As the end of 2023 approaches, it’s time to reflect on the past year. Although I didn’t get out as much as in years past, some of the photo opportunities were amazing. In February we located a bird that I had never seen in the wild. In fact, in 2022 we drove over 3 hours down past Lake Okeechobee to search for the same species but came up empty. However, this year we were successful in finding one over by Orlando.
Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg was the real showcase spot. Weather played a huge part during the year. Back in the spring, a couple of cold fronts conveniently pushed through and created a fallout of migrating birds. We saw many tanagers, grosbeaks, buntings, warblers, and orioles. I captured some pictures of birds that I hadn’t seen in years. My favorite moment was coming across a male scarlet tanager who was so exhausted and hungry that he hopped within 10 feet of me sitting in the grass. He was more focused on food than his own safety.
In September, hurricane Idalia accomplished something that no other storm has done for decades. The track of the storm created a corridor for many iconic American Flamingos to flee Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico north to the United States. The event captured news outlets across the country as some of the birds were spotted as far north as Wisconsin. Several showed up along the west coast of Florida and there are still reports of sightings.
Unfortunately, the remnants of hurricane Irma in 2022 along with the heat wave and drought during the summer had an impact on several of our favorite bird spots. We lost a great bald eagle nest in Lakewood Ranch and our best place for seeing endangered snail kites near Fort Myers was severely damaged during the hurricane. It appears a large population of apple snails was wiped out, which is the main food source for the kites.
It looks like 2024 will get off to a good start. Migrating waterfowl have returned to the region and are much more accessible this year because of the lower water levels. Many areas continue to recover from the storms and habitat is improving. We participated in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count last week and were surprised to see one of the flamingos that remain in the area. Hopefully that will be a good omen for next year. We’re keeping our eyes on a report of a very rare duck that’s been seen over in Palm Beach County. If he stays around for a few more weeks, I think I see a road trip on the horizon. Stay tuned.
All the best to everyone. Thanks for keeping up with us during the year. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Have a Happy New Year!!
