Field Trip Report – Wildflower Preserve and Amberjack Park

Photo taken