When we were sitting in Plains, Georgia five months ago, with feral cats crawling all over the motor home, stray dogs lying in the yard and drugs being dealt from the convenience store in front of the RV Park it was hard to be optimistic about how our winter would go. Today I am sitting here basking in the joy of my morning birding with experienced Audubon Society Birders. I have to pinch myself at what a joy this winter has been here in Ocala, Florida.
This week has been exceptional, two 5-star days in one week. It’s been a week of firsts, for me. On Tuesday we went back to Silver Spring State Park with our friends Chuck and Julie from Maine. We took a tour of the Spring on a glass bottom boat. A first for 3 of the 4 of us. After getting a fish eye's look at the bottom of the crystal-clear springs and all that was going on below the surface, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade next to the water then headed out to walk the path were Champ and I saw the monkeys last time we were there. While eating lunch we saw a Swallow Tail Kite circling above. A good sighting for this Midwestern native, as I would not see this bird anywhere near my Iowa roots. We came upon a large alligator sunning itself on the shoreline in the grass. Another first for me. It was a little unsettling to find myself that close to a creature large enough to eat me! Good thing he was more interested in napping than eating. Another first for me was in the monkey neighborhood. We were disappointed not to see the monkey’s that afternoon, but were treated to a beautiful Barred Owl perched on a tree limb above the trail. My first daytime sighting and first opportunity to photograph an owl. After nearly 4 hours walking and basking in the natural area we returned to our winter homes in the RV park full of excitement for the day we had.
Barred Owl 
Chuck & Julie Burwell 
Alligator sunning
This morning I returned to Ft. Cooper State Park, this time
with my new friend Julie along. We took part in a bird walk led by local
birders. The day was spectacular. We spent 3 ½ hours and located 32 species.
Four were firsts for me! The Northern
Perula, Red Eye Vireo, Wood Storks and Great Crested Flycatcher are now a part
of my life list as a birder. We were also treated to a spectacular view of a
Barred Owl pair perched in the tree near their next. They even greeted us with
their beautiful call. The woods were alive with songs and calls of the Florida
birds. It was like a symphony. As a musician I think the sounds of a timbered
area full of birds calling is some of the most beautiful music there is. At Ft.
Cooper the woodland bird calls are often punctuated by the call of a shorebird
in the wetlands located in the same park.
For the birders who are reading today here is the official
list and a few pictures from this morning.
Red Belly Woodpecker 
Owl Nest 
Northern Parula 
Pileated Woodpecker 
Great Crested Flycatcher 
Bathouse 
Me, Julie, Linda, Gail, Raymond and Eileen 
Barred Owl Pair
Boat Tailed Grackle – Palm Warbler – Common Gallinule –
American Coot – Immature Little Blue Heron – Red Winged Blackbird – Killdeer –
Belted Kingfisher – Double Crested Cormorant – Northern Parula – Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
– Tufted Titmouse – Great Crested Flycatcher – Eastern Towhee – Mourning Dove –
White Eye Vireo – Barred Owl – Wood Stork – Red Shoulder Hawk – Red Eye Vireo –
Pileated Woodpecker – Sandhill Crane – Black Vulture – Turkey Vulture – Turkey –
America Crow – Northern Cardinal – Yellow Throated Vireo – Great Blue Heron –
Red Belly Woodpecker -Great Egret – Carolina Wren
Time with our new friends Chuck and Julie is coming to a
quick end. I really savored our morning outing together today. As if this week
wasn’t already pretty spectacular, I got home and read my email. Our official
offer to work camp in Texas next winter, near our Texas friends, was waiting for
my response. Another 18 months of work camping is booked. All we have to do is
open our hearts and minds to what lies ahead.
Until next time…
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