spring 2009 kite tales newsletter great florida birding trail

8/9/2019 Spring 2009 Kite Tales Newsletter Great Florida Birding Trail

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DavidMoynahan/FWC

Activities at the Chinsegut Birding and Wildlie Festival

include building birdhouses.

Spring is in the air!April is one o the best times o year to go birding in Florida. The weather is still pleasant, and thenumber o bird species is at a peak. Some wintering birds still are lingering beore heading north tobreed, migrating birds are coming through in high numbers, and breeding birds that winter elsewhereare arriving.

April is also the peak time o year or wildlie estivals in Florida. Visit our Web site foridabirdingtrail.com/events.asp or a list o events. See our ollowing article or the Chinsegut Nature Center Birding andWildlie Festival, presented by the Florida Fish and Wildlie Conservation Commission (FWC).

This edition o the newsletter eatures birding hotspots or the spring migration season. In addition,since birding is oten at a lull during the hot summer months, we have recommendations or otherwildlie viewing activities, such as sea turtle walks and night prowls with children.

Have a great spring and summer, enjoying Floridas vast array o wildlie with your riends and amily.

Happy viewing!

Great Florida Birding Trail and Wildlie Viewing sta

Chinsegut Nature Center celebrates wildlife

This FWC-managed nature center is near Brooksville at the Chinsegut Wildlie and EnvironmentalArea in Hernando County. Chinsegut Nature Center director, Kristin Wood, and volunteer programspecialist, Becky Brown, always are happy to talk to visitors and nd ways or them to get involved inChinsegut activities.

The Chinsegut Nature Center is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays rom 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.However, hiking trails near the center are openduring daylight hours, seven days a week. Thecenter holds a wide variety o events and classes,covering topics rom butterfies to edible wildplants. In April, the big event is the ChinsegutBirding and Wildlie Festival. On Friday, April17, come out or a talk on Floridas hummingbirds(6:45-7:50 p.m.) ollowed by a bat, owl and beetleprowl (8-9:30 p.m.) where you can watch theresident bats leave their bat houses at dusk.Saturday, April 18, is the main day or estivities,

including programs on bird banding, birds o prey,bats and several guided nature walks. Activitiesor children include a puppet show, bird gamesand birdhouse building. There will be un or all,so dont miss it!

For more inormation, please visitMyFWC.com/calendar/calendar_chinsegut.htmor contact staat 352-754-6722.

foridabirdingtrail.com

Spring 2009 Volume 2 Issue 1
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Feature Species:

sea turtles

By Selena Kiser

When summer comes around andbirding slows down, there areother wildlie activities to enjoy. InFlorida, we are ortunate to haveve o the seven sea turtle speciesthat occur worldwide: loggerhead,green, leatherback, hawksbill andKemps ridley. As sea turtles layeggs during the peak summermonths, nighttime turtle walksare a great way to beat the heatand enjoy a spectacular natural

event that you likely will neverorget!

Loggerhead sea turtle

By ar, the most common seaturtle nesting in Florida is theloggerhead turtle, named or itsboxy-shaped head. Loggerheadsare large turtles, weighing 275 to350 pounds. They possess strongjaws and preer to eat shellshsuch as crabs and clams. There

are two main nesting grounds orloggerheads. One is in Oman, inthe Middle East, and the other isthe Southeastern United States,with Floridas East Coast havingthe most nests. However, since1998, the number o loggerheadnests in Florida has declined morethan 40 percent. Between 2004and 2008, numbers o loggerheadnests averaged 51,000 annually.

Green sea turtleThis species is the secondlargest in Florida, weighingapproximately 300 to 400 pounds.Green sea turtles are the onlyspecies o sea turtle that, as anadult, eats primarily plant matter.As young turtles they eat a widevariety o oods, including aquaticinsects, worms and crustaceans.

However, as they get larger, theirdiet shits to predominantlysea grasses and algae. Becauseo this herbivorous diet, greensea turtles preer to stay alongshorelines where sea grasses growin both temperate and tropicalwaters worldwide. Fortunately,the number o nests ound on

the Atlantic Coast o Florida isincreasing (averaging around8,000 nests annually in the pastve years).

Leatherback sea turtle

The unusual leatherback seaturtle is the largest in theworld, averaging 550 to 1,500pounds. Unlike other sea turtles,leatherbacks do not have a hard

shell, but instead have a rubberyskin that is extremely tough andprotective. Even though they arelarge, leatherbacks have weakjaws that can only bite throughsot-bodied animals. As a result,their diet consists almost entirelyo jellysh. This sea turtle is themost widespread on the planet,and it can handle much colder

temperatures, down to 40 F.Leatherback nesting is decliningacross most o its range, exceptalong Floridas East Coast, wherenesting activity increased to anaverage o about 800 nests peryear in the past ve years.

