December Florida Panhandle Birding: Part II

Not sure of the time of day, Tom Obrock and I left the yurt at Torreya State Park for St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge with the sky gloomy on the 8th day of December.

The Eastern Phoebe above (image 1) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

It would remain heavily overcast virtually all day with occasional drizzle, but we made the best of it with our observations. Our first stop was the Visitor Center at St. Marks where I hoped to see Wood Ducks. Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and American Alligator were the only subjects present.

The American Alligator above (image 2) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Eastern Phoebe above (image 3) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Eastern Phoebe above (image 4) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The American Coot above (image 5) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Lesser Scaup above (image 6) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Lesser Scaup above (image 7) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The American Avocet above (image 8) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Northern Shoveler above (image 9) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

We made several stops on our way to the St. Marks lighthouse, Florida's second largest light. I made my first observation of American Wigeon on this day. Also ticked off as a lifer was a Nelson's Sparrow seen briefly along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline.

The Bufflehead above (image 10) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 11) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Northern Mockingbird above (image 12) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Common Gallinule above (image 13) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Ring-necked Duck above (image 14) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Lesser Scaup above (image 15) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Bald Eagle above (image 16) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Redhead above (image 17) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

It is difficult to pick a favorite observation point along Lighthouse Drive. If I were forced to choose one it would be the beach at the lighthouse. The next favorite between the Lighthouse Pool and Headquarters Pond.

The Tricolored Heron above (image 18) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Great Egret above (image 19) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Pied-billed Grebe above (image 20) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Redhead above (image 21) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Northern Harrier above (image 22) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) above (image 23) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) above (image 24) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The American Wigeon above (image 25) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing 68,000 acres, is a birders paradise. You are strongly encouraged to read David Sibley's article about St. Marks at Bird Watching Daily. Although the article itself is getting dated, its content is not.

The Swamp Sparrow above (image 26) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The St. Marks Lighthouse above (image 27) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Nelson's Sparrow above (image 28) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Nelson's Sparrow above (image 29) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Swamp Sparrow above (image 30) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Bufflehead with Ring-necked Duck above (image 31) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Glossy Ibis above (image 32) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Northern Shoveler above (image 33) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

I learned in my research for this article that the Fresnel lens used in the St. Marks Lighthouse has been removed for cleaning under supervision of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association. It was interesting to read that no keeper of the light documented any cleaning of the lens.

The American Coot above (image 34) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Ring-necked Duck above (image 35) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The American Wigeon with American Coot above (image 36) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Redhead with American Coot above (image 37) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Lesser Scaup above (image 38) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Horned Grebe above (image 39) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Bufflehead above (image 40) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Willet above (image 41) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

While Tom opted to take a walk along the dikes at Stone Bayou, I stayed at the entrance to especially enjoy observation of Wilson's Snipe and Red-breasted Merganser in flight. With the light fading we made our way back to Torreya State Park.

The Royal Tern above (image 42) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Ruddy Turnstone above (image 43) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Common Loon above (image 44) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Dunlin above (image 45) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 46) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The American Avocet above (image 47) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 48) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 49) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

St. Marks NWR is among my favorite Florida wildlife venues. It is unfortunate that it is so far away from home allowing only annual visits.

The Wilson's Snipe above (image 50) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 51) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 52) was photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in December 2014.

Please also see December Florida Panhandle Birding: Part I
Please also see December Florida Panhandle Birding: Part III