A small group of Peace River Auduboners continued their monthly survey of the CFEP.  We were able to drive part way around the outer perimeter road, but a muddy portion of the road stopped us in one direction and a fallen tree stopped us in the other direction.  We are starting to see more birds in the Park as the migrants start to return.  During this visit, we saw 28 different species, the highest to date.  Birds observed included four bald eagles (three mature birds on the same tree), cardinals, catbirds, northern flickers, common yellowthroat, pine warblers, white-eyed vireos, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, and a black-crowned night heron.  We also saw a small water moccasin on one of the trails.

A few members of the Photo Adventures Camera Club traveled to the landfill area on Zemel Road with the hope of seeing the four Eagles that have been seen there recently.  We arrived around 9 am;  the County people directing the traffic said they hadn’t seen them yet.  The eagles were seen there the day before. 

Rather than wait around, we decided to visit the Babcock/Webb WMA, a first visit for most of the members.  We traveled the normal loop, i.e., Tuckers Grade to Oilwell Grade to Tram Grade to Seaboard Grade and back to Tuckers Grade.  The WMA did not seem to be affected much by the recent hurricanes.  The fields were still filled with water, so the wading birds were quite scattered.  In addition to the more common birds, we did photograph some unusual things, such as a mating pair of Southeastern Lubber Grasshoppers, a water snake, spiders, and millipedes.  It was a great morning to be out, blue sky and not too hot, thanks to the first cool front of the season.

The Peace River Audubon Society sponsored a nature photography outing on Tuesday, October 19^th.  A group of eight people met at the corner of US 41 and Burnt Store Road and traveled south to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers.  Although the early morning was overcast, it soon turned into a nice sunny day.   Although birds and other wildlife were not too plentiful, we did manage to obtain some nice images of Anhingas,  Herons,  Woodpeckers, and the ever present Alligators.

Sixteen members of the Peace River Audubon Society met at the Peachland Mall in Port Charlotte on Saturday morning, October 23^rd.  We formed into car pools and traveled north about 100 miles to Alderman’s Ford Park and Medard Park.  These Parks are located in Hillsborough County, east of Brandon and south of Plant City.

Our first stop was Alderman’s Ford Park.  This Park consists of 1141 acres.  The north and south prongs of the Alafia River meet within the Park.  The Park has nature trails, boardwalks, picnic areas, and a visitor center with restrooms.  We walked the boardwalk that borders the area where the two branches of the Alafia meet.  Some of the more interesting birds observed included a Bald Eagle, many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Green Heron, Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, American Redstart, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black & White Warbler, and Carolina Wrens.

We then continued north for about six miles to Medard Park.  This Park, a former phosphate mining site, consists of 1284 acres, which includes a 700-acre reservoir.  The reservoir is used for fishing and boating (no wake).  The Park has picnic areas, restrooms, a camping area, and an equestrian trail.  Some of the birds observed included American Coot, Limpkin, Osprey, Palm Warblers, Pine Warblers, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  Altogether, we saw about 40 different bird species at the two Parks.