Hawksbill sea turtleHawksbills are smaller turtles,weighing 100 to 150 pounds,and they preer tropical andsubtropical regions o the Atlantic,Pacic and Indian oceans. Withtheir pointed head and specializedjaws (shaped like a hawks bill),they are adept at nding preyin small crevices. A avoriteplace to hunt or ood is in coralrees, where they eed primarily

on sponges. Biologists estimatethere are nearly 23,000 nestingemales worldwide, however, thenumber o nests each year hasbeen declining. This species rarelynests in North America; thereare zero to ve nests per year inFlorida.

A emale green sea turtle crawls back to the ocean ater laying her eggs.

BlairWitherington/FWC

KiteTales:The Great Florida Birding Trail Newsletter Spring 2009 Volume 2 Issue 1

MyFWC.com2
http://myfwc.com/http://myfwc.com/


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Kemps ridley sea turtle

This is the smallest sea turtleound along the Florida Coast.Although only weighing between75 and 100 pounds, they have very

strong jaws, which enable themto eat a wide variety o oods,including crabs, shellsh and seaurchins. Young Kemps ridley seaturtles may occur in the Atlantic,but adults nearly all reside withinthe Gul o Mexico. This is themost endangered o all sea turtles,with only about 2,500 nestingemales remaining. Most nestingoccurs in Mexico, although someoccurs on Padre Island, Tex. Nests

in Florida are rare, but may beincreasing. Biologists documented13 Kemps ridley nests in Floridain 2008.

Protecting sea turtles

All sea turtles are classied asendangered in Florida, exceptthe loggerhead sea turtle, whichis threatened. There are manynatural threats to sea turtlesurvival, such as predators and

beach erosion rom hurricanes.However, human activities are the

main causes or the endangered orthreatened status o sea turtles.In Florida, the major land-basedpressures include beach dredgingand nourishment, sea walls andother beach obstructions andarticial lighting. At sea, themain problems are entrapmentby commercial shing gear, boatcollisions and pollution (toxicchemicals as well as plastic debristhat resembles jellysh or otherprey). However, as stewards owildlie, we can help protectturtles by switching to approvedlighting in beach areas, keepingseawalls and obstructions to aminimum, reducing pollution

into the ocean and nding waysshermen can reduce theirbycatch. Another way you cansupport sea turtle conservationin Florida is by purchasing theHelping Sea Turtles Survivelicense plate. For inormationon this plate, please visit www.buyaplate.com/turtle.html.Proceeds rom the purchase o thisplate help und FWCs sea turtleresearch and conservation.

Observing sea turtles

Remember that lights maydiscourage an adult emale romnesting or disorient her when sheis trying to return to sea. Lights

also aect the hatchlings. Inatural lighting is overpowered byarticial lights rom developmentsalong the beach, the hatchlingsmay become disoriented andcrawl toward buildings and roadsinstead o the ocean. Please do notuse lights or camera fashes i yousee sea turtles on the beach. Also,i you nd an injured or dead seaturtle, please report it to the FWCat: 888-404-FWCC. The best way

to observe a sea turtle is to go ona public sea turtle walk. For moreinormation on where to go, pleasevisitMyFWC.com/wildliehabitatsSeaturtle_Facilities_Walks.htm.

Additional sea turtle

information:

FWC Marine Turtle

Program:

MyFWC.com/wildliehabitats

FWC Fish and Wildlife

Research Institute:

research.MyFWC.com

Caribbean Conservation

Corporation:www.cccturtle.org

Sea Turtle Preservation

Society:

www.seaturtlespacecoast.org/

Sea turtle hatchlings ace many dangers, rom predators to artifcial lighting.

BlairWitherington/FWC


foridabirdingtrail.com 3
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/seaturtle_facilities_walks.htmhttp://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/seaturtle_facilities_walks.htmhttp://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitatshttp://research.myfwc.com/http://floridabirdingtrail.com/http://floridabirdingtrail.com/http://research.myfwc.com/http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitatshttp://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/seaturtle_facilities_walks.htmhttp://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/seaturtle_facilities_walks.htm


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Birding TrailSite Highlights:

Florida spring bird

migration

Just as temperatures begin to risein Florida, birding or migrantsalso heats up. Mid- to late Apriland early May are abulous timesto look or an abundance o small,colorul, fitting warblers. Alongwith warblers are the vibranttanagers, buntings and grosbeaksthat also migrate this time o year.Cuckoos, nightjars and thrushesare some o the other elusivemigrants you might encounter.

