Dec 2007

December 8: Ollie's Pond Park

I’m taking a course called Coastal Systems of Florida, one of three courses offered as part of the Florida Master Naturalist program. Today, the class of 20 students and the instructor traveled to Ollie’s Pond Park for a lesson in birding. Very few members of the class had birded before. Stu and Louise Lewis of the Peace River Audubon Society had volunteered to lead the class today. As we walked the trail around the pond, students had a chance to observe and identify a number of different bird species.

Birds seen in the shrubs and trees along the water’s edge included Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Phoebes, Blue Jay, Common Ground-dove, Mourning Doves, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Boat-tailed Grackles, Catbird, American Goldfinches, Carolina Wren, Belted Kingfisher, American Robin, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers. Wading birds seen along the shoreline included a Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and Glossy Ibis. Birds seen on the water included Coots, Moorhens, Cormorant, Pied-billed Grebes, Ring-necked Ducks, and a lone female Bufflehead, a most unusual duck for Charlotte County. Several birds were seen flying over the area including two Ospreys, a Wood Stork, Anhinga, Tree Swallow, Turkey Vulture, and a Red-tailed Hawk. Altogether, 35 species of birds were seen, a good day at Ollie’s Pond.

Following are a few images taken during the trip. (For a larger view, double click on the desired image.)

December 11: Celery Fields

A photographer friend and I went up to the Celery Fields on Tuesday morning, arriving there about 7:30. We started by the gazebo and walked the front pond and then the dyke back to the gazebo. The water level in the ponds is quite low. As a result, much of the marshy area has filled in, leaving only a small area of open water in the front pond. We did manage to see three Soras, but no Rails. Seeing and then photographing Rails has become quite difficult due to the increased amount of vegetation. During our walk, we did see some Coots, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Moorhens, and a Wilson’s Snipe. Up by the canal that crosses Palmer Road, we also saw some Limpkin, Cattle Egrets, Glossy & White Ibis, Northern Harrier, and a Lesser Yellowlegs.

We then stopped at Ackerman’s Park. There were at least a hundred Ring-necked Ducks, a few Blue-winged Teal, and Mottled Ducks in the lake. We found both Monk & Black-hooded Parakeets in the Palm trees. We saw 37 different species of birds on our trip this morning.

Following are a few images taken during the trip. (For a larger view, double click on the desired image.)