Ferndale Preserve "Mini" Fallout

Today was the monthly bird survey for Ferndale Preserve located on CR 455 in Minneola, Lake County FL.
The morning started off fairly slow from the parking lot, which is often the hub of activity during migration. The slow walk up the hill to the more open restoration area began showing activity along the wooded edge, a flycatch was first to be seen but was quickly lost in the flood of flitting birds. First Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, than an American Redstart female, then another, and another, and another mixed with Blue-grays, then 2 Western Palms popped up, than a Prairie, and more Redstarts, White-eyed Vireo and the local crowd like Cardinals and such got into it. We walked down the south side of the preserve which was quiet adding female Black & White and more common stuff, on our way back to the parking lot the American Kestrel and Blue Jays went nuts chasing another bird that was cruising low across the fields, a MERLIN..... soon after we flushed a covey of Bobwhites and after returning to the parking lot we jumped in the truck and drove through the park to lake level, at first nothing till we stopped to look over at Smith's Island, the midges were out in force and in a small clump of Laural Oaks the flitting of birds was seen, Gnatcatcher, American Redstart, Black & White, PROTHONOTORY! Then another and another, Prairie, more Gnatcatcher, the tree was alive! BLACKBURNIAN! YELLOW! another Yellow, and then 2 more! VIREO the call rang out! YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, then White-eyed, Cardinals, more Gnatcatchers, then birds just kept appearing, Common Yellowthroat! We soon moved on up the southern boundry and hit another tree full of movement, Parulas! Praires....more Prairies.. and more.. and more.... soon Black & White, Black-throated Blue, White-eyes, and the common stuff entered in like Downies, Red-bellies, Tufted Titmouse.... more than a dozen Prairie in 1 tree! Just an awesome day wish I had carried my camera but I barely even made it due to being sick to my stomach.
Northern Parula: 6, 4 Male 2 Female
Black & White: 6, 5 female 1 male
Praire: 20-30
Yellow: 4, 2 Male 2 Female/immature
Blackburnian: 1 Female
Prothonotory: 4 All very bright males
Ovenbird: 2
American Redstart: 20-25 all females except 1 adult male
Western Palm: 8-10
Common Yellowthroat: 6-8 mostly female or immature males
Black-throated Blue: 1 Female
Eastern Wood-peewee: 1
Veery: 1
Yellow-throated Vireo: 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers: 30-40
Merlin: 1 very dark Immature, Taiga Sub-species likely....
Local Male American Kestrel, Southeastern Subspecies (resident)

Catching Up and #401

I really need to do more about updating this blog. Maybe put it on my calendar...lol
Well I got bird number 401 for Florida.... Inca Dove out at St. George Island thanks to a call from Wes Biggs I drove all night and arrived first thing in the morning to get the bird with Wes Biggs, David Simpson, David Hartgrove, and Ray Webb... Later ran into Dotty Robbins, and 2 others whose names slip my mind at this moment. The down side was I got a speeding ticket just east of SMNWR on SR 98.... The price of chasing!

Yesterday I took Jeri, as birder from North Carolina, out as a Birding Pal she got 10 lifers on a fairly quiet day overall.

Also added Blackburnian Warbler to my yard list as an immature male flitted through the yard with the usual suspects of titmice.