22 April 2023 - Palm Harbour & Honeymoon Island, Florida

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Tufted Titmouse, Little Blue Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Willet, Short-billed Dowitcher, Grey Plover, White Ibis, Mourning Dove, Semipalmated Plover, Fish Crow, Downy Woodpecker, Chimney Swift, Brown-headed Cowbird, Royal Tern, Least Tern, Sandwich Tern, Reddish Egret, Western Sandpiper, Gray Kingbird, Common Ground-dove, Magnificent Frigatebird, Carolina Chickadee

An early morning walk to the beach at Palm Harbour produced a few waders: Short-billed Dowitcher, Willet, Grey Plover and a first for me: Semipalmated Plover. A couple of Roseate Spoonbills flew over, a Little Blue Heron was on the dock, and finally I was able to identify Fish Crow on call. Other birds included Tufted Titmouse (several en route to the beach) and the usual White Ibises, Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans etc. We'd decided to go to Honeymoon Island, but while messing about in the cottage, I noticed 3 White Ibis feeding on the back garden lawn. Also 2 Blue Jays and a Red-bellied Woodpecker in the garden, and a Chimney Swift overhead.

We arrived at Honeymoon Island and on getting out of the car, two Brown-headed Cowbirds were feeding on the bare ground just next to where we parked. We made our way to the beach where a nice Reddish Egret fed along the water's edge, and a selection of Terns were flying back and forth, Royal Terns, Least Terns, and Sandwich Terns. Quite a few Sanderling and Turnstone were also along the shoreline.

Just behind where we'd settled down was a lagoon which had a good selection of resting birds on it, including Dunlin, Sanderling, Grey and Semipalmated Plover, Short-billed Dowitcher, Killdeer and Western Sandpiper. There were lots of terns and Laughing Gulls resting along the edge, and a Roseate Spoonbill was present briefly. I had a couple of walks around the pool's fringes and came across a group of 3 or 4 Gray Kingbirds, and also managed to get views of Common Ground-dove, though they were a bit flighty and not available to photograph. Another walk produced not too much, but I heard Prairie Warbler and saw two Palm Warblers, as well as Downy Woodpecker, Osprey and Northern Mockingbirds. As we packed up to leave, I noticed a couple of Magnificent Frigatebirds high overhead.

Back at the cottage in the afternoon, we chilled in the garden, and I was able to spot at least one, possibly two, Carolina Chickadees, as well as Downy and Red-bellied Woodpecker, several Blue Jays and one probable Palm Warbler. Down at the beach to watch the sunset, a single Roseate Spoonbill went over, along with several in the distance, and 3 Yellow-crowned Night Herons went past, again giving poor views. An Osprey carrying a fish was nice though, in the evening light.

Grey Plover, 1/80 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 8000 (view full size image)