This year’s June Challenge attracted 42 participants, down from 46 last year and 50 in 2014. However a few birders who chased around enthusiastically at the beginning of the month and probably had totals in the vicinity of 100 species – Mike Manetz, Peter Polshek, and Matt O’Sullivan – had to leave Florida by mid-month and didn’t submit a number to the competition. So participation was a *little* better than it looks. Congratulations to our winner, Jonathan Mays, who recorded 128 species, only one less than the all-time record set last year by Lloyd Davis and Mike Manetz. Lloyd came in second this time, with 126 species, and Danny Shehee was third with 122. We had four participants in the under-16 category this year: Sam Ewing (competing in this category for the last year) was first with 89, Nora Parks-Church was second with 84, Maddy Knight was third with 77, and Owen Parks-Church was fourth with 68. Congratulations to all of you who accepted The June Challenge and braved the summer heat. Here’s the complete list of participants and the number of species they saw:
Jonathan Mays 128 (124/4)
Lloyd Davis 126 (121/5)
Danny Shehee 122 (118/4)
Cindy Boyd 118 (116/2)
Deena Mickelson 118 (116/2)
Barbara Shea 118 (116/2)
Howard Adams 117 (112/5)
Rex Rowan 116 (116/0)
Trina Anderson 111 (109/2)
Bob Carroll 111 (108/3)
Ron Robinson 110 (108/2)
Brad Hall 109 (105/4)
Will Sexton 107 (103/4)
Anne Casella 105 (105/0)
Debbie Segal 105 (103/2)
Tina Greenberg 105 (102/3)
Frank Goodwin 104 (104/0)
Matt Bruce 103 (103/0)
Bob Knight 98 (96/2)
Jennifer Donsky 97 (97/0)
Sharon Kuchinski 96 (94/2)
Becky Enneis 96 (93/3)
Geoff Parks 94 (90/4)
Chip Deutsch 91 (91/0)
Ellen Frattino 91 (89/2)
Sam Ewing 89 (89/0)
Dean Ewing 85 (85/0)
Anne Barkdoll 85 (84/1)
Ben Ewing 84 (84/0)
Nora Parks-Church 84 (80/4)
John Hintermister 82 (82/0)
Linda Holt 81 (80/1)
Maddy Knight 77 (75/2)
Bob Simons 76 (74/2)
Owen Parks-Church 68 (64/4)
Danny Rohan 68 (67/1)
Tom Wronski 65 (65/0)
Erin Kalinowski 62 (62/0)
Sue Ann Enneis 55 (55/0)
Bill Enneis 55 (55/0)
Debbie Spiceland 33 (33/0)
Phil Laipis 21 (21/0)
And here’s the complete list of the 136 species recorded in the county during June, most but not all by participants in the Challenge. Exotic (non-ABA-countable) species are marked with an asterisk. Details are given for the most surprising birds. Big misses this year included Broad-winged Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, and Wood Thrush.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
*Swan Goose
*Graylag Goose
*Black Swan
Muscovy Duck
Wood Duck
Mallard
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal – up to 4 at La Chua from June 1-26 by many observers
Ring-necked Duck – 1 with apparent wing damage at Sweetwater Wetlands Park (SWP) from June 3-20 by many observers
Hooded Merganser – 1 at La Chua from June 1-6 by many observers
*Helmeted Guineafowl
Northern Bobwhite
*Indian Peafowl
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Wood Stork
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
American White Pelican – flock of 9 at the Hague Dairy on June 28 by John Hintermister
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Swallow-tailed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk – 1 at Bivens Arm on June 15 & 29 by Pete Hosner, 1 at Newnans Lake by Debbie Segal, Bob Knight, and John Hintermister on June 19, 1 at San Felasco Progress Center on June 26 by Howard Adams
Red-tailed Hawk
King Rail
Purple Gallinule
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Limpkin
Sandhill Crane
Whooping Crane – 1 at Paynes Prairie from June 2-8 by many observers
Black-necked Stilt
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper – 1 at La Chua on June 1 by several observers, 1 at SWP on June 15 by several observers
Greater Yellowlegs – 1 at La Chua on June 3, by Charlene Leonard and Jonathan Mays
Lesser Yellowlegs – 2 or 3 at La Chua on June 1-3 by several observers
Dunlin – 1 or 2 at La Chua on June 2-3 by four observers on the 2nd and three on the 3rd
Least Sandpiper – up to 4 at La Chua from June 1-5 by several observers
Semipalmated Sandpiper – up to 34 at La Chua from June 1-5, by several observers
Wilson’s Snipe – 1 at SWP by Rex Rowan, Bryan Eastman, and Nina Bhattacharyya on 11 June
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull – 2 at Gainesville Airport by Tom Tompkins
Herring Gull – 1 at Newnans Lake on June 9, photographed by John Middleton
Sooty Tern – 7 at Newnans Lake on June 7 by many observers
Gull-billed Tern – 2 at La Chua on June 4 by Matt Bruce and Chip Deutsch
Caspian Tern – 1 at Newnans Lake on June 3 by Jonathan Mays and Peter Polshek, 1 at Newnans Lake on June 7 by Trina Anderson
Black Tern – 4 at Newnans Lake on June 7 by many observers
Forster’s Tern – 2 at Newnans Lake on June 7 by many observers and 3 at Lake Lochloosa on June 7 by Peter Polshek
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Common Ground-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Burrowing Owl
Barred Owl
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will’s-widow
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher – 1 at Cross Creek on June 30 by Matt Bruce
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin – present throughout the month along NE 7th Street near NE 23rd Avenue, seen by several observers
Gray Catbird – up to 3 seen at Tumblin Creek Park from June 22-28 by several observers
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Prothonotary Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Northern Parula
Pine Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Bachman’s Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
House Finch
House Sparrow