Season Premiere

We're back! I knew we were close when I saw a Eurasian Collared Dove nest-building in front of my apartment building. Then yesterday, I saw a post on the Tropical Audubon Society's BirdBoard about Great Horned Owl babies. As fortune would have it, these babies were in the same location where I began this journey last year. So what better way to kick off the new season than where the last season started: Everglades National Park?

But first, for those of you who are new to the blog: it is just a place for me to keep track of my Atlasing efforts around Dade county. The Florida Breeding Bird Atlas is a 5-year study done entirely by volunteers to document what species of birds breed in the state and where. The first Atlas in the 1980's found 120 species in Dade county alone. Right now, we are in Year 4 of the second Atlas and only 60 species have been confirmed breeding here; so we are severely behind. I didn't find any new breeding species on today's trip, but it was still an extremely successful way to open up my second season as an Atlaser.

The nest, right in the middle of the parking lot. I stood beneath it looking up for literally one hour and none of the 30-50 other people who parked even noticed me or the super awesome birds I was photographing. I'm glad someone posted to the Board about them because I wouldn't have found them on my own.

This is Miami-Dade's largest species of owl and only the 2nd record of their breeding here, though there are certainly dozens more. I was hoping to get a shot with their parents, but they didn't show.

Double-crested Cormorant. Look at those eyes! A gorgeous species that is not yet confirmed breeding in Dade

Another saga of a Great Blue Heron trying to eat something huge (see last year's February 16th post for the previous series).

Some kind of catfish, which I'm guessing won't be native if I ask my fisheries buddy. But our bird managed to swallow it

It wouldn't be an Everglades trip without the obligatory American Alligator picture

Or our most photogenic heron: the Green Heron

A female Anhinga incubating eggs. No need to resubmit this to the Atlas since we confirmed it last year at this location

A male Anhinga incubating a different nest

Next month is when breeding season really begins for most species (owls and Anhingas are early breeders). Time to start clearing my schedule and developing a plan. Last year, I was just getting my Atlasing feet under me. This year, I hope to confirm several new species, especially obvious ones that just haven't been documented yet like Burrowing Owls, Great Blue Herons, Egrets, Ibis, and Terns among others. If you're interested in joining me on one of these trips or if you know of bird breeding activity, let me know, the more the merrier! Volunteers are the only way we'll be able to collect this data!