Global Big Day 2018: Two-county day

May 13, 2018

I thought you all might enjoy some photos from Global Big Day 2018. If you don’t know, the goal of any “big day” is to see as many species of birds in a single day as you can. With that in mind, as well as a few rare targets species to find, Camille and I visited several locations on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Brevard County) and then made our way to Joe Overstreet Road and Landing (Osceola County), totaling about 80 species for the day.

Black-necked Stilt.

One of the *wetter* areas along Blackpoint Wildlife Drive. Some areas were all dried and cracked.

Florida Softshell Turtle at the MINWR visitors’ center.

A Least Sandpiper checking out the camera operator!

Reddish Egret.

Semipalmated Plover.

You can never have too many Semipalmated Plovers, right?

We were hoping for Whimbrels and a reported American Golden Plover, but came up empty on both counts. There were still plendy of good birds to see, though! Here are the Brevard area eBird lists:

East Gator Creek: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45283989
MINWR Visitor Center: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45286447
Pumphouse Road (cut short by rain shower): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45288223
Black Point Wildlife Drive: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45294821
Incidental list in Titusville: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45295462
River Lakes Conservation Area: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45306422
Another incidental list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45307554
A final list before ending the day: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45323725

After lunch, we made our way into Osceola County and Joe Overstreet Road and Landing. The sod fields seemed mostly empty of shorebirds, but both sides of the road were ringing with Eastern Meadowlark songs. Down at the lake, we had a surprise Pectoral Sandpiper, a good look at a snail kite, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that gave us a bit of a chase around the picnic area. On the way out, we stopped to see a Pygmy Rattlesnake that had to be coaxed off the road by another wildlife watcher. Pygmy Rattlesnakes are the smallest species of rattlesnake, as their name suggests. This adult was barely 30cm (1 foot) long!

Limpink on a stroll

Common Gallinule

A couple of breeding Cattle Egrets

A Crested Caracara family. Mom, Dad, and 3 chicks.

Mating display?

Near Joe Overstreet Landing

Fierce looking Snail Kite

Hunting snails

Pygmy Rattlesnake!

Osceola Count eBird lists:

Incidental list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45309854
Another incidental (after a wrong turn!): https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45311261
And another incidental list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45312009
Joe Overstreet Road & Landing: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45319072
More incidentals: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45320012

That was the extent of our Big Day, which was tiring but rewarding. Even “missing” the hoped for birds at the start of the day, there wasn’t much to complain about, with great weather and good birds for all.