The snowbirds are coming!
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Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
The snowbirds are coming!
Winter is a great time of year for birding and wildlife viewing in Florida. Resident bird species are joined by
snowbirds seeking refuge from the harsh Northern climate, which significantly reduces their food supplies.
Florida’s winter is not as harsh, and food supplies are therefore more plentiful. Great!
Florida’s largest birding and wildlife festival takes place every January in Titusville. This will be the Space
Coast’s 15th annual festival and visitors from all over the world will flock to Brevard County to participate.
The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail will be represented there, so stop by our booth and say hello!
We will have trail guides and merchandise for you.
Andy Wraithmell became our new Information specialist in November and will be promoting our wildlife
viewing programs, managing newsletter publication and subscriptions, the Wings Over Florida program,
our loaner optics program and editing our FWC wildlife viewing and GFBWT website pages.
This edition of the newsletter features birding trail hotspots for the winter season, a species spotlight on
the Crested Caracara, a new feature called “On the trail,” trail news and event information. We will be
producing quarterly newsletters from now on. The winter and summer editions will be electronic only and
our spring and fall issues will be both electronic and printed.
We hope that you have a great winter season enjoying the many wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities
Florida has to offer.
Happy viewing!
–Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail and Wildlife Viewing staff
Species spotlight: Crested Caracara
© Danny Bales
By Andy Wraithmell
As the sun rises over the prairie, Turkey Vultures begin
to soar over their roost, awoken by the stench of rotting
flesh drifting by on the morning breeze. They quickly find
the source of the stench – a dead hog – and plummet to
the ground to enjoy what will be a communal breakfast.
Black Vultures spot their close relatives’ descent and fly
over to join them in a dawn feast. The breakfast gathering
is anything but amicable; the vultures squabble and
bicker, disturbing the morning peace! The noise carries to
a nearby hammock and attracts the attention of a dozing
Crested Caracara perched in a cabbage palm. He stretches
his wings and takes to the air, covering the ground Crested Caracara in flight
between his roost and the breakfast melee in no time at
all. Once on the ground, the caracara walks boldly among the vultures, scattering them in all directions.
The male caracara tears off a large chunk of flesh from the carcass and begins to dine. The
vultures mistakenly creep back toward the dead hog, but the caracara is not interested in
sharing and a fight breaks out.
floridabirdingtrail.com
Kite Tales: The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail Newsletter Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
The male caracara wins and the Breeding & distribution Okeechobee and Osceola
disgruntled vultures are forced counties). Their stronghold is
In Florida, their loosely
to stand back and wait their privately held ranch land, and
constructed nest is almost
turn. Eventually, his appetite biologists are working with
always built in the tops of
satisfied, the caracara takes landowners to better understand
cabbage palms, and the female
to the air and lands upon his the needs of this enigmatic
typically lays one to four eggs.
favorite perch, an old fencepost raptor.
Incubation lasts for four weeks,
alongside a dusty road in
and the young caracaras fledge Where do I find them?
Osceola County.
four to eight weeks later. The Crested Caracaras can be
Identification & behavior Florida population is estimated found at several birding
The Crested Caracara is not a to be as few as 400 birds. At one trail sites. Fisheating Creek
difficult bird to identify if you time, caracaras were common in Wildlife Management Area,
get a good look at one. The dark the prairies of central Florida, Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife
cap and body contrast with a but their numbers declined as Management Area, Forever
pale face and neck, giving it a favored habitat was converted Florida, Joe Overstreet Landing,
distinctive bi-colored appearance to housing developments, citrus Kissimmee Prairie Preserve
when perched – even at a groves and improved pastures. State Park, Prairie Bird Loops,
distance. Its large hooked bill is Today, both the Florida Fish Ritch Grissom Memorial
two-thirds orange and one-third and Wildlife Conservation Wetlands at Viera (Viera
gray for mature birds, while Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Wetlands) and Three Lakes
juveniles have a mostly gray Fish and Wildlife Service list Wildlife Management Area
bill for much of their first year. the caracara as Threatened. are all reliable sites to see the
In flight, caracaras exhibit five They are most abundant in a Crested Caracara. Scan open
distinct pale areas of plumage: six-county area north and west fields, look for feeding vultures
a patch on each outer wing, one of Lake Okeechobee (DeSoto, and scope cabbage palms and
on its head and one on both sides Glades, Hendry, Highlands, fence lines for best results.
of its tail. The birds hold their
© Karla Brandt
wings flat when gliding, and their
wing beats are shallow and stiff.
