Date: 10/16/26 1:11 pm From: Anthony Lee <aleehomes...> Subject: Re: [NFLbirds] October at SMNWR
Don what do you look for in order to identify the prairie or the saltmarsh
willet?
On Fri, Oct 16, 2026, 3:28 PM Don Morrow <donaldcmorrow...> wrote:
> I watched the International Space Station in the night sky above St. Marks
> NWR on Thursday morning. It was closely followed by an unmanned Cargo
> Dragon capsule that was moving to link up with it. They passed soundlessly
> overhead as Black-crowned Night Herons were flying in to roost, barking in
> the dark, mindless of the technological marvel taking place 250 miles above
> them. Slowly, the light gathered and Gray Catbirds began to call,
> announcing another Fall day at the refuge.
>
> These mornings at St. Marks are cool and colorful. Goldenrod is in bloom
> and Muhly grass is a pink haze along the edges of the levees. Butterflies
> are swarming; Cloudless Sulphurs, Gulf Fritillaries, Long-tailed Skippers
> and the first few Monarchs.
>
> Outlying rain bands from Hurricane Isaias dropped a lot of rain on the
> refuge and the pools and ponds are full. Favorable winds gave a boost to
> migration and in two nights, fifteen million birds passed through the
> refuge. Most of these were thrushes, warblers and flycatchers, just passing
> through. Yellow Warblers are easy to find right now. Look for them on
> Goldenrod as they search for insects. Thrushes make use of fruit on
> migration and I’ve recently found Swainson’s Thrushes at the refuge feeding
> on Yaupon, Sweetbay and Viburnum. This migratory pulse also brought in
> wintering birds; Swamp Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Eastern Phoebes and
> Northern Harriers.
>
> Our winter duck population starts climbing in October and then jumps up in
> late November. Waterfowl populations are usually still low in mid-October,
> but generally show the first increase in diversity as a few pintails and
> wigeons begin to show up among the usual Blue-winged Teal. I found 56
> Blue-winged Teal and a single Northern Shoveler on the refuge on Thursday.
> Most of the teal were skittish and easily spooked, a sign of active
> migrants.
>
> The refuge’s Land Protection Plan calls for one area to be closed in
> order to provide an area for waterfowl to rest, unmolested. Signs have
> gone up closing the Gulf-side levee on the southeastern side of Mounds 3.
> This closure is for the winter season.
>
> The refuge’s current high water levels have inundated shorebird flats and
> the refuge biologist is working to adjust water levels to accommodate both
> ducks and shorebirds. On Thursday, I had only a handful of shorebirds, but
> they included a Black-necked Stilt, a Red Knot and a Dunlin, all on Tower
> Pond. Dunlin normally begin to arrive in October and by November, they will
> be the most common shorebird on the refuge.
>
> The American Ornithological Society has decided to split one of our most
> common shorebirds, the Willet, into two species. The new Saltmarsh Willet
> is our local breeder and the new Prairie Willet is our wintering bird,
> currently on the refuge. If you keep a bird list, your total just went up
> by one with no effort.
>
> One other thing that you can do with almost no effort is come down to St.
> Marks. We have birds, butterflies and glorious Fall weather waiting for
> you.
>
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