The Ruddy Ducks from my adventure with Camille were still there, joined by many Redheads and American Wigeons. It was along these Vistas that up to 10 species of ducks were reported during the previous week. The road toward Playalinda Beach has several pull-offs (called Vistas) that look out over ponds and wetlands. We then went into the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. Through most of the afternoon, my poor, fickle camera made photographs quite difficult, so I apologize for the relative lack of photos. Our next stop was Black Point Drive, where we finally did get some more ducks, including American Wigeons, Blue-winged Teals, and even some Northern Pintails. In the end, we identified the sparrow as a Vesper, by process of elimination based on field marks and habitat. And this bird, from the Valiant Air Command: The Valiant Air Command is a local warbird/military plane restoration group and museum with many vintage and historic aircraft on display, with some functional articles, like this B-25 “Mitchell” bomber, named “Killer B”. While trying to get another look at the sparrow, we happened on a mixed group of birds, including a couple of American Goldfinches, a Blue-headed Vireo and some warblers. In a larger sense, chasing can mean driving or travelling long distances to attempt to see a specific bird species, but perhaps that sort of chasing deserves its own post. It means making a concerted effort to find where the bird may have flushed or flown to, using observation and smart conjecture, based on known species or genus behaviors and the available options. In birding terms, chasing doesn’t usually mean actually running after the bird in sight.
We managed to scare up a Vesper Sparrow on the far end of Tico road, but the look was brief, so we pulled off the road to “chase” it down the fence line. Its presence may have been partially responsible for the relative lack of small birds along the fence-line. A young Red-shouldered Hawk was calmly looking about. The fence around the airport was strangely devoid of its usual Loggerhead Shrikes, but there were a few American Kestrels and other birds of prey. While it was probably early for the flycatcher, it was fun to ride along the perimeter road (imaginatively called Perimeter Road) around the airport, then up Tico road (imaginatively named for TItusville/COcoa – the previous name of the airport). We headed to Space Coast Regional Airport first, since there are often various sparrows seen there, as well as the occasional Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. A day after chasing a Brant and Neotropic Cormorant, I met with the Muros late in the morning and we formulated a plan to try and maximize the chances of getting Bella some life birds, namely sparrows and ducks. I’ll wrap up my end-of Autumn posts (as we reach the end of astronomical or “official” autumn) my MINWR adventure with Sarah and Bella Muro.
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