FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shari Hubbard, Vice President
Geiger & Associates Public Relations, Inc.
1846 Junwin Court
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone:
850/942-6685
Fax:
850/942-1057
E-mail:
[email protected]
A YEAR IN BIRDS…FRANKLIN COUNTY, FL
Franklin County, FL – Serious birders often are described as
“compulsive” and “competitive,” but in reality, the thrill of an exceptional fallout;
adding a mega-rarity to your “life list” or an unexpected, first-record sighting are
emotional experiences that beg to be shared with fellow birding enthusiasts.
With one of the highest biodiversities in the country, hundreds of thousands of
acres of easily-accessible public lands, a prime coastal location, mild weather
year-round and a plethora of rare and unusual species, Franklin County compels
birders to come, explore and share.
From a national perspective, only Texas and California have larger bird
populations than Florida, and the panhandle region of Florida has the highest
species diversity statewide.
In Franklin County, many geographic and ecological factors contribute to
the area’s diverse resident and migratory bird populations. A staggering 87
percent of the county is protected land—either state or federal parks and wildlife
preserves. This factor alone guarantees unprecedented public access to prime
birding areas such as St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, St. George Island
State Park, Tate’s Hell State Forest, the Apalachicola National Forest and the
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Geographically, Franklin County is bordered to the south by the Gulf of
Mexico. Four barrier islands, including St. George Island, rim the southern
boundaries of the county and form a barrier between the Gulf and the mainland.
They provide the first landfall for migratory birds as they head north across the
Gulf from Mexico to America during spring migration. This factor also influences
fall migration on St. George Island, as many birds will use the island as their
takeoff location prior to setting off across the Gulf en route to Mexico and South
America.
The Apalachicola River provides a migratory landmark for many birds on
their continued journey north. The river, which flows north to south through the
county, continues another 430 miles north (as the Chattahoochee River) and
another 350 miles north (as the Flint River). Additionally, as the river meets the
gulf, it provides the freshwater source for Apalachicola Bay, one of the last
pristine estuarine systems in the northern hemisphere, and one of the most
important bird habitats in the southeastern United States.
Birding in Franklin County is a year-round event; however, the spring and
fall migration periods are notable for both species diversity and sheer numbers of
birds. Spring songbird migration, in particular, can be exhilarating.
According to Alan Knothe, a former education and training expert for the
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve and an avid local birder,
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spring and fall migrations bring colorful songbirds including warblers, buntings,
tanagers, grosbeaks, vireos and more. (Online links to local state parks and
wildlife preserves for detailed birding checklists can be found at the end of this
document).
Some of the county’s best locations to find migratory songbirds are St.
George Island (especially around the youth camp area at St. George Island State
Park, where a migrant trap is located) and Bald Point State Park on Alligator
Point. Spring songbird migration peaks around mid to late April, and it’s worth
noting that these birds migrate back through the area in fall, giving birders a
second chance to view them, with peak fall viewing from the beginning to the
middle of October.
Knothe describes predicting fallout as an “art form.” Birders have many
tools and methods at their disposal to assist with predictions, and these include
watching for weather conditions with winds out of the south at dusk that change
to winds out of the north during the middle of the night. Since many songbirds
migrate at night, these conditions support their Gulf crossing and offer a tailwind
to push them along after they take off from the Yucatan peninsula. If the birds
then encounter a northern front about halfway through their Gulf of Mexico
crossing, they then must fly into a headwind for the second half of their journey,
and are exhausted upon reaching shore where they literally fall from the sky.
These weather conditions can produce particularly large numbers of birds.
Knothe notes that rainstorms are another predictor, as they can bring
down lots of birds. Additionally, birds can be seen on satellite and radar as they
cross the gulf, predicting large arrivals. One website that uses radar to track bird
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migration over Florida from March-May and from August-October can be found
at http://badbirdz2.wordpress.com. Migration events and vagrant and rarity
sightings also tend to spread via word-of-mouth among birding enthusiasts and
regional birding groups, but news spreads the quickest through online Florida
bird list servers. (A reference list of Florida bird list server links follows at the
end of this document).
