I took a trip up to the Sarasota Celery Fields this morning, arriving at the gazebo parking area around 8 am.  The pond by the gazebo is slowly drying up.  There were many birds taking advantage of the mud and shallow water.  Birds seen included Coots, Moorhens, Blue-winged Teal, Ibis (Glossy & White). Black-necked Stilts, Egrets (Great & Snowy), Herons (Great Blue, Little Blue & Tricolored), Yellowlegs (Greater & Lesser), Least Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Soras (5).  The Soras were out in the open feeding in the mud.

After obtaining some great pictures of the Soras, I walked to the next large pond, which is also drying up.  Along the way, I saw three more Soras. Again, many birds, including Roseate Spoonbills, Northern Shovelers, Egrets, Herons, Ibises, and a King Rail were observed in this pond.  I sat and watched the King Rail for at least 30 minutes; never once did it move completely out in the open, always staying behind or at the edge of vegetation.  There were Virginia Rails reported, but I didn’t see any on this trip.

Note: I returned to the Celery Fields on Friday morning, April 13th) and was surprised to find the ponds filled with water again from the rains earlier in the week.  There were very few shore birds this time.  Although the Soras and Rails were still present, they seemed much more skittish.  By sitting and waiting, these birds would eventually appear.  I saw seven Soras and one King Rail in the front pond and three Soras, one King Rail, and one Wilson’s Snipe in the other ponds.  I also witnessed a pair of Black-necked Stilts performing their mating ritual.

Sunrise found 28 members of our camera club assembled at the Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County for one of the Ranch’s Eco Tours.  One of our members is a tour guide at the Ranch; thus, she was able to arrange a special tour for photographers starting at 7:30 rather than the usual 9:00.

Before we even started, we noticed a Red-shouldered Hawk with chicks in a nearby tree.  Our next surprise was a young Wild Turkey crossing the road.  Our first stop was at the alligator bridge, where a number of Wood Storks, Limpkin, Great Blue Heron, White Ibises and other large wading birds were feeding alongside at least a dozen alligators.  A special treat was a family of three Otters that came down to feed.  As we continued our bus tour, we encountered Cracker Cattle and Feral Pigs along the road.  Our next stop was by a boardwalk that led to a large fenced enclosure containing several Panthers.  We also saw a Swallow-tailed Kite fly over.  Our final stop was by some old buildings, all that remained of an old lumber town.  We also saw a movie set used by Warner Brothers to film the Sean Connery movie “Just Cause.”  I think everyone was glad they rose early to join the tour.

On Saturday morning, April 21st, I left on a birding trip to Galveston, Texas.  My first overnight stop was Wakulla Springs State Park in the Florida Panhandle.  They have a nice lodge in the Park with decent, but archaic rooms ($108).  I birded the Hammock and Sally Ward Trails from 4:30 to 6:00 pm.  Birds seen included Great-crested Flycatcher, Purple Gallinule, Swallow-tailed Kite, Wild Turkeys, Summer Tanager, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers.  At dusk, I saw about a dozen Chimney Swifts returning to their roost in one of the chimneys on the lodge.

I checked out early the next morning to do some birding at St Marks NWR, arriving there about 7:45 am.  My first stop was the Lighthouse Pond, which was loaded with shorebirds, including Swamp Sparrows, Short-billed Dowitchers, Dunlins, Yellowlegs, a few Red Knots, a Black-bellied Plover, and some Least Sandpipers.  My next stop was the Mounds Trail.  There were about a dozen Sora in the Tower Pond.  I saw a few scattered migrants along the Trail including, Summer Tanagers, Hermit and Wood Thrushes, Hooded Warbler, Cerulean Warbler (my first), Palm Warbler, female Red-breasted and Blue Grosbeaks, a Reddish Egret, Eastern Towhee, and Black-necked Stilts.  During my four hours at St Marks, I tallied 50 species of birds.

I then continued my drive westward, staying overnight in Pensacola.  My plan was to do some birding at Fort Pickens on Monday morning.  However, the highway construction delays in Pensacola were considerable, so I deleted that stop.  I continued my drive westward, arriving at Lafayette, LA, where I stayed overnight.  On the way to Lafayette, I stopped at Lake Martin to see the world famous rookery.  Unfortunately, not much is left of it.  Until about two years ago, Egrets, Herons, Spoonbills, and other birds nested in the lake, many in trees very close to Rookery Road.  Apparently, you could take nice photographs of the nesting birds from your car.  However, two years ago, the birds suddenly abandoned their nests, many with eggs and chicks.  The rumor is that a disgruntled airboat operator came in and somehow scared all the birds away.  During my visit, a few Egrets could be seen nesting in trees near the center of the lake, quite a distance from the road.  Whether the birds will return remains to be seen.

On Tuesday morning, April 24^th, I continued my journey westward.  A few miles west of Beaumont, TX, I turned south off of I-10 onto State Highway 124, which takes you down to the Bolivar Peninsula.  I stopped at High Island, which is a well-known stopover for migrants.  I spent about two hours there and did see a few migrants.  More about High Island later.  I continued westward across the peninsula on State Highway 87.  At the tip of the peninsula, there is a free ferry that transports cars, buses, and trucks across to Galveston Island.  This ferry saves a good 50 miles of highway driving.  I found my time-share resort (RCI trade) and checked in about 5 pm.

