Tall Timbers Tours

Thank you everyone for the support! It really helps keep me going and I look forward to posting more exciting pictures from my adventures this year. 

Today was a good one at Tall Timbers. We had a visiting group of birders from Victor Emanual Nature Tours led by Michael O’Brien. We were able to get them the pinewood specialties including multiple Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches and Bachman’s Sparrows. We did a banding demonstration where I got to fondle my first Bachman’s Sparrow. I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did ;)

After the tour left, it was time for work. I happened to go by the nesting gourds for some Purple Martins and a few were sitting out in the open. It was cold and overcast today, and distance was a problem, so the pictures aren’t great.

Purple Martin

I’ve mentioned Brown-headed Nuthatches a lot. That is the species I am working with. We are mostly nest searching and re-sighting color banded birds. Most of the birds are still excavating cavities to be used as nesting sites while some already have eggs! I have a short video of a bird excavating a cavity right outside our field housing that I will upload in the next few days.

Tomorrow my birding buddies and I are heading to St. George Island (in Florida, not Alaska…), and Alligator Point. There should be some good shorebirds kicking around. I hope to finally see a Snowy Plover for the year. Stay tuned!