Erin Kalinowski saw two American White Pelicans from Powers Park at about 3:30 this afternoon.
Mike Manetz added Broad-winged Hawk to his June Challenge list the other day. He was sitting on the floating dock along the river when one flew right over his head, continued to the other shore, and perched out in the open, calling (which means that Mike can also add it to his Columbia County June Challenge, if he’s doing one). He thinks one might be nesting in the park.
Karl Miller and Howard Adams both reported large terns (Royal or Caspian) at Newnans Lake in the past week, but they were too far off to confidently ID. Still, scoping Newnans from Palm Point is an excellent way to add uncommon birds to your June Challenge list.
Geoff Parks thought he heard an American Robin calling in his neighborhood earlier this month, but only once and he wasn’t sure. Still, he did hear one singing “loud and clear” on May 4th, so it might be worth checking his neighborhood (roads east and west of NE 7th Street between 16th and 23rd Avenues) to see if you can find one.
Today I added Black-capped Chickadee, Savannah Sparrow, Caspian Tern, and Green Heron to my own June Challenge list. No, I’m not delusional. I’m in upstate New York visiting my son for a week and a half, so what better way to pass the time than by doing a Jefferson County, New York, June Challenge? I’m up to 39 species at this point, and at Derby Hill Bird Observatory this morning (the outing was a Father’s Day present) a couple of excellent local birders named Gerry Smith and Tom Carrolan told me where I might find singing Golden-winged Warblers.
We all know that Lloyd Davis gets around more than anybody. But I was still a surprised when he turned up in a photo on the National Audubon Society web site, watching a Great Gray Owl at Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog: http://www.audubon.org/news/want-photograph-boreal-birds-winter-head-minnesotas-sax-zim-bog
Alachua Conservation Trust is looking for a part-time Land Management Specialist “responsible for supervising and training interns who participate in ACT’s Women in the Woods program on various resource management field projects, conservation and operational tasks relating to prescribed fire, trail maintenance, and recreational improvements.” If you’re interested, here’s a link: http://alachuaconservationtrust.org/index.php?/alachua_v2/jobs