Date: 1/23/25 2:47 pm From: Lucy & Bob Email via groups.io <RobertADuncan...> Subject: [ALbirds] ST. MARKS Fw: [NFLbirds] January at ST. MARKS NWR
This was written Monday, Jan 25th before the Freeze and Snow here on the coast. The writer, Don Morrow, surveys birds - and everything else - at St. Marks weekly. Lucy
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Don Morrow To: NFLbirds <nflbirds...>Sent: Monday, January 20, 2025 at 04:38:18 PM CSTSubject: [NFLbirds] January at SMNWR
It is a cold January at St. Marks NWR. Our winter birds aresettled in and it seems like Spring will never come. The dried seed stalks ofsawgrass shake in the cold wind. There is a bit of color from the red berriesof dahoon and yaupon, but most of the refuge is painted in shades of tan andbrown.
There are a lot of good birds being reported at the refuge. Henslow’sand LeConte’s Sparrows are being seen at the helipad and a mixed flock ofGlossy and White-faced Ibis have been staying near Lighthouse Road. AShort-eared Owl is being seen hunting along Bottoms Road in the Panacea Unit. Mixed feeding flocks along the Double Bridgeshave Hermit Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Blue-headed Vireo andBlack-and-white Warbler in them. The on-again-off-again flamingo has latelybeen off-again, but a recent Facebook post gives hope that it continues to lurkin the area. A Red-throated Loon was sighted in the mouth of the St. MarksRiver mixed in with the Common Loons. It has been a good year for ducks andSnow Geese are more common at the refuge than in most years. I have hadnineteen species of waterfowl over the last week including a flock of elevenBlack Scoters in the Gulf off the Lighthouse.
Tower Pond is flooded this winter as part of periodic pondmanagement. The shorebirds that would have been there are scattered acrossother refuge ponds and less easily found. Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’sSnipe and Killdeer are more common than usual, but Marbled Godwits are hard tofind and Black-necked Stilts are absent. A flock of six American Avocets are infor the winter, look for them on Mounds Pool 3, and the hordes of Dunlins thatare 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 pilgrimagesto St. Marks to look for over a hundred and eighty bird species that are foundat the refuge in January. This past weekend Tropical Audubon from Miami, BayCounty Audubon and Alachua Audubon were all on the refuge. They, and scores ofNorthern birders escaping their own winter, are staying in local hotels, andeating in local restaurants. They have a significant economic impact on WakullaCounty,
Except for the evergreen oaks, the trees at the DoubleBridges have been stripped bare by winter storms, but if you look closely, youcan see their leaf buds beginning to swell. Soon, it will be February. Springmigration will begin as Ospreys, Northern Parula warblers and Purple Martins return.The duck season will begin to unwind as Ruddy and Black Ducks leave. Mapleflorets will color the forests and white waterlilies will bloom on the refuge’sponds.
Winter is cool! Come down to the refuge and enjoy it beforeit leaves.