Caracaras are aggressive; they
have to be. Unlike the Turkey
Vulture, they do not possess the
ability to smell carrion – their
preferred source of food – so
they often arrive late at a feed.
Aggressive behavior is therefore
necessary to ensure they get
an ample share of the available
food before it disappears into
the bellies of other species. Most
of their day is spent perched in
trees or on man-made structures,
such as fence posts and telephone
poles. If the need or opportunity
arises they will often hunt for
live prey: mostly easy to catch
insects such as crickets and
beetles, or reptiles, such as
snakes and lizards. Crested Caracara are found year-round in Osceola County
2 MyFWC.com
Kite Tales: The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail Newsletter Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
Birding Trail East (#102): Joe
© David Moynahan
Overstreet Landing
Site Highlights:
As you drive down Joe
Snowbird influx Overstreet Road, look in the
Winter is here and the pastures for Whooping Cranes,
snowbirds have arrived. Sandhill Cranes and Wild
Large numbers of birds Turkeys. The latter can often
from the North, particularly be seen in good sized flocks
ducks and songbirds, will of over 20 birds during mid-
now reside in Florida morning hours, particularly
until March and April, after a recent rain. Eastern
when the urge to migrate Meadowlarks, Savannah
takes them back North. Sparrows, Loggerhead Shrikes
Lakes, marshes, coastal and Eastern Phoebes vie for
bays and rivers will play attention as they perch on
host to over 20 species of roadside fence posts. Crested
duck, while our hammocks, Caracaras are seen frequently
forests, prairies, scrub and from the road. Check areas
backyards will host phoebes, with cabbage palms and cattle.
kinglets, warblers, catbirds, At the end of the road there is
sparrows and finches. There a small park-campground that
are plenty of trail sites affords views of the eastern side
that offer excellent winter of Lake Kissimmee. This area is
birding and we have chosen Fox Squirrels are regularly spotted at Three good for Limpkins, Bald Eagles
four of them to provide you Rivers State Park and Snail Kites. In winter there
with ideas on where to go is often a small flock of Black
over the next three months. has wintering Brown Creeper Skimmers, and ducks, such as
and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Blue-winged Teal, are typically
Panhandle (#57): Three and the steep slopes and gullies present.
Rivers State Park along Lakeside Trail and Half Nearby trail sites: Three Lakes
Pine and hardwood uplands Dry Creek Trail are good for Wildlife Management Area (#103)
with big, old live oaks and Winter Wren. Occasionally, both
loblolly pines characterize Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine West (#22): Big Bend
this park on the south shore Siskin can also be found. The Wildlife Management
of Lake Seminole. This lake is park is also a great place to see Area: Hickory Mound
actually a reservoir created at Fox Squirrels and White-tailed Impoundment
the confluence of the Flint and Deer, so keep an eye out for them
alongside the roads. The long entrance road passes
Chattahoochee rivers, where
through private land on an
they form the Apalachicola. www.floridastateparks.org/
unimproved road until you reach
The opposite shoreline lies in threerivers/
the management area, so take
Georgia. The lake itself plays Phone: (850) 402-9006 your time; the wait is well worth
host to the largest wintering
Open: 8 a.m. to sunset it, once you reach this truly wild
population of Canvasback (up
(full facility campground) area. Good dike roads surround
to 500 most years) in the state.
Admission: $3 the impoundment and offer fine
In winter, it is not unusual to
vantages of the brackish marsh,
see over 15 species of duck from Nearby trail sites: Torreya
scattered islands of palms and
the park’s shoreline, as well State Park (#56) & Sneads Park
oaks and the many wintering
as Common Loon and Horned (#58)
ducks and shorebirds. At high
Grebe. The picnic area often
floridabirdingtrail.com 3
Kite Tales: The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail Newsletter Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
areas. Oak hammocks at the end
© Meaghan Manning
of trails offer refuge for wintering
songbirds, and sparrows;
meadowlarks and shrikes perch
in the roadside brush. Seasonal
hunting does take place here.
