Bird Locally

Bird Locally

By Betty McKeown

Many of us think that we have to spend lots of money, go to exotic places, travel by plane, boat, train or bus in order to see birds. Well for us lucky ones that live in Florida that is not always true. Instead we have a myriad of birds that people travel to Florida to see, like the Roseate Spoonbills, Crested Caracara, Limpkin and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Driving through Black Point Drive on a winter’s day is like a “who’s who” of states. There are cars from New York, Washington, Arizona, Michigan, Indiana and many, many other states. Many don’t spend much time there as they drive quickly through; others have their bin-oculars and scopes and love to talk about the birds they are seeing and take their time.

Getting 60 or 70 species on a day of birding isn’t unusual here with all the good spots to bird, like Vierra Ponds, Black Point, Blue Heron Water Treatment, Pelican Island, Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area, Ulmay Wildlife Sanctuary, Jetty Park, and many more. We are truly blessed to have the numbers and species of birds that we do in Florida.

I have had friends come from as far away as Northern Ireland to bird in Florida. Not only do they get to add to their bird list totals, they get to soak up some of our famous sun, sand, and beaches. Highlights for them included the four Limpkins seen at the edge of a pond, a flock of Roseate Spoonbills flying over with the sunlight catching the color of the birds. It isn't a far drive to see the Red-cockaded woodpeckers but sometimes you have to spend some time looking for them. And the Whooping Cranes in Central Florida are a sight to see.

A lot of people do not understand the passion that drives birders to do what we do—get up at the crack of dawn, drive miles through fog, and sometimes bird in cold or rainy weather just to get a glimpse of a certain bird. I know my snowbird neighbors do not understand this passion of mine, but it doesn’t matter because you see it rubs off even when they don’t want it to. They notice the Red-Shouldered Hawk that sits on the utility poles, and calls as it flies over.

Take Ted who hails from Connecticut and just before he came down this winter he remembered he had said he would make some birdhouses before he returned to Florida this winter. When he arrived and I walked over to greet him, he said, “I have some birdhouses I knocked together for you.” He pulled one out, then another, and another, until there were eight of them on the ground by his truck. I thanked him, and said, “I don’t have room for all of them in my garden.” He suggested I donate them to Audubon and I agreed wholeheartedly. He kept one, I kept one, and the rest were sold at a silent auction at the spaghetti dinner fundraiser at Mr. Beaujeans on February 22. Thank you Ted!! You see with the manicured lawns that people value so much, there are few dead trees, or snags, for birds to nest in and the houses come in handy for shelter. Also a Red-bellied Woodpecker found shelter in one during a rainstorm recently.