Ten birders including two knowledgeable teenagers joined leaders Elaine Roche, Joyce Lewis, and Bob Ross for a steamy jaunt along the Pepper Creek Trail at the Homosassa SWP on 9 March 2024. Two dozen species of birds, half a dozen fewer than a month ago, strangely enough, were found. But right off the bat the resident red-shouldered hawk put on a performance as last time. This time he attacked a great blue heron that, out of his normal foraging habitat, landed in a tall tree against the wishes of the hawk, who was probably defending his nest from the opportunisitc heron. Other birds of note included Carolina chickadees, a ruby-crowned kinglet, a few parula warblers, who are now streaming north through our county in migration, and the faithful 5 wood ducks on the creek at the end of the trail. A gorgeous giant swallowtail butterfly was also captured in photos by Bob. See Joyce’s eBird report (www.eBird.org) for a complete list of birds found on the outing.
Text and photos by Bob Ross.