Many shorebirds also are resident or migrate through and to Florida.
Because the shorebird migration period is long--beginning in March, peaking in
April and ending in June for spring migration; and beginning in July, peaking in
August and September and ending in October for fall migration—birders have
many opportunities to see a great variety of species including oystercatchers
(resident), plovers, sandpipers and many more. Great shorebird locations
include St. Vincent Island, a 12,300-acre, undeveloped national wildlife refuge
located 22 miles southwest of Apalachicola and accessible by boat, and Bald Point
State Park at Alligator Point. The peninsula at Bald Point State Park and Bird
Island, as viewed with a scope from Battery Park in Apalachicola, also are
excellent locations to see migrating white pelicans.
Franklin County also provides exceptional raptor viewing opportunities.
Ospreys are here year-round; eagles and kestrels are winter residents who return
to the area during fall migration. Other falcons, particularly the peregrine falcon
and the Merlin, occur only in very small numbers during winter and are best
viewed during fall migration.
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Kites, both Mississippi and swallow-tailed, can be seen from the spring
until the end of summer, at which time they migrate back to their preferred
wintering grounds.
Hot, sunny days often provide the perfect hot air “thermal” currents that
raptors rely on to soar and glide with minimal wing flapping. These birds prefer
to avoid flying over large bodies of water and instead will follow the shoreline as
they migrate. When reaching the end of a land peninsula, they often “bottle up”
and can be seen circling high in the sky.
St. Joe Peninsula is an excellent and easily accessible raptor viewing
location, and those with boat access also should check out St. Vincent Island.
Additionally, St. Vincent Island is easily accessible by kayak from Indian Pass
Peninsula, and ferry service to the island can be arranged from Indian Pass by
calling 850/229-1065 for advance reservations. St. Vincent Island offers nine
miles of gulf shoreline for observation potential, and the island’s interior ridge
and swale system provides excellent raptor habitat. Additionally, Mississippi and
swallow-tailed kites breed, nest and forage along the Apalachicola River, with
highest numbers from April to August.
Though migratory birds are certainly a big draw, many resident birds are
sought after by birders and can be viewed year-round, though sightings often are
best during the breeding season.
The Apalachicola National Forest contains the world’s largest population
of red-cockaded woodpeckers, an endangered species.
According to Knothe, “The best way to find red-cockaded woodpeckers is
to familiarize yourself with their call and then to listen for them. Once you hear
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them, head in that direction and track them down. The best time of the day to
visit is at first light or near sunset as the birds will be leaving or returning to the
cavity trees at these times. The best time of the year is during May when the
birds are nesting. This is because they are constantly returning to the trees to
care for their young. (Note: the cavity trees will be painted with white bands
around the trunks.) Red-cockaded woodpeckers feed on the live pine trees by
flicking off pieces of bark to get to the insects hiding underneath. Watch for
falling bark and listen for light tapping noises.”
Knothe also notes that Bachman’s sparrow is another bird endemic to the
Southeast which can be found in the Apalachicola National Forest. Since the best
way to locate these birds is by listening for their song, and they sing primarily
during breeding season, it’s often easiest to locate them sitting on the ends of
dead branches during the months of April, May and June.
Additional birds to look for in the forest during breeding season include
red and white-eyed vireos; yellow-throated vireos; hooded, Kentucky, prairie,
yellow-throated and Swainson’s warblers; yellow-breasted chats and yellowbilled cuckoos. These birds prefer wet, swampy areas in the forest such as
cypress domes, along streams and along the Apalachicola River floodplain.
From April through July is prime time to observe many terns which breed
and nest on the islands of Apalachicola Bay such as Bird Island, and the old
causeway island leading to St. George Island. Because the islands are not
accessible to the public during breeding season, best viewing opportunities are
from the mainland while birds are foraging. Birders can expect to see brown
pelicans, gulls, terns, skimmers, and American oystercatchers, among others.
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Knothe adds that St. George Island, Little St. George Island and St.
Vincent Island are nesting sites for snowy plovers, primarily from April to July.
