May 25, 2014 - Birds in Florida

Here are some bird photos taken in Florida this past winter. This Eastern Bluebird was at Salinas Park which is south of Port St. Joe. It surprised me by clinging to the side of a palm tree. It’s certainly capable of clinging to a tree, but I just don’t remember seeing a Bluebird do that before. I’m used to seeing them land ON something, like a wire, fence post, or bluebird nest box.

BluebirdEasternmaleSalinasPark20140201

I always enjoy seeing Cardinals. This one perched on a post at Native Nurseries in Tallahassee.

CardinalNorthernmaleNativeNurseriesTallahassee20140224

LaFayette Park, in Apalachicola, is a reliable spot to find Nelson’s Sparrows in the winter. They like wet areas and are usually seen in the reeds right along the Apalachicola Bay. Minnesota birders can find Nelson’s Sparrows in summer, but only in a few specialized locations. One of those is a big cattail marsh just south of McGregor.

SparrowNelson'sLaFayetteParkApalachicola20140120

In LaFayette Park, I also saw Mourning Doves.

DoveMourningLaFayetteParkApalachicola20140120

I photographed this Blue-headed Vireo in the Apalachicola National Forest. It and two other types of vireos used to be considered one species, called Solitary Vireo. About 15 years ago they were split into three separate species: Blue-headed, Cassin’s, and Plumbeous Vireos. The Cassin’s and Plumbeous Vireos are found in the western United States.

VireoBlueheadedBloodyBluffRoadApalachicolaNationalForest20140206

Carolina Wrens are always fun to see. They have a beautiful song and are active, lively little birds.

WrenCarolinaBloodyBluffRoadApalachicolaNationalForest20140206