Wednesday morning, I woke up to a dreary and rainy day with severe thunderstorms in the afternoon.  The skies cleared around 4:30.  I decided to see if there was a migrant fallout.  I started on Settigast Road where I found several Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  I then continued to Lafittes Pirates Cove, where there is a small well-maintained nature preserve.  I found about a dozen cars there; other birders in the area had the same idea.  Sure enough, there were quite a few warblers in the area.  The trees were dense and high, making photographs of these little birds hard to get.  I did see the following Warblers: Black-and-white, Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Eastern Wood-pewee, and a Northern Waterthrush.  I also saw an Inca Dove and Great-tailed Grackles, which are not found in Florida.

On Thursday morning, I decided to bird more of Galveston Island.  I started on 8-mile Road and Sportsman’s Road.  These roads border marsh-like fields.  Observed the usual Herons, Egrets and a few Roseate Spoonbills.  Also observed many Great-tailed Grackles, Barn Swallows, a few Willets, and a Whimbrel.  Also saw a few Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers.  I observed a a pair of Black-necked Stilts doing their mating ritual. I then drove southward to Galveston Island State Park.  Saw a few Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones on the Gulf-side of the Park.  On the other side of the Park, I observed my first White-tailed Kite.  Also saw a few Orioles and Grosbeaks.  Returned to the condo by noon.  That evening I went to the east end of the island and birded Big Reef Nature Park.  Observed a number of sea birds such as Gulls (Laughing, Herring, and Ringbilled), Terns (Caspian, Least, and Royal) and some Neotropic Cormorants (a first). Also saw a Yellow-crowned Night-heron and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Counting last evenings Warblers, I saw 75 different species of birds on the Island, of which seven were new species for me.

On Friday morning, April 27^th, I took the ferry back across to the Bolivar Peninsula and returned to High Island.  As you drive across the Peninsula, everything is flat and marshy.  Gradually, in the distance, one sees a large clump of trees.  There is a small town there known as High Island.  Normally, the wind blows from the southerly direction, which aids migrant birds crossing the Gulf.  However, if winds suddenly come from the north, migrants get tired more quickly, and many will stop and rest in the trees at High Island.  The Houston Audubon Society (HAS) started to purchase land at High Island in 1980.  They now maintain four bird sanctuaries in High Island: Boy Scout Woods (approx 100 acres), Smith Oaks (177 acres), Eubanks Woods (9.5 acres), and S.E. Gast Red Bay (8.8 acres).  HAS staff host the Boy Scout Woods from mid-March thru mid May.  A $5 donation is asked to help maintain the Sanctuaries.

I arrived at Boy Scout Woods around 8:30.  There were several dozen birders in the area.  Some boardwalks and benches are set up to aid birders.  There is even a photo blind available for photographers, but reservations are required to use it.  There were a number of migrants in the woods.  Warblers observed included: Black-and-white, Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, Golden-winged, Chestnut-sided, Blue-winged, and Tennessee.  Also saw a Northern Waterthrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireos, and Eastern Wood-pewees.

Around 11:30, I drove over to Smith Oaks.  Again, there were a variety of migrants around, including Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in a mulberry tree by the parking lot.  I walked back to Clay Bottom Pond to see the rookery.  There is a horseshoe-shaped island in the pond just loaded with nesting water birds, including Egrets (Great, Snowy, Cattle), Herons (Little Blues, Tricolored), Neotropic Cormorants, White Ibis, and Roseate Spoonbills.  Houston Audubon has constructed several benches anong the trail, so it was very enjoyable to sit down and watch the birds.  There are alligators in the pond that feed on unsuspecting birds getting too close to the waters edge.  I saw a Black-crowned Night-heron steal a Great Egret chick from a nest and proceeded to swallow it after dumping it in the water several times.   Apparently, when the HAS purchased the land with the pond, there were no birds nesting there.  They instituted a no hunting policy and gradually birds started to roost and eventually nest on the island.  There are now over a thousand nesting pairs of birds that use the rookery.  HAS has done a fabulous job in purchasing the land and establishing the sanctuaries.  I left the area around 3:00 and returned back to Galveston via the ferry.  What a great day; even seen four new species.

On Saturday, April 28^th, I traveled to the Brazoria NWR.  This 40,000-acre refuge is located about 35 miles southwest of Galveston.  During the winter months, thousands of ducks and geese can be found at the Refuge.  I walked the Big Slough Trail, which is 5/8 mile long.  I saw an Indigo Bunting, Cardinals, Catbirds, and a Yellow Warbler along the trail.  I then drove the auto tour loop, which passes around many shallow ponds, mud flats, and pot holes.  This area was quite productive.  I observed the usual wading birds, such as Egrets (Cattle, Great, Snowy), Herons (Great Blue, Little Blue, Green, Tricolored, and Black-crowned Night), Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal, White Ibis, Killdeer, Eastern Kingbirds, Roseate Spoonbills, and Barn Swallows.  I logged about 40 species during the four hours I was there.