Monday, June 15: Flint Pen Strand
It was a shorter hike than normal this morning due to the weather.
Although it was mostly cloudy at the start of the morning and the sun came out later, it was the humidity that shortened the day. At sunrise, the temperature was 75º and the humidity was at 97.5%.
Then it got worse.
At the time I left, the temperature was up to 85.1º and the humidity had risen to 100% giving a feels-like temperature of 105-106º. And that was only 9:30 in the morning.
Other than Red-winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles, it was much quieter than usual. Those were the only two species of birds where individuals numbered in double digits -- 13 Red-winged Blackbirds and 11 Boat-tailed Grackles.
Twenty-eight species of birds were seen. After the blackbirds, Common Ground Doves and Northern Cardinals were the most often encountered.
Water levels were a little lower this week although there were some wet spots in the marsh, but most of them had been fished out and the few wading birds present were all around the lakes. They were just five Great Egrets, three White Ibis, two Tricolored Herons, two Great Blue Herons, and one each of Limpkin, Green Heron, and Glossy Ibis.
Both of the Great Blue Herons were in the cypress dome by the west lake. One was standing on their nest while the other was perched a few trees away. All of the other waders were either in the shallow lake waters or along the edges of the lakes.
Insects were somewhat limited too. Only eight species of butterflies and four of dragonflies were identified. The most common of those were two dozen Gulf Fritillaries and one dozen White Peacocks.
Honey Bees easily outnumbered all other species of wildlife combined. They had lots to choose from with Winged Loosestrife and Passionvine blooms all over the place and all attracting a variety of pollinators. The six Honey Bees at the upper left were the most observed on any single bloom.
The Tropical Checker at the left was one of two seen. It's the first time they have been observed on the trails in Flint Pen Strand since early December.
Herps were the regulars: Alligators, Pig Frogs, Green and Squirrel Treefrogs, and a Black Racer.
Mammal observations were a little more varied, but not very exciting. One White-tailed Deer darted across Ridge Road while a trio of Cottontail Rabbits and one Hispid Cotton Rat were seen on the south leg of the white trail.
Friday, June 19: Pepper Ranch Preserve
With feels-like temperatures again predicted to be in the 100s and early morning humidity at almost 100%, a very early start seemed wise since a hike on the Sunflower Trace trail was needed to check on that odd Swallow-tailed Kite nest.
It took about an hour to get to the nest and I arrived a little before 7:30 and watched for 20 minutes. There was no kite activity at all near the nest, so the kites have probably abandoned it.
They got a really late start and just didn't have enough time.
Birds that were in the general area were a pair of perched Black Vultures to the west and Great-crested Flycatchers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-eyed Vireos, Mourning Doves, and Northern Cardinals in the denser vegetation. A Red-shouldered Hawk called frequently in the distance.
Lots of plants were in bloom in the area while watching for the kites. A large patch of American Germander was in full bloom and smaller groups of Salt Marsh Mallow, Mist Flower, and Sagittaria dotted the open area.
It was a relatively quiet wildlife morning. Only 27 species of birds were identified, but most of the time was spent getting to and back from the kite nest. Sandhill Cranes were one notable absence. That might have been because five cowboys on horseback with dogs trotting along beside them were riding the different trails and pastures rounding up cattle. and herding them to the pastures north of Pepper Road. One of the riders stopped on Sunflower Trace road to ask if I had seen any cows where I had been hiking, which I hadn't. That saved him a little riding and checking.
One minor hotspot for wildlife was the area around Field M. A family of eight Wild Turkeys was foraging east of the fence line while a group of seven White-tailed Deer were on the south side. The deer herd consisted of four adult does and three fawns. The oldest of the fawns was almost adult size but not quite.
Marsh B was much quieter this week with only nine Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, one Great Blue Heron, one Tricolored Heron, and several Common Gallinules. The most frequently seen birds were 16 Cattle Egrets and 14 Northern Cardinals.
My yard
The Bobcat was back and looking for a meal early Monday morning. It was fixated on the Southern Flying Squirrels. If you can enlarge the video to almost full screen, look for two little squirrel eyes at the top of the palm tree and two more sets of squirrel eyes in the darker vegetation farther back. There were squirrels in a second palm above the Bobcat, which it looks up at several times. The flying squirrel in the palm tree made its way down to almost ground level where it and the Bobcat in the second section, now crouching and ready to move, have a stare-down.
Unfortunately for the Bobcat but fortunately for the flying squirrel, the squirrel chose to go back up the tree instead of coming down to ground level. The Bobcat left shortly after that.
The Bobcat showed up again Wednesday, still glancing upwards, but continued on rather than sitting and waiting.
