Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

Eleven birders joined me for today's birding trip to Martin County. We first visited Jonathan Dickinson State Park, followed by a visit to DuPuis Management Area. Several Florida Scrub-Jays were found on the trail around the campground at the east end of the park. On a dirt service road leading from the picnic area at the park's west end, we encountered a group of researchers from Florida Atlantic University who were mist-netting Bachman's Sparrows. They were gracious enough to bring to us a just-captured Bachman's, for up-close, in-hand views. One or two other Bachman's were heard singing in the vicinity. The park usually hosts a nice variety of woodpeckers, but today we only encountered four: Pileated (heard), Downy, Red-bellied and Northern Flicker. Other birds seen at Dickinson included Swallow-tailed Kite and Gray Kingbird.

DuPuis was slow at mid-day. We were unable to locate any of the reintroduced Red-cockaded Woodpeckers at their nest clusters. A Northern Bobwhite was heard along the way, as were Great Crested Flycatchers and Pine Warblers. A large flock of American White Pelicans and Wood Storks were seen soaring over the auto tour road, as were a couple more Swallow-tailed Kites. A Northern Harrier was spotted while we had lunch at the picnic area at the end of the auto tour road. Though the temperature reached 90, a breeze kept conditions bearable and the predicted rains held off for our entire visit.