There are plenty o places andopportunities to see migratingsongbirds in spring in Florida, butweve chosen our that you mightnot have visited beore.

Panhandle (#44): Dr.

Julian G. Bruce St.

George Island State Park

With its beautiul, well-renownedbeach drawing in loads otourists, you may not realizethat St. George Island StatePark in Franklin County is anideal birding site. But awayrom the sunbathers, you cannd a multitude o bird species.In spring, the beachront oersgood birding with shorebirds,pelicans, gulls and terns. Butthe real attraction this time oyear is in the trees beyond thedunes. Instead o parking alongthe beach, visit the youth groupcampground and picnic area. Ithere are no groups camping,explore the live oaks, sawpalmettos and wax myrtles. Thisspot attracts huge numbers omigratory songbirds, making itone o the hottest spring migrationsites in the Panhandle. The liveoaks do not get very tall here, and

oten the birds fit around at eyelevel. Finding 15 or more species owarblers is possible on a good day,along with other migrants suchas scarlet tanagers, rose-breastedgrosbeaks and painted buntings.

www.foridastateparks.org/

stgeorgeisland/

Phone: 850-927-2111Open: 8 a.m. to sunset dailyAdmission: $5 per vehicle

West (#72): Robert K.

Rees Memorial Park at

Green Key

Robert K. Rees Memorial Park onGreen Key, near New Port Richeyis the site or one o the bestspring songbird migration eventsin Florida. Birders can nd hugenumbers o warblers and otherneotropical migrants on mornings(between 6 and 9 a.m.) ollowingnights with easterly winds o 10miles per hour or more. Green Keyhas a unique shape and locationwhich unnels the warblers asthey continue northward on their

journey. Ken Tracey, president othe West Pasco Audubon Society,discovered the Green KeyFunnel phenomenon in 2001 nearthe entrance o the park, wherehundreds o warblers can passthrough in an hour. Blackburnianwarbler, Cape May warbler andblackpoll warbler are some o the26 species o warblers recordedhere. Large numbers o bobolinksand black terns also migratethrough. There have been morethan 200 bird species documentedat this 45-acre park.

portal.pascocountyf.net/portal/

server.pt/community/parks_and_

recreation/Phone: 727-834-3252Open: sunrise to sunset dailyAdmission: ree

East (#88): Lori Wilson

Park

This small, 32-acre BrevardCounty park in Cocoa Beachis a great place to nd springmigrants. Inland rom the beach is

With luck, birders can fnd uncommon migrants in Florida, such as the vibrant

Blackburnian warbler.

CourtesyofDannyBales


MyFWC.com4
http://www.floridastateparks.org/stgeorgeislandhttp://www.floridastateparks.org/stgeorgeislandhttp://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/community/parks_and_recreation/http://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/community/parks_and_recreation/http://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/community/parks_and_recreation/http://myfwc.com/http://www.floridastateparks.org/stgeorgeislandhttp://myfwc.com/http://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/community/parks_and_recreation/


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excellent viewing opportunities orspring migrants. The Crane PointMuseum and Nature Center, justo o U.S. Highway 1, has 63 acreso reshwater swamp, hardwoodorests and mangroves abuttingthe open ocean. Theres a lot to

a maritime hammock o live oaksthat provides shelter and ood ormigrating songbirds. Birders canobserve many warbler species hereby walking along the hammocksnature trail, which includes ahal-mile boardwalk. There areoten surprising nds at this park,including Connecticut warblers,

which occurred here in early May2008. Others include Wilsonswarbler, blue-winged warbler andworm-eating warbler. A Floridaspecialty, the black-whiskeredvireo is a possibility in late spring.There is another boardwalk thatparallels the beach alongside theedge o the dunes and coastalstrand. Scan the beach and suror shorebirds, gulls and terns.

www.brevardparks.com/parks/

prkbch3.phpPhone: 321-455-1385Open: 7 a.m. to sunset dailyAdmission: ree

South (#111): Crane Point

Museum and Nature

Center

In Marathon, about halway downthe Keys, is a little gem with

cover at this site, with morethan 1.5 miles o loop trails aswell as a butterfy meadow andthe Marathon Wild Bird Centeror rehabilitating injured nativebirds. Finding 15 or more specieso warblers here is not dicultin late April. Black-throated bluewarbler, Kentucky warbler andovenbird are some o the excitingmigrants you may nd. Aterhiking the trail to the northterminus, a wondrous look atFlorida Bay awaits you, where anosprey may join you or the view.

www.cranepoint.net

Phone: 305-743-9100

Open: Noon to 5 p.m. Sun9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. - Sat.Admission: $7 $11 per person

Spring migration birding sites

Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach is a great place to look or migrating songbirds inthe spring.

