January 1, 1995
Sunny, 80°F

My first birding excursion of the New Year! I got here bright and early, and wandered the Cypress and Marsh trails. My first bird of the day was an exciting find in the Cypress Swamp: I finally saw my first Pileated Woodpecker! I spotted one off to the right of me, fairly high in the trees. Soon I realized that there was a family up there – at least two birds, which I assumed were a male and female. The color on that crest is incredible. At certain angles the light would hit those red feathers and it was brilliant, especially against the green of the trees. Magnificent! In the Cypress Swamp, I also saw Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, and huge flocks of American Robin.

Along the Marsh Trail, I had more wonderful sightings, starting with White Ibis, and lots of American Alligator including one large (~6) specimen. Another first for today was a gorgeous Purple Gallinule, foraging close to an embankment on the Marsh Trail. What beautiful colors! Well into the Marsh Trail, I found myself in the midst of a large flock of Smooth-billed Ani. These interesting birds were hopping around in and beneath the scrub and bushes that line the trail, and weren’t at all disturbed by my presence. For several minutes, I was able to keep pace with their slow progress down the path, and watched go about their business. Fascinating, and handsome in their own way! One of my favorite sightings!

I saw lots of adorable Palm Warbler and Tree Swallow , and also came face to face with a magnificent Red-shouldered Hawk as it perched above the dike. I was able to get within about 20 feet. Beautiful! On my walk, I also saw most of the local herons: Little Blue, Tricolored, Great Blue, and Great, Cattle and Snowy Egrets. A Merlin was seen overhead, and I also saw LOTS of turtles, but unfortunately didn’t make any notes that would help me ID them.

On the way home, I had a few more sightings from the car, including a glimpse of a Wood Stork, a Belted Kingfisher, and a Double-crested Cormorant.

A wonderful day of birding to start the New Year!

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Species List

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus pileatus), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens pubescens), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura carolinensis), Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata semplei), American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus albus), American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata cachinnans), Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), American Coot (Fulica americana americana), Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga leucogaster), Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor ruficollis), Great Egret (Ardea alba egretta), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias wardi), Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani), Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus extimus), Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus ludovicianus), Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos polyglottos), Merlin (Falco columbarius), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis), Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis ibis), Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major westoni), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea caerulea), Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum floridanum)

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