Trip Report: May 6th field trip - Big Day - 103 species (Review the list)

"About 20 birders arrived at Kingsley Plantation at 7:15 AM for a full day of birding.  Roger Clark led this group of intrepid birders well into the day until nearly 4pm, as he set out to accomplish his goal of 100 species.

We traveled from Kingsley Plantation, where we picked up warblers, buntings, summer tanagers, woodpeckers, bald eagle and some of the shorebirds.  This was followed by a drive to Huguenot Park, where we counted gulls, terns, whimbrels, marbled godwits, reddish egret and others.

Afterwards, we went back towards Ft. George Inlet, where we picked up additional species, such as osprey at nest, clapper rail bathing, wood stork and others.

Our final destination was off of New Berlin Rd, where we surveyed the old dairy farm and counted bobolinks, Savannah sparrow, hawks, cattle egrets, wood duck, moorhens, spotted and solitary sandpiper and others.  A few were able to find an Eastern kingbird.

We had an excellent day with many life birds and new birding areas found by our group.  Roger enjoyed our company and we are grateful for his hospitality and good humor throughout the day".....Diane Reed, May 6th, 2006
 

Leader: Roger Clark
Date: May 6, 2006
Time: 0715 (field trip begins at 0730!) to mid-afternoon
Meeting Place: Kingsley Plantation Parking lot
What to Bring: Plenty of water, lunch, snacks, insect spray, binoculars, scope if you have one
Directions: Turn left off of Heckscher Drive (onto Fort George Road), one half mile north of the St. Johns River Ferry Landing (look for brown Kingsley Plantation signs), follow signs to down dirt road and to parking lot.

Early May can be a rewarding time to observe a wide variety of Neotropical species. Painted Buntings have just arrived and are easy to see as the stunning males are busy setting up their territories. Summer Tanagers, Red-eyed Vireos, and Yellow-throated Warblers are just a few of the other colorful nesting species we expect to see. Migrants will still be moving through and we will be looking for Black-throated Blue Warblers, American Redstarts, Ovenbirds, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and many more.

We will start with the beautiful and historic backdrop of Kingsley Plantation. We will catch the early morning activity in the big trees on the plantation grounds while keeping a close eye on the always interesting water birds along the Fort George River. We will finish our morning of birding at the recently remodeled Ribault Club, where we will look for more migrants and might get lucky with the comical Reddish Egret and Whimbrels.

After working up an appetite we will have lunch at the nearby Alimacani boat ramp, where there are shaded picnic tables. This will also be a good place to see a wide range of water birds, including, Black Skimmer, Royal Tern, Black-bellied Plover, and the star attraction, Red Knot. In the past we have had Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and Merlin right from this spot.

For those who wish to continue we will finish the field trip at Huguenot Memorial Park. There will seem to be as many people here as birds, but a visit here is very rewarding as it is one of the best places in north Florida to find rare or unusual water birds. Gull-billed Tern, Long-billed Curlew and Marbled Godwit lead the long list of birds we will be searching for.

Those who stay for the whole field trip can expect to see very close to 100 species. For more information please contact Roger Clark at (904) 251-3537 (during the day). See you on the 6^th.

Here is a listing of the species seen or heard on the trip. The number to the right of the species name is the approximate number of individuals observed.