I arrived at Babcock-Webb about 8:00 in the morning and it was still quite foggy.  I was surprised that hunting season was still open, so I had to check in at the gate.  Evidently, small game (rabbits & squirrels) season is open until January 15^th and Snipe season lasts until February 15^th.  A tally of the animals and birds killed to date was posted on the wall (see image).  I was surprised to see almost 1300 Snipe have been killed so far this season.  I don’t know if this category included Rails, because there wasn’t a separate listing for them.  I guess riding through the marshes in a swamp buggy really flushes the birds.

As I drove along Tucker’s Grade, I was treated to a surreal sight.  Hundreds of spider webs glistered from the dew and the sunlight that was starting to break through the fog.  Fields were covered with webs.

Rather than drive the loop, I parked the car at the intersection of Seaboard Grade and Tucker’s Grade.  I walked quietly along a portion of Seaboard Grade, hoping to see a King Rail.  No luck, although I did hear one further back in the marsh.  I observed a number of wading birds (Great Egrets, Green Herons, Little Blue Herons, Great Blue Herons, and Tricolored Herons).  However, very few Passerines, other then Blue Jays, Cardinals, Gnatcatchers, Palm Warblers, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, were observed.  I observed one Red-shouldered Hawk perched in a tree.  I suspect the hunting activity the past several months made the birds very cautious.

I traveled south to Corkscrew with a small group of nature photographers from the Peace River Audubon Society.  We arrived there around 8:15.  Although most of the group left for home after lunch, I and two others stayed until 4:15.

Some of the birds seen included the Great-crested Flycatcher, a Purple Gallinule, several Red-shouldered Hawks that were quite noisy most of the day, several American Goldfinches, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-headed Vireos, Carolina Wrens, and some nice views of Black-crowned Night Herons.

We saw a Cottonmouth about three-feet long.  After examining the photos, we noticed that it was starting to shed its skin.  The skin around the head was split and one could see fresh skin underneath.  Also saw a family of baby Alligators.  We had hoped to see some Painted Buntings, which were periodically visiting one of the feeders.  Although we visited the area with the feeder three different times during the day, no Buntings, only Goldfinches.  We were also unsuccessful in observing the Barred Owl.  But it was still a great day.

Bill and Eleanor Marr and myself participated in a sparrow roundup at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park.  About 30 volunteers showed up to assist Marianne Korosy (University of Central Florida) and her co-workers in gathering sparrows for measurements and banding.  A mist net 1200 feet in length had been set up.  A heavy rope 250 feet long is dragged through the field towards the net, flushing birds from the heavy grass and palmettos towards the net.  Maybe one in three birds is actually captured in the net.  During the day, from 10 am to 4 pm, ten rope drags were conducted.  About 50 birds were captured. 

The birds were carefully removed from the net by trained biologists.  Only licensed persons were allowed to touch the Grasshopper Sparrows, which are an endangered species.  The birds were placed in individual bags and then weighed.  They were then removed and various body measurements made.  They were than banded and released.  Birds captured included six species of Sparrows (Bachman’s, Northern Grasshopper, Florida Grasshopper, Henslow’s, Savannah, and Swamp).  Other species captured included a Sedge Wren, several Common Yellowthroats, a Palm Warbler, and an Eastern Meadowlark. 

It was surprising to see so many birds flushed up from the field where we were working, probably between 100 and 150.  The majority of these were Bachman and Grasshopper Sparrows.  We found that rope dragging is not an easy task.  There is a lot of walking and some quick walking through heavy grass and palmettos, watching out for tortoise holes etc. By the end of the day, most of the volunteers were quite tired.  But it was an enjoyable and interesting learning experience.  Volunteers were given many opportunities to photograph the birds after they were banded.