Check the site website for
seasons before planning your
trip.
www.myfwc.com/viewing/
recreation/wmas/lead/dinner-
island/
Phone: (863) 228-7238
Open: dawn to dusk
Nearby trail sites:
Okaloacoochee Slough State
Forest & WMA (#45)
Black-bellied Whsitling Ducks are regularly encountered at Dinner Island
Ranch WMA.
tide, ducks such as the Redhead South (#46): Dinner
and Lesser Scaup fly in from Island Ranch Wildlife
the Gulf and marshes to bathe Management
and preen in the impoundment
© Meaghan Manning
Area
water. Mixed shorebird flocks
roost and feed in suitable This excellent and
areas. The southernmost often overlooked site
edge of the dike overlooks has a little bit of
neighboring saltmarsh, everything: hardwood
affording opportunities to view hammock, freshwater
Seaside Sparrows and Clapper swamp, prairie,
Rails; the northernmost edge and pine flatwoods.
tunnels through thick, gorgeous Drive or bike
coastal hardwood swamp, where Hilliard Grade and
songbirds, such as Blue-headed walk the reclaimed
Vireo, abound. Hunting at cattle penning
Hickory Mounds is typically low lanes watching for
key. Check the site website for Burrowing Owls,
information on hunting seasons. Sandhill Cranes,
www.MyFWC.com/viewing/ Wild Turkey and
recreation/wmas/lead/big-bend Crested Caracara.
Look for Roseate
Phone: (850) 838-9016 Spoonbill, Black-
Open: dawn to dusk bellied Whistling
Nearby Trail Sites: Aucilla Ducks & Purple
WMA: Aucilla Sinks Trail (#21) Gallinules in wet The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a winter resident
4 MyFWC.com
Kite Tales: The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail Newsletter Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
On the Trail
By John Thomton
“Is that another Fox Squirrel?”
Cheryl asked as soon as we had
pulled off Canoe Creek Road.
Brent and I each peered to the
right.
“Sure is,” Brent replied, spotting
the rodent in question.
“Wow, I can’t get over these guys,”
I mused out loud. “I know they’re
squirrels, but because of their size
they remind me of cats!” Only
in close, comfortable company do
I let such deep insight leave my
John Thomton began birding around the Chicago area in high school. He
mouth.
now lives with his wife in Orlando, where they sometimes partake in
We had spent the morning birding (his thing) and geocaching (her thing). He has a particular
exploring Three Lakes Wildlife fondness for the crow family, his favorite being the Green Jay.
Management Area, successfully
locating Red-Cockaded I pulled over to scan a field of We scanned the area for several
Woodpeckers. With at least 65 cattle that a few years earlier had minutes, noting a Loggerhead
species on the day’s list, and hosted a large flock of American Shrike, butour growling stomachs
the clock approaching 1:30, we Pipits, but the bovines grazed sent us back to the car. When
were about ready for some lunch unaccompanied. The Crested we cleared the trees and entered
in nearby St. Cloud. However, Caracara that had so handsomely the more open pastureland, I
no birding trip to the Three perched on the fence right next to spotted a bird flying low. Even
Lakes area is complete without the road on a previous visit failed 100-or-so yards away, the white
a drive down to Joe Overstreet to show. Thankfully, there were wing patches and distinctive
Landing on Lake Kissimmee. several other feathered creatures shape of the Crested Caracara
So we denied our stomachs for to keep us entertained. We saw were obvious. Delighted, Brent
another hour to see if we could a few Mottled Ducks and Eastern and Cheryl brought up their
find anything interesting or new Meadowlarks, as well as waders binoculars. The bird careened
for the day. I had driven Joe around the ponds and in the until it gracefully landed in one
Overstreet Road several times pastures near the boat launch: of the dead oaks. I stopped the
during the past six years, but Wood Storks, Cattle Egrets, car, and we all got great looks.
Brent had only been once and White and Glossy Ibises were Satisfied that a drive down Joe
Cheryl hadn’t even heard of it. plentiful. We added Killdeer for Overstreet Road is never a waste
Naturally, I sprang into “tour the day, and also a male Northern of time, we headed to St. Cloud
guide” mode. Harrier. for lunch and an afternoon of
When we reached Lake more exploring.
