Mead Gardens has been exceptionally slow all fall with very few warblers stopping by. But I still like to visit from time to time, especially during the Orange Adubon Society Birdwalks. So yesterday morning I joined the group that was there and had a great time. The biggest highlight was seeing a couple Red-headed Woodpeckers.
These are the first I’ve seen in the park; they’ve been here for a couple weeks now–extremely unusual for this species. At least one of them has excavated a hole in the park, and we watched it actively gathering acorns and caching them away.
Hopefully that means it’s planning to stick around for a while. In all we found six species of woodpecker on the property: Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Pileated Woodpecker.
We also had many House Wrens and a Scarlet Tanager. Warblers were tougher to come by, but we had several Palm Warblers, a Black and White Warbler, Pine Warblers, my first fall Yellow-rumped Warbler (ugh), and a Northern Parula. I also found my first Savannah Sparrow in the park.
Also around the park it was fun to see a Green Darner, a Monarch Butterfly, and a turtle. The head of this turtle appears to be all black, so I’m not sure of it ID yet. Right now I’m guessing a musk turtle, but I’m not sure.
Scott Simmons
Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.
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