I’m so glad March is over. An unexpected emergency home repair project turned into a multi-week home improvement saga that is still ongoing — though by now the end is in sight. March was an extremely stressful month to say the least.
I did manage to bird at Gemini Springs 9 times during March (with no visits between the 16th and the 21st — that was a rough week). I saw 69 species (compared to 79 in March 2013), including one awesome new addition to my patch list – Prothonotary Warbler (that was a really good day). The complete list of birds is at the end of this post.
Despite visiting 9 times, I have few photos from the month that was. A lot of my visits were fairly quick and I just didn’t take the time I usually do. Here are a handful of photographic highlights from birding at Gemini Springs in March, 2014.
sunrise | 10 March 2014
American Bittern photoshop fun | 12 March 2014
Common Gallinule | 15 March 2014
moonrise | 15 March 2014
moon | 15 March 2014
Common Buckeye | 26 March 2014
Red-shouldered Hawk | 26 March 2014
Prothonotary Warbler | 26 March 2014
I was finishing up my walk on the afternoon of the 26th, hurrying along the bike path in a normally relatively bird-free part of my route. I heard a Tufted Titmouse scolding and the birding gods were with me because I decided to investigate. I doubt the titmouse was in any way perturbed by the Prothonotary Warbler foraging in an adjacent tree, but if it wasn’t for the crazy scolding, I never would have stopped there. I saw a flash of yellow but wasn’t sure what it was until I got my bins on the bird. An unexpected find — I am sure I gasped.
Prothonotary Warbler | 26 March 2014
Prothonotary Warbler keeping an eye on a potential meal | 26 March 2014
The month ended with another gasp — my Bobcat sightings are few and far between.
why did the Bobcat cross the road? | 30 March 2014
Gemini Springs, March 2014 month bird list
Wood Duck – Aix sponsa
Blue-winged Teal – Anas discors
Wild Turkey – Meleagris gallopavo
Pied-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
Anhinga – Anhinga anhinga
American Bittern – Botaurus lentiginosus
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron – Butorides virescens
Black-crowned Night-Heron – Nycticorax nycticorax
White Ibis – Eudocimus albus
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus
Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
King Rail – Rallus elegans
Sora – Porzana carolina
Common Gallinule – Gallinula galeata
American Coot – Fulica americana
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
Caspian Tern – Hydroprogne caspia
Forster’s Tern – Sterna forsteri
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius
Red-eyed Vireo – Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor
Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
American Robin – Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
Prothonotary Warbler – Protonotaria citrea
Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
Northern Parula – Setophaga americana
Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
Prairie Warbler – Setophaga discolor
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis
Swamp Sparrow – Melospiza georgiana
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Indigo Bunting – Passerina cyanea
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
Boat-tailed Grackle – Quiscalus major
American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
