The Backyard & Beyond  - December 2002

Arden had 2 free Southwest Airline tickets and one had to be used before early December. We'd been to southern Florida numerous times but in order to add more species to our Florida state list we needed to visit the northern part in the winter. We left Nov. 8th and returned on the 16th. We had hopes of seeing 3 life birds that winter there but it wasn't really winter yet so the birds hadn't arrived. Darn! But we knew it would be close. We did  add 22 species of birds to our Florida list by traveling from Jacksonville across the panhandle which has beautiful oak and pine forests to Pensacola. We then crossed into Alabama and spent at least half the day there, seeing 41 species. While walking the beach we watched Northern Gannets diving for fish in the ocean. This was an exciting ordeal to witness since this is a far northern sea bird that winters off the southern & gulf coast. A single Sanderling threw us a loop when we saw it feeding on the rocks like a turnstone rather than running on the beach following the tide line as it normally does in flocks. We then spent a day & a half in SE Georgia and along the coast. We saw 91 species and stumbled onto some great birding places.

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Gray Hairstreak

We were on the edge of the killer tornado storm that hit the area. Luckily, the storm calmed down and the worst of it passed through during the night. It then moved east as we drove west. A trail we hiked the next day was flooded at one part but Arden insisted I crawl through the brush & saw grass to press on.

We were on the edge of the killer tornado storm that hit the area. Luckily, the storm calmed down and the worst of it passed through during the night. It then moved east as we drove west. A trail we hiked the next day was flooded at one part but Arden insisted I crawl through the brush & saw grass to press on.

We got up early one morning to go to a state park for American Woodcock (a life bird) but the woodcock forgot to show up.

Arden and I went out in the pine forest looking for Red Cockaded Woodpecker (successful) and Bachman's Sparrow (unsuccessful). As we walked through the palmettos, grasses and under growth, I heard a hiss as I put my foot down. No way to stop the step and I landed on something hard which turned out to be a turtle that pulled his appendages in as I stepped. I watched a TV show in the motel  that night on venomous snakes and I realized what condition I could have been in that night. Whew! Note: Be more careful next time! The mosquitoes were awful and I had already been bitten the past few days but we were doused in deet and even applied more. I had Arden put some on my back too so the little buggers went down the front of my t-shirt and bit my upper chest. Arden didn't have any deet on his back and they nailed him good. Mosquitoes flew around my nose and eyes (the part not covered with deet) but then as dusk set in they started leaving us alone. I thought this is good. We'd been out there for awhile and "nature" began to call so I "answered" feeling the air was free of those mini hypodermic needles full of poison. In the brief minute (give or take), the un-deeted part of my body (!!) was hit 18 times leaving nasty itchy wounds that bothered me for days. Benedryl cream and pills gave some relief.

We hung out at a number of sewage lagoons, NWRs, swamps, forest and seashores. We saw a total of 141 bird species and I picked up 3 new species of butterflies for a total of 91. So any of you new birders out there thinking you are lost as to what bird species it is….. That is where I am with the butterflies but I study and it is becoming easier just as birding becomes. The Monarchs were thick in several places where they winter in northern Florida and that was exciting to see.