Date: 1/20/25 2:38 pm From: Don Morrow <donaldcmorrow...> Subject: [NFLbirds] January at SMNWR
It is a cold January at St. Marks NWR. Our winter birds are settled in and
it seems like Spring will never come. The dried seed stalks of sawgrass
shake in the cold wind. There is a bit of color from the red berries of
dahoon and yaupon, but most of the refuge is painted in shades of tan and
brown.
There are a lot of good birds being reported at the refuge. Henslow’s and
LeConte’s Sparrows are being seen at the helipad and a mixed flock of
Glossy and White-faced Ibis have been staying near Lighthouse Road. A
Short-eared Owl is being seen hunting along Bottoms Road in the Panacea
Unit. Mixed feeding flocks along the Double Bridges have Hermit Thrush,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Blue-headed Vireo and Black-and-white Warbler in
them. The on-again-off-again flamingo has lately been off-again, but a
recent Facebook post gives hope that it continues to lurk in the area. A
Red-throated Loon was sighted in the mouth of the St. Marks River mixed in
with the Common Loons. It has been a good year for ducks and Snow Geese are
more common at the refuge than in most years. I have had nineteen species
of waterfowl over the last week including a flock of eleven Black Scoters
in the Gulf off the Lighthouse.
Tower Pond is flooded this winter as part of periodic pond management. The
shorebirds that would have been there are scattered across other refuge
ponds and less easily found. Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’s Snipe and
Killdeer are more common than usual, but Marbled Godwits are hard to find
and Black-necked Stilts are absent. A flock of six American Avocets are in
for the winter, look for them on Mounds Pool 3, and the hordes of Dunlins
that are a hallmark of any winter are once again abundant.
Winter is one of the best times for birding at the refuge. Birding groups
from around the state have been making their annual pilgrimages to St.
Marks to look for over a hundred and eighty bird species that are found at
the refuge in January. This past weekend Tropical Audubon from Miami, Bay
County Audubon and Alachua Audubon were all on the refuge. They, and scores
of Northern birders escaping their own winter, are staying in local hotels,
and eating in local restaurants. They have a significant economic impact on
Wakulla County,
Except for the evergreen oaks, the trees at the Double Bridges have been
stripped bare by winter storms, but if you look closely, you can see their
leaf buds beginning to swell. Soon, it will be February. Spring migration
will begin as Ospreys, Northern Parula warblers and Purple Martins return.
The duck season will begin to unwind as Ruddy and Black Ducks leave. Maple
florets will color the forests and white waterlilies will bloom on the
refuge’s ponds.
Winter is cool! Come down to the refuge and enjoy it before it leaves.
