Date: 7/15/25 9:19 am From: 'Keith' via NFLbirds <nflbirds...> Subject: Re: [NFLbirds] Winter Wren - Easy tick near I-10
Hey Bob,
That sounds like an amazing birding trip! Ponce De Leon State Park sounds like a great spot to check out – thanks for the detailed directions! 129 species at St. Marks is incredible; you guys really hit the jackpot. A Violet-green Swallow – wow, a potential state record! That’s fantastic news. Even with less-than-perfect photos, what a find! I'm definitely adding St. Marks to my list – it sounds like a must-visit. Thanks again for sharing your adventures and the great tips!
Keith
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
On Monday, December 30, 2024, 11:07 AM, Lucy and Bob Duncan <robertaduncan...> wrote:
Hi,
Anyone traveling on I-10 between Pensacola and Tallahassee who wants to see this species can try for it at Ponce De Leon State Park right off I-10 near DeFuniak Springs. Thursday my family and I had 3 birds there. Lucy and I usually find it each time we try every winter. The park is about a mile or two from the highway and there is a small entrance fee. Walk to the spring and take the trail behind it which winds along the creek. It's just a short distance to where the birds respond. It's a quick and easy effort though not always but usually successful. We also had one at Marianna Caverns State park.
The Duncan Birding Machine (named by Greg Jackson), Lucy, Scot, Will, Caralyn and Wren (age 12 and a good birder) and I, spent all day birding St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. It never disappoints. We had 129 spp. Noteworthy birds were Black & White-winged Scoters, White-faced Ibis, Purple Gallinule, American Flamingo (present for several weeks), Wood Stork, Short-eared Owl, Bachman's Sparrow (Appalachicola NF en route).
The best bird was found by Scot at the Picnic Pond, a swallow which we watched for about 15 minutes. It had a white rump and was originally thought to be Mangrove Swallow but the consensus among experts concluded it was a female Violet-green Swallow. Photos were taken but there was a low gray overcast and they were not the best. They did not show a dark line down the middle of the white rump. We all got to study it but under suboptimal conditions. It would be a first documented state record if accepted by the FOSRC!
It was a great trip and the seafood at Posey's was as good as ever! I'm up to 129 spp on my "Over 90" list in only 20 days effort! Go to St. Marks and have a great birding experience.
Bob DuncanGulf Breeze, Fl
