We went back to Spruce Creek for a second try at seeing the Red-breasted Nuthatch without any success. So I wandered a bit mostly so I could hear some rails – got Virginia rail and a bunch of Clapper Rails.
The boardwalk to the small fishing area. This is one spot that is quite easy to get Clapper Rails.
It’s also easy to see Osprey and the occasional heron or egret. This one is a Tri-colored Heron.
We also managed to find a Great Horned Owl tucked into a magnolia tree.
There was also a lot of poison ivy (on the left) which is an obnoxious plant, but is at least native and birds, especially robins and warblers eat the berries. The plant on the right is Brazilian pepper, an invasive shrub who fruit are unfortunitly liked the same birds and spreads like a cancer along waterways. There are so many seeds in the seed bank that it will take years of serious effort to get rid of this cancer on the environment.
Afterwards we went off to search for a bird that we typically see one or twice while visiting the south. While look for our target we found a lot of White Ibises and Snowy Egrets,
But after a bit of a search we found two American Oystercatchers on a distant spit.
More later…
Michael's Place 