December 9. 2017
Hello everyone, welcome to the last weeks of Fall. While it’s been quiet on the blog, there’s been some action going on here in central Florida during the past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I made a trip with Camille to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to see what ducks might have come in over Thanksgiving. We drove both Black Point Wildlife Drive [map] and out to Canaveral National Seashore [map]. We had heard reports of Ruddy Ducks and Buffleheads along the road out to the Seashore, and with the cold weather to our north, we knew quite a few ducks had come in.
Black Point did have ducks: hundreds of American Wigeons and Blue-winged Teals! There were lesser amounts of Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers, and even a few Gadwalls.
We stopped at a few areas hoping for sparrows, but aside from a few distant teasers, we didn’t see any on Black Point.
We managed to catch a few dozen Ruddy Ducks (amazingly, my first of the year) along the road toward the National Seashore (Vista 5, if anyone was wondering [map]).
We made our way to the parking areas for the National Seashore, hoping for a glimpse of the Clay-colored Sparrows reported there a week or so before. We didn’t have any luck there, but we did get a responsive and inquisitive Chipping Sparrow!
I have to confess to playing the calls of both the Clay-colored and Chipping Sparrows in hopes of seeing one. I don’t often play calls, but judicious use of them can help find birds that might otherwise be hidden. Given the time of year and habitat, I felt it was justified. Your mileage may vary, as they say.
Beyond that, there wasn’t much to see at the beaches themselves. The wind was mainly offshore and the seas calm, so any hopes to see scoters or other oceanic birds were not to be fulfilled.
For those so inclined, here are our complete eBird lists for the day.
Black Point Wildlife Drive:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40745460
Canaveral National Seashore pay station area:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40745564
Canaveral National Seashore – Vista #2
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40745950
Canaveral National Seashore – Vista #5
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40746258
Canaveral National Seashore – Lot 7
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40746895
Canaveral National Seashore – Lot 2
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40747478
More substantial adventures await in Part II: another road trip with Camille and then MINWR with the Muros!
Lonely Birder 