DavidMoynahan

/FWC


http://www.brevardparks.com/parks/prkbch3.phphttp://www.brevardparks.com/parks/prkbch3.phphttp://floridabirdingtrail.com/http://floridabirdingtrail.com/http://www.brevardparks.com/parks/prkbch3.php


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challenging, but un. I there isa source o water nearby, yourelikely to nd some. Try to catcha couple, but youll have to bequick (and remember to wash yourhands well aterwards).

Make your nature adventuresa regular eature, and yourchildren or grandchildren willbegin looking orward to gettingoutdoors. Remember to make itun and a hands-on experience.Soon your children will be telling

you about the critters you nd.

Visit our Web site or moreactivities you can do with children

MyFWC.com/LEARNING/Learn_AdultsFamilies_withYourChild.htm

Helpful books with audio

CDs by Lang Elliott:

A Guide to Night Sounds

The Songs o Insects

The Calls o Frogs and Toads

Welcome Back,

Cranes!Operation Migration (OM), anonprot organization establishedin 1994, has been teachingbirds, such as geese and cranes,to migrate ollowing ultralightairplanes. These aircrat serveas surrogate parents, guiding theyoung birds along the migrationroute. Ater successully teachingCanada geese, trumpeterswans and sandhill cranes to

ollow ultralight aircrat, OMthen turned its attention to theendangered whooping crane. OM,along with several other nonprotorganizations and governmentagencies, ormed the WhoopingCrane Eastern Partnership toreintroduce whooping cranes tothe eastern part o their range.

Get Kids Involved!

During spring and summermonths, as temperatures warmup, nocturnal creatures are moreactive and easier to locate. This is

the perect time o year to go outwith children or a night prowl!Learn about the animals yourselso that when you do run acrossone, youll have some un acts topass along to your kids. Or, lookup any animals you nd in a guidebook with your children when youget back inside.

Insects are particularly activeon warm nights. Try looking or

refies, moths and crickets. Agreat way to look at them closelywithout causing injury is bycapturing the insect in a clear jar(cover the top with cheeseclothheld down by a large rubber bandaround the rim). Cicadas are aavorite with kids, as they arestrange-looking, make very loudsounds and are un to handle.

Other than insects, look andlisten or birds and mammals that

might be out and about. Owls,such as barred, great horned andeastern screech, are oten quite

vocal at night. Learning the callswith your children and listeningor them is a lot o un, especiallyi you learn to call back. Chuck-wills-widows also call actively onmoonlit nights. They sing loudly,mimicking their name.

Bats are also a avorite withchildren. Watch or bats eedingon insects near streetlights,along woodland edges or overwater. Flying squirrels are alsonocturnal. Though they dontreally fy, they can glide up to 150eet and are adept at sneakingseeds at bird eeders. Many othermammals are nocturnal. Skunks

are un to watch, but dont gettoo close! Armadillos are also unto ollow as they dig or grubs.Be observant or predators suchas bobcats and coyotes; i youresilent, you might catch a glimpseat dusk.

Frogs and toads are a kidsdelight. There are 30 nativerog and toad species in Florida.These amphibians love to sing onsummer nights, especially i there

has been a recent rain. Learningthe calls o these animals is

CourtesyofIsaacPrior


MyFWC.com6
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At the start o the reintroductionproject in 2001, biologists andpilots worked together to raisewhooping cranes so they imprintedon the aircrat as i it was theirparent. Eventually juvenile cranessuccessully ollowed the planessouth rom Wisconsins NecedahNational Wildlie Reuge (NWR) to

Floridas Chassahowitzka NWR.This amazing journey, wherejuvenile cranes ollow ultralightaircrat or their rst allmigration, continues each year.

Sadly, in February 2007, 17o the 18 cranes rom the 2006class died in a thunderstormthat drowned or electrocutedthem while in their pen atChassahowitzka NWR. Thisevent convinced biologists thatthere should be two winteringlocations or the cranes in Floridato prevent another catastrophe.As a result, OM separated the2008 fock o 14 birds and led halto Chassahowitzka NWR and theother hal to new overwinteringgrounds at St. Marks NWR in thePanhandle.

