On Sunday, March 24, twenty-two birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for our annual spring field trip to birding locations in Martin and northern Palm Beach County. This trip was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 23, but with heavy rain predicted for that day, the trip was moved to Sunday. Though Saturday turned out to be not as rainy as expected, Sunday’s weather was much improved, so everyone who attended was happy with the one-day delay.
We spent all morning and part of the afternoon at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, where we tallied 37 species, including several Florida Scrub-Jays, the state’s only endemic bird. We also saw seven of Florida’s eight woodpecker species while in the park: Red-cockaded, Red-headed, Red-bellied, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, recently reintroduced to the park, were found right near the parking lot at the Loxahatchee River picnic area.
In the afternoon, about half of the group caravaned to Pine Glades Natural Area in northern Palm Beach County, where we added several birds to our trip list, including Sandhill Crane (heard), Wood Stork, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Bald Eagle, Tree Swallow and Eastern Meadowlark. We ended the day with 46 species seen or heard. The complete list of birds may be viewed in this eBird trip report.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker: Photo by Brian Rapoza