patience, follow birders, persevere, and KEEP LOOKING UP. 
We have leaned the lesson well !

(Mr.) Gail E. Menk


Harry Hooper
Tallahassee, Florida





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I will be out of the office starting  05/17/2008 and will not return until
06/16/2008.

I am on survey but, may have internet connectivity and will try to check
email.

Yesterday there were at least 30 Mississippi Kites just east of I-10 on the
Miccosukee Greenway. You can tuck in the trees along the edge of the pastures /
meadows to observe the spectacle as they soar by nice and close! The
White-breasted Nuthatches were quite lively as well.

Tracee Strohman
Tallahassee

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I spent two very long but productive days birding mostly in?Franklin County
including the youth camp at St George.? I get pumped up about the possibility of
finding Conn. Warblers etc (which I have observed nesting in northern
Saskatchewan).? They're also interesting because they seem "shy" and they walk
like a chicken or ovenbird---and it looks a little strange.? I struck out on
Connecticutt warblers-----as I have every year in Florida.? The migrant
passerine count was close to zero.? I did find a black-throated green warbler
that I watched and photographed for nearly an hour------he grabbed catepillars
so large that they twisted themselves free.? After three hours I gave up on the
youth camp and began birding the St. George and Dog Island sounds.?? The lack of
small plovers was notable==I only found one piping plover.? Shorebird viewing is
as good as it gets right now:

White-rumped sandpipers------4 at one location
Stilt sandpiper----------------------1
Least sandpipers----------------85
Laughing gulls==========590---many more than usual
Caspian terns-----------------------4
Common tern-------------------------1
Forster's tern----------------------many-----up to 16 in one flock as a storm
approached
Ruddy turnstones----------VERY vibrant breeding plumage
Black tern
Cooper's hawk
Mississippi Kites-------------------4 plus
Brown-headed nuthatches--------8
Pine warblers-----------------------------12----saturday

A glass lizard big enough to make me flinch.
12 wild hogs, many deer

All the usual suspects in good numbers and good color.

Since it wasn't north Florida i didn't post but it but I did get to see the
Reeve on Peacock Road (Merritt Island)?earlier this month, it had moved about
600 yards from the posted location.? I spent 4 days birding central and
south-central Florida.? I finally found bobolinks this year----but not in Leon
County.

PS.? I was involved in a traffic accident when a TWO YEAR OLD BOY drove a car
into mine.? He had driven about 75 yards before hitting my car.? His parents had
left him in the car, with it running.? Two of his very small siblings including
a one month old was in the car as well.? I have had some strange things happen
while birding-----but that may have been the strangest so far................?
(I was parked on the side of the road----well off it--------watching two
Mississippi Kites).


Rodney Cassidy
Tallahassee, Florida



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In honor of bike to work week, I decided to bike to bird as well.  I
headed out Sunday morning to Piney Z, St. Marks, and the spray fields
in that order.  No real rarities just a fine day of birding and
exercise.  Plus the weather was great except for the gale force winds
at SM and an hour in which all hell looked like it was going to break
loose (not long before which I saw and heard a nighthawk feeding at 3
in the afternoon).  Highlights of the day where:

A yellow breasted chat singing on the southeast side of the helipad
and northern bobwhite singing nearby.

The wet grassy areas near the odd bench/pavilion peninsula on the east
side of the road was good for shorebirds and was where I picked up my
first white-rumped of the day. The lighthouse pond was way down
allowing great looks at a late whimbrel and tower pond held an amazing
looking stilt sandpiper along with plenty of other species.

The water treatment plant at sunset was interesting with sanderlings
and spotted sandpiper feeding upon something (diptera?) on top of the
levees between retention ponds.  The ponds themselves contained a
sorry looking redhead and a few more species for the day.  I was able
to end a fantastic by sunset made redder by the vapors rising above
the water treatment facility.  Smelled like..... victory.

Here are some numbers that I found interesting for the day.

0 cubic pounds of carbon emitted .  Alright so I did probably exhale a
few cubic pounds but I have no idea how many that would be, and well
really, give me a break.
1 blazer standing on it's nose in the ditch next to a boiled peanut
stand.  Apparently that guy really wanted some boiled peanuts.
2 flat tires - Both before 10:30 am.  The first was from a piece of
glass I pulled out of my tire, the second from foolishly biking down
the Piney Z/ Heritage trail while looking for a bittern in vain.
2 times in which I had the bejeezus scared out of me by motorists
revving their engines as they passed me
3 wood thrush singing about midway on the historic train/bike trail
$14.64 dollars not spent on gas
85 miles traveled for the day
97 species for the day
201 total miles biked for bike to work/bird week

Cheers,
Luke DeGroote
Tallahassee, FL

Gail Menk and I headed to Piney Z today and hiked around the lake.  By my count,
we saw 31 species.  Some of interest are:

ruby-throated hummingbird
barred owl (great looks!)
summer tanager
purple gallinule (only 2)
least terns (about 5 on the sandy area set out for them to nest)
white-eyed vireo
blue grosbeak
little blue heron
green heron

Cheers,

-Andy Lantz




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]