I try to keep track of seasonal firsts, but a lot of them have flown in under the radar:
Howard Adams saw a Purple Gallinule at Sweetwater Wetlands Park on the 4th. Peter Polshek, Laura Gaudette, and JoAnne Russo saw two along the La Chua Trail on the 13th. Both sightings strike me as early for this species, which normally doesn’t show up until the last week of March. However it winters not far south of here – as far north as Lake County – so the warm winter may have lured a few of them into an early migration.
Peter, Laura, and JoAnne also saw the spring’s first Black-necked Stilt at La Chua on the 13th. Stilts have been reported steadily since, in numbers up to five.
Matt Bruce recorded the season’s first Red-eyed Vireo at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens on the 19th. Two were seen or heard at two different locations on the 22nd, and four more at three additional locations on the 23rd. By the way, late March and early April are a good time to try for the vireo quartet at San Felasco Hammock: Red-eyed, White-eyed, Yellow-throated, and Blue-headed can all be heard singing in a single morning. Blue-headeds will be gone by the end of April.
And speaking of San Felasco, Tom Hoctor saw two Hooded Warblers, the season’s first, while walking the Yellow Trail at the Millhopper Road entrance on the 27th.
Still among the missing as of the 28th – though expected within the next week – are Summer Tanager, Chimney Swift, and Prothonotary Warbler. Blue Grosbeak and Orchard Oriole might also show up then, though they average a little later, with Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, and Eastern Wood-Pewee not usually getting here until mid-April, and most of the Mississippi Kites arriving after April 20th.
Loon watching has been rather slow so far, though last Sunday’s field trip counted 15 or 16 flying north over the Mill Creek Preserve. According to the data that Andy Kratter has accumulated over the past 14 years, the best time for observing loons over Gainesville is 65-99 minutes after sunrise, and sunrise at Cedar Key over the next week (March 29-April 5), which should encompass the peak of loon migration, will range from 7:25 to 7:16. So if my arithmetic is right, prime time for loon-watching in Gainesville during the next week will range from 8:30-9:04 on the 29th to 8:21-8:57 on the 5th. Weather permitting, of course, set up a chair in the back yard, or any open place that faces west, and watch for big white-bellied, black-headed birds flying over. If you’d like to join me on Friday the 31st, I’ll be watching from Paynes Prairie’s US-441 observation platform starting at 8:00 a.m.
A pair of Fish Crows is nesting in a clump of pines one street over from my NE Gainesville yard. They’re notorious nest raiders, so it doesn’t bode well for the other birds in the neighborhood. Is anyone else seeing crows carrying nesting material or sitting on nests?
Saturday’s Alachua Audubon field trip to San Felasco Hammock will be led by Adam Kent. Meeting time and place here: https://alachuaaudubon.org/event/san-felasco-hammock-millhopper-road-entrance-3/?instance_id=565 As usual, Audubon will be sponsoring two field trips per weekend during the peak of spring migration, from Saturday, April 8th through Sunday, May 7th (excepting April 16th). And don’t forget our Wednesday Wetland Walks at Sweetwater Wetlands Park; just show up any Wednesday morning at 8:30 and there should be a field trip getting ready to go.
The Native Plant Sale is coming up at Morningside Nature Center. Native Plant Society and Friends of Nature Parks members get the first crack at what’s available on Friday, April 14th, while non-members relegated to Saturday, April 15th. What a good reason to join these fine organizations! More information at the Parks & Recreation web site: http://www.cityofgainesville.org/ParksRecreationCulturalAffairs/NaturalResourcesandPrograms/NatureHeritageEvents.aspx
Reminder: the Alligator Lake Festival in Lake City will take place on Saturday, April 8th: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4E7iNkfaDyUNU55aFgwaUhxeWxXTG8xWjJDWGc2dGhMN3pv/view?usp=sharing
The festival schedule looks like this:
8:00 – Bird Walk
10:00 – Kids’ Bird Walk
11:00 – Butterflies with Mark Minno
12:00 – Meet the Eagle
1:00 – Butterflies with Marc Minno
3:00 – Time to go home
Pat Burns reported two White-faced Ibises at Alligator Lake on the 28th. Maybe they’ll stick around.