From: Rex Rowan <rexrowan@gmail.com>
To: Alachua County birding report
I received the following email from Ignacio Rodriguez: “Sunday afternoon at Bolen Bluff I spotted what I identified as a Connecticut Warbler. It was on the ground, almost at the end of the trail (right fork) just where the trail goes downhill, approximately 100-150 meters before the Prairie. It had a clear eye ring, gray head and chest, and yellowish belly, and was olive above. I saw it around 6:30 PM, not the best light, but the eye ring was very clear, which caught my attention. I hope someone can confirm.” I contacted Ignacio to get a more exact location, and it seems to have been on the slope below the covered bench that overlooks the edge of the Prairie basin. This is the 13th report of Connecticut Warbler in Alachua County, but only the third in fall; the other two were: in Gainesville on 20 Oct 1975 by Jim Horner and at San Felasco Hammock on 15 Sep 1982 by Stewart Levinson.
The Home Depot Pond was swarming with waders this morning as I drove by on the interstate on-ramp. I saw Wood Storks, White Ibises, various white herons and egrets, and lots of Glossy Ibises. Those Glossy Ibises (better plural: WE-bis, according to John Sivinski) might be worth checking for a White-faced Ibis straying from out west. We’ve been seeing those annually during the last several years.
This Wednesday, October 15th, the Alachua Audubon program meeting will feature Katherine Edison on “Sharing Nature Through Photography.” Katherine will discuss photography as a tool for teaching and for inspiring an interest in nature, and will present creative ways to use photography as well as examples of easy project ideas and some basic photography pointers. As with all Alachua Audubon functions, the general public is welcome. The social begins at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7:00 p.m. at the Millhopper Library Meeting Room, 3145 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville. You may know Katherine’s nature blog “Earth Teach Me” – http://earthteachme.blogspot.com/
Bob Carroll keeps his birding boot firmly on the neck of the working man with yet another bird walk for those who are retired or otherwise free this Thursday morning: “Please include a mention of our Thursday Bird Walk in your next mailing. We are meeting at San Felasco Progress Park at 8:00 on Thursday, October 16. Afterwards, some of us are going to lunch at Conestoga’s in Alachua. The food there is terrific and Main Street in Alachua is beautifully decorated for Halloween, so it should be fun. Anyone wanting to go to lunch should email me at gatorbob23@yahoo.com so I can warn the restaurant in advance.”