“I usually get Common Ground-
doves somewhere along here,” I Kissimmee, birds I had seen
informed them, “and there have there in the past were absent
been reports on the Birdbrains this time; wintering ducks, Snail
listserv about Burrowing Owls.” Kite, Purple Gallinule, Limpkin,
Unfortunately neither species Whooping Crane, Forster’s Tern,
made an appearance. Black Skimmer are often present.
floridabirdingtrail.com 5
Kite Tales: The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail Newsletter Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
Florida winter Trail News
festivals & events The FWC’s Great Florida We are Blogging!
Birding and Wildlife Trail is Check out our new wildlife
January 14, 2012 pleased to announce a new Rural
Manatee Awareness Month viewing blog called “On
County Initiative. In an effort the Trail”. The aim of
Manatee Springs State Park to assist Florida’s rural counties
Phone: (352) 493-6072 our blog is to share the
and Rural Areas of Critical many different aspects
January 12 – 16, 2012 Economic Concern (RACEC) of wildlife viewing, whether
Everglades Birding Festival with their nature-based tourism that is watching birds,
Hollywood programs, nominations are being photographing butterflies,
Phone: (954) 805-6810 accepted until February 10, 2012 snorkeling with gar in our
January 25 – 30, 2012 to add new sites to the Birding beautiful freshwater springs
Space Coast Birding and and Wildlife Trail network. or watching dolphins
Wildlife Festival Florida has 32 rural and RACEC play in the surf. This blog
Titusville counties across the state. A will have all that and
Phone: (800) 460-2664 nomination form is available on more. Staff and volunteer
the GFBWT website. Visitors contributors from all over
February 17 – 20, 2012 from around the world come the state will be sharing
Great Backyard Bird Count to Florida to see our unique adventures, information
www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ wildlife and exceptional scenic and photographs with you.
February 25, 2012 places! Nominate one of your We hope that this will help
Southwest Florida Burrowing county’s outstanding wild places encourage and enhance your
Owl Festival today! own wildlife adventures.
Cape Coral For more information contact: Visit our new blog at
March 17, 2012 www.onthetrailmyfwc.
Mark Kiser
Wild Azalea Festival blogspot.com
Birding and Wildlife Trail
White Springs Coordinator
Phone: (386) 397-4462 (850) 488-9478
Contact Us:
Anne Glick, section leader
anne.glick@MyFWC.com
850-922-0664
Mark Kiser, coordinator
mark.kiser@MyFWC.com
850-488-9478
Andy Wraithmell, information
specialist
andy.wraithmell@MyFWC.com
850-488-9453
Chantal-Marie Wright,
information specialist
chantal.wright@MyFWC.com
850-488-8755
MyFWC.com
Kite Tales: The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail Newsletter Winter 2011 Volume 4 Issue 1
Visit our facebook page
to enter your answers.
© Danny Bales
Holiday Gift Donation
Need a gift idea for the holidays? We have two perfect solutions! Help support The Great Florida Birding
and Wildlife Trail by sending a tax-deductible gift donation on behalf of a loved one or friend AND/OR
purchase birding trail merchandise as a gift for a loved one or friend. You can send a gift donation by
printing out this page, making sure you fill out all the contact information, and then send it with your
check to the address below. Alternatively you can make your donation and/or purchase merchandise via
the online links below.
Name:___________________________________________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ( )________________________________ Email:____________________________________________
Donation Amount: $10 $20 $50 $100 Other_______________
Donations and merchandise purchases can be made online.
Donate online via WildlifeFoundationofFlorida.com/donate
Visit our online catalog at WildlifeFoundationofFlorida.com/catalog/18
If you are sending your donation by check please mail it to:
Wildlife Foundation of Florida
GFBT Holiday Gift Donation
P.O. Box 6181
Tallahassee, FL 32314-6181
Make your check payable to Wildlife Foundation of Florida and please include “GFBWT” on the memo
line. We recommend you purchase merchandise before December 14th in order to receive your gift in
time for the holidays.
Thank you!
Florida Registration # CH8500: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES
BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
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