Note this post is back-dated.
In August I recorded 63 species over 18 checklists for my green birding list, adding five to the year list: Yellow Warbler at home; Eastern Kingbird, King Rail, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Gemini Springs; and Hooded Warbler at Audubon Park. In August 2014 I had 31 species at Gemini Springs; in August 2013 I had 40. Here are some photographic highlights from the month.
Florida Scrub-Jay at Quail Lakes Powerline Trails | 03-AUG-15
On August 10th I biked to a new green spot: the Beck Ranch portion of Lake Monroe Conservation Area. I only saw 10 species during my visit but the park is a gateway to the much larger conservation area and a spot to check out again for sure. I did spend some time looking at the interpretive signs explaining the conversion of the property from a working cattle ranch to its current incarnation.
Bike rack at Beck Ranch Park | 10-AUG-15
Downy Woodpecker at Gemini Springs | 15-AUG-15
Young Wood Stork at Audubon Park | 16-AUG-15
Sandhill Crane at Festival Park | 17-AUG-15
Carolina Wren at Gemini Springs | 19-AUG-15
The first Painted Bunting of the fall showed up in our yard on August 21st. He was a one-day wonder. Since then we have been seeing female-type birds a few times per week.
Painted Bunting in our yard | 21-AUG-15
Limpkin at Hickory Bluff Preserve | 24-AUG-15
On August 31st I was very surprised to find an extremely early American Robin at Gemini Springs. It was terribly overcast and the bird was distant but I managed to take an ID photo for eBird. While robins can be a sign of spring for northerners, they are a sign of fall and of the beginning of the end of migration excitement for us here in Florida. We typically start seeing flocks of American Robins arriving in central Florida in early to mid November.
American Robin at Gemini Springs | 31-AUG-15