He offers these words of caution to birders and interested observers who might
be tempted to approach nesting birds.
“If you notice the bird changing its behavior or getting nervous, you are
too close, and you should move back. Birds that nest on our beaches are
especially vulnerable. These birds (terns and plovers) make a nest called a
scrape. Many simply make an indention in the sand and then lay perfectly
camouflaged eggs in the indention. It is easy to step on these eggs if one isn’t
careful. If one is on the beach and terns start swooping and squawking at them,
they are probably about to enter a nesting site. Move out of the area immediately,
being careful where you step. Also, watch for plovers doing a broken wing
display. This too is a sign you are near nests. Even flushing the parent birds
temporarily from the nest is dangerous. The young or eggs are vulnerable to
predators and the scorching sun the entire time the parents are away,” he advises.
In the spring and summer of 2007, Franklin County was the site of a fivemonth survey of the Apalachicola River floodplain for ivory-billed woodpeckers
conducted for the US Fish and Wildlife Service by ornithologist Dr. Todd
Engstrom. Some 30 survey plots were randomly selected, and data is now being
analyzed.
According to Knothe, “It is believed that historically the Apalachicola
floodplain had a large population of ivory-billed woodpeckers.”
Franklin County also participates in the oldest and largest wildlife survey
in the world, the Christmas Bird Count. Knothe explains that the local count,
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which takes place in Apalachicola each year around Christmas, provides vital data
to scientists studying trends in bird populations and is now in its 14th year.
Knothe coordinates the local event and also compiles the data.
“Our count area is a circle with a radius of seven and one-half miles with
its center just off the northeast corner of St. Vincent Island. The circle is divided
into seven sections, and each section is assigned to a group of two-to-four birders.
The birders record every species they observe in their section and the numbers of
each species found. The data is compiled and reviewed and then sent into a
central data base where scientists can monitor bird populations all around North
America,” Knothe explained.
Knothe encourages and welcomes birders at all levels of experience to
participate in the count.
And who knows? Christmas Bird Count participants might be privileged
to view a mega-rarity—many of the county’s best rarity sightings have taken place
in December, including a snowy owl at St. George Island State Park; a California
gull at Eastpoint; and a Ross’s goose and a tropical kingbird in Apalachicola—just
to name a few!
When recently asked about his most memorable birding day in the area,
Knothe said, “That’s a tough one because there have been so many great birding
days in Franklin County. Viewing the Snowy Owl out at St. George Island State
Park certainly ranks high on my list. Also, the Tropical Kingbird found on the
2005 Apalachicola Bay Christmas Bird Count was very exciting. I also recall a
recent birding event when I headed to St. George Island State Park on a spring
afternoon when I got off work. I arrived at the youth camp in the park at about
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5:00 p.m., just in time to catch the Yucatan Express. Tons of trans-Gulf migrants
were falling out of the sky. Everywhere one looked, there were colorful warblers,
tanagers, buntings and grosbeaks. I birded until dark, and in just those few hours
and without leaving the small area of the youth campground, I had over 80
species of birds. It was quite an amazing experience,” he added.
For Additional Consumer Information, Contact:
www.anaturalescape.com
Franklin County Tourist Development Council
1-866-914-2068 (toll free)
1-850/653-8678
P.O. Box 819
Apalachicola, FL 32329
Online links to local parks and wildlife management areas for bird
count lists:
http://www.fws.gov/saintvincent/
www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/tates_hell.html
www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/apalachicola/info.htm
www.floridastateparks.org/baldpoint/
www.floridabirdingtrail.com
Online links to Florida bird list-servers:
Birdbrains – Florida Birds/Natural History
http://listserv.admin.usf.edu/archives/brdbrain.html
FlaBirding – Florida and the Bahamas
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlaBirding/
FLORIDABIRDS-L – Statewide list
http://bkpass.tripod.com/floridabirds.htm
SWFLBirdline – Southwest Florida
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWFLBirdline/
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nflbirds – North Florida, South Georgia, and South Alabama
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nflbirds)
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