MOSAIC PEACE RIVER PARK

FORT DESOTO COUNTY PARK

Audubon of Martin County’s last field trip for the year was to Fort Desoto County
Park in St. Petersburg. We ended the weekend with a bird count of one hundred species.
We started the trip by stopping to bird and lunch at Mosaic Peace River Park in Bartow,
Florida. What an unbelievable jewel. It had a wonderful boardwalk that seemed to
endlessly weave through cypress and hardwood hammocks. It has the potential as a true
migrant haven. Since we arrived near midday, we heard more birds than were seen.
We arrived late afternoon to the Comfort Inn. Several of us chose to hike the 1.5 mile
boardwalk in a four hundred acre state park called Sawgrass Lake State Park, while
others rested, swam or explored. We had a hearty Italian meal. All were impressed
watching Lisa enjoy approximately two pounds of gnocchi.
Saturday morning we met our hosts, St Petersburg Audubon, at Fort Desoto State
Park. We were shown all the birding hotspots over four hours. St. Pete Audubon was
incredible. Although we had to work for each species, we were rewarded with excellent
views of Prothonotary and Worm-eating warblers. We also had great views of the Great
Horned Owl with baby, Black-hooded Parakeet and a Brown-crested Flycatcher. Almost
everyone went home with a lifer. Bet you’re sorry you missed such a great field trip. See
you next year.

Bird List: April 16-17

1. Mottled Duck
2. Blue-winged Teal
3. Lesser Scaup
4. Ruddy Duck
5. Wild Turkey
6. Pied-billed Grebe
7. Brown Pelican
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Anhinga
10. Magnificent Frigatebird
11. Great Blue Heron
12. Great Egret
13. Snowy Egret
14. Little Blue Heron
15. Tricolored Heron
16. Cattle Egret
17. Green Heron
18. White Ibis
19. Black Vulture
20. Turkey Vulture
21. Osprey
22. Swallow-tailed Kite
23. Bald Eagle
24. Cooper’s Hawk
25. Red-shouldered Hawk
26. Crested Caracara
27. American Kestrel
28. Common Moorhen
29. Sandhill Crane
30. Black-bellied Plover
31. Wilson’s Plover
32. Semipalmated Plover
33. Killdeer
34. American Oystercatcher
35. Willet
36. Long-billed Curlew
37. Ruddy Turnstone
38. Red Knot
39. Sanderling
40. Least Sandpiper
41. Dunlin
42. Short-billed Dowitcher
43. Laughing Gull
44. Ring-billed Gull
45. Herring Gull
46. Least Tern
47. Common Tern
48. Forster’s Tern
49. Royal Tern
50. Sandwich Tern
51. Black Skimmer
52. Rock Pigeon
53. Eurasian Collared Dove
54. White-winged Dove
55. Mourning Dove
56. Common Ground-Dove
57. Black-hooded Parakeet
58. Great Horned Owl with young
59. Chimney Swift
60. Belted Kingfisher
61. Red-bellied Woodpecker
62. Downy Woodpecker
63. Great-crested Flycatcher
64. Brown-crested Flycatcher
65. Loggerhead Shrike
66. White-eyed Vireo
67. Red-eyed Vireo
68. American Crow
69. Fish Crow
70. Tree Swallow
71. Tufted Titmouse
72. Carolina Wren
73. House Wren
74. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
75. Gray Catbird
76. Northern Mockingbird
77. European Starling
78. Northern Parula
79. Yellow Warbler
80. Black-throated Blue Warbler
81. Yellow-rumped Warbler
82. Yellow-throated Warbler
83. Pine Warbler
84. Prairie Warbler
85. Palm Warbler
86. Blackpoll Warbler
87. Black-and-white Warbler
88. Prothonotary Warbler
89. Worm-eating Warbler
90. Northern Cardinal
91. Indigo Bunting
92. Red-winged Blackbird
93. Eastern Meadowlark
94. Common Grackle
95. Boat-tailed grackle
96. Brown-headed Cowbird
97. Orchard Oriole
98. House Sparrow
99. Blue Jay
100. Cedar Waxwings
101. Chickens