Festival Park, Harns Marsh And Bunche Beach

This week offered the excellent company of wildlife observer and photographer Frank Constantin visiting from Quebec as we toured Festival Park, Harns Marsh Preserve, and Bunche Beach Preserve.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.

We made one trip each to Harns and Bunche, and a morning and afternoon trip to Festival Park. The first trip to Festival Park offered a view of the Great Horned Owl off the nest. At least one other family of Florida Scrub-Jays has arrived there with upwards of a dozen of the birds now seemingly squabbling for space and status. A very fresh Burrowing Owl burrow was found while observing one of the owls with sand covering its body from recent digging. Eastern Meadowlark were numerous on the ground and wires. An overflight of Sandhill Crane at Festival Park was precursory. The trip to Harns was with the hope of seeing juvenile Sandhill Crane after observing an egg on a nest last month. After a long search we found them. A Red-shouldered Hawk appeared as remarkably tame as I have observed at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Only a few Snail Kite were observed. Frank and I made our trek to Bunche Beach Preserve late in the week with a Long-billed Curlew the first bird observed. It was a nice surprise to see Tom Obrock returning from the west channel. Tom noted his observation of Horned Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser in the bay. Frank and I missed on Tom's birds, but as we were headed back to our cars a pair of Red-breasted Merganser flew by us from the east. Back to the west channel we went after earlier observing Osprey, Brown Pelican, and shorebirds there. The afternoon trip to Festival Park was interesting where I conclude a neighbor of the park has a food source available for the scrub-jays. The Great Horned Owl was not seen though the Burrowing Owl was active with its burrow staked off in short order and just in time for the 2012 Burrowing Owl Festival.


The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Limpkin above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


Frank above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Sandhill Crane juvenile above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Snail Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in February 2012.


The Long-billed Curlew above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Willet above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The American White Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Ruddy Turnstone with Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Magnificent Frigatebird above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Osprey above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in February 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in February 2012.