I’ve been in Florida for just about six months once again working for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and this is the first time I have ever spent an entire summer in Florida for an extended field season. The humidity is no joke down here; in late June I was sure that a slow death by dehydration was upon me. … Read More
Southeastern American Kestrel Monitoring…take two!
After a year and a half of environmental consulting on wind projects in Pennsylvania, I have jumped back into the wonderful world of ornithological field work. This time I won’t be travelling as much, but will be just as busy. Since early March, I’ve been back in Florida for another round of Southeastern American Kestrel monitoring in Marion and Levy … Read More
Beating the winter birding blues….kind of.
It has been a long, cold winter here in Centre County, PA. After spending a sticky hot summer in north central Florida in 2012, I was looking forward to the cool temperatures (not to mention the colors) of another fall season in Pennsylvania. Dare I say I was even looking forward to the winter snow flurries. Needless to say my … Read More
Back in Florida!
Classes are over, the Birding Cup is over, the Biggest Week is over and now I am back down in Florida. Anna has been down here since January working with the ‘Southeastern’ American Kestrels around the Gainesville area, and now I am also working with her. Our primary tasks are monitoring the kestrel nest boxes, banding chicks, and finding natural … Read More
Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area
Over the past month I have been able to spend a handful of days at Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area in Ocala National Forest for both work and recreational birding. Juniper Prairie is about 14,000 acres of recently burned sand pine habitat where charred snags dominate the landscape. Â There is a large concentration of Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Northern Flickers, Red-bellied, and … Read More
Spring has sprung…
Spring is in the air, and its not just because it’s 75 degrees out. Over the past few days, large groups of migrant Sandhill Cranes have been heading north; while eating my lunch a few days ago, I counted just over 500 heading north in groups of 20 to 100, constantly joining up into larger groups. Some major winds seem to … Read More