On Jan. 17, 2009, three monthsater leaving Wisconsin, sevencranes were set to arrive at theirnew winter home in St. MarksNWR. On a very cold morning,nearly 2,000 people bundled up inthe town o St. Marks and waitedor the cranes to fy over. Theywerent disappointed! Around

8:45 a.m., the ultralight planesnally appeared in the distance,and ollowing behind one o themwere all seven whooping cranes. Itwas a wonderul sight to see, withcheering and waving rom belowas the planes and cranes few overthe crowd. Only six days later, theremaining seven cranes arrivedat Chassahowitzka NWR, wherethey were welcomed or an eighthstraight year. To date, there

are now 86 surviving whoopingcranes in the eastern migratorypopulation.

For more inormation onOperation Migration, please visitwww.operationmigration.org.Also, please visit both reugesWeb sites atwww.ws.gov/saintmarks and www.ws.gov/chassahowitzka, or visit them in

person. But, please remember thatthe young whooping cranes are notviewable by the public, as they arewintering in special enclosures inremote areas that protect themrom predators as well as romhuman contact.

Great Florida

Birding Trail Newsand Notes

Panhandle Birding Trail

sign update

We are pleased to report that oursign contractor is nearly nished

with the road sign installationin the Panhandle Section. Theew remaining signs will be upby April 2009. We thank TracControl Products o Florida orpermit acquisition and signabrication and installation;Genesis Group or engineeringservices; and the FloridaDepartment o Transportation orgrant unding and assistance withthis project. Thanks also to St.Marks National Wildlie Reugeor hosting our sign dedicationcelebration in January, and to theInn at Wildwood or providingrereshments.

Upcoming WildlifeFestivals

For more inormation, visitforidabirdingtrail.com/events.asp.

April 2-4

Wakulla Wildlie Festival, WakullaSpringsPhone: 850-926-4293

April 3-6

Big O Birding Festival, ClewistonPhone: 863-612-4783

April 4

Turtle Fest, Flagler BeachPhone: 386-763-0977

CourtesyofNick

Baldwin

Seven whooping cranes rom the class o 2008 ollow an ultralight planeen route to their new wintering grounds at St. Marks NWR.


http://www.fws.gov/saintmarkshttp://www.fws.gov/saintmarkshttp://www.fws.gov/saintmarkshttp://www.fws.gov/chassahowitzkahttp://www.fws.gov/chassahowitzkahttp://floridabirdingtrail.com/events.asphttp://floridabirdingtrail.com/http://floridabirdingtrail.com/http://www.fws.gov/chassahowitzkahttp://www.fws.gov/chassahowitzkahttp://www.fws.gov/saintmarkshttp://www.fws.gov/saintmarkshttp://floridabirdingtrail.com/events.asp


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April 11

Pinewoods Bird Festival,Thomasville, GAPhone: 229-226-2344

April 17-18

Chinsegut Birding and WildlieFestival, BrooksvillePhone: 352-754-6722

April 18

Annual Sea Turtle Festival,St. Augustine BeachPhone: 904-209-3740

April 18

Walton County Earth Day Festival,Santa Rosa BeachPhone: 850-267-0299

April 23-26

Floridas Birding and FotoFest,MarinelandPhone: 800-418-7529

Sept. 23-27

Florida Keys Birding and WildlieFestival, MarathonPhone: 305-852-4486/ 305-289-2690

Help us keep

Kite Tales

aloft.

Please considersending a tax-deductible donation to the WildlieFoundation o Florida on behal othe Great Florida Birding Trail.

Please make checks (in U.S. undsonly) to the Wildlie Foundation oFlorida, with GFBT/Kite Taleswritten in the memo section o yourcheck. Please send to:

Wildlife Foundation of Florida

Attention: GFBTP.O. Box 6181Tallahassee, FL 32314-6181

Contact Us

Anne Glick, section leaderpartnership, outreach, workshops

[email protected]

850-922-0664

Mark Kiser, coordinatorsite additions, signs, estivals

[email protected]

850-488-9478

Selena Kiser, assistantKite Tales newsletter &subscriptions, Wings Over Florida

[email protected]

850-488-9453

Chantal-Marie Wright,inormation specialistpublication [email protected]

850-488-8755



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spring 2009 kite tales newsletter great florida birding trail

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