After a quiet summer break, the Florida Young Birders Club (FYBC) started the new year with a bird walk and planning session at John Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor. We had 16 kids, including one from Plant City and another from Sarasota.
The young birder from Sarasota is 14 years old and will be working with Sarasota Audubon to start up a new chapter of FYBC there!
The group spotted 37 species, including great looks at an adult Purple Gallinule with a chick, Limpkin, Anhingas and the expected birds found along lakes and in wetlands.
We also had a decent variety of warblers including Pine, Northern Parula, Prairie, Prothonotary and Blackburnian.
A few of the older young birders are really interested in photography, and one 8th grader, Roland Bendever, got multiple bird photos.
At the end of the walk, the group brainstormed ideas for places they’d like to bird and species they’d like to see. These include a trip to the Celery Fields, Seven Springs in Lakeland and visiting the banding station in Dunedin.
Some of the species they like to see are owls (especially Barn Owl), Woodcock, Whip-poor-will and Florida Scrub Jays. If any TAS members would like to help us locate and take to kids to see these species, please contact: jmcginity53@gmail.com
Bird photos by Roland Bendever; people pictures taken by Tiffanie Bendever and Jim McGinity.
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