12/26/8
I arrived in Tallahassee late Christmas Day after spending a grueling 16 hours on planes and in airports. Peter had been traveling from his parents in NC that day as well, so we were both exhausted. The next morning, we opted to sleep in and got a late start on our big day. Our first bird of the big year: Carolina Chickadee...Exciting! After having some lunch, we headed to L. Kirk Edwards WEA first, but it proved to be a quiet day, only totaling 9 species, including Brown-headed Nuthatches, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Palm Warblers. But, the first day of a Big Year is always exciting because everything is new, and listing everything at the end of the day brings a sense of productivity and satisfaction.
We headed down to St. Marks NWR and racked up 50 species. My highlight was finally seeing the elusive (to me) American Flamingo, which required a 4-mile walk down the "double dikes." The day was filled with waterfowl, including an exceptional number of Redheads, as well as Ruddy Ducks, Green-winged Teals, Buffleheads, Canvasbacks, and Red-breasted Mergansers. We got great looks at the reliable male Vermillion Flycatcher, who animatedly danced in a red tango with his prey, catching bugs in the air only a few feet in front of us. We also saw two beautiful Eastern Meadowlarks, adding yellow to the dried-out foliage, and several Song and Savannah Sparrows flitting among the low brush, along with several other species. Despite the late start and relatively slow day, we were off to a decent start for our Big Year!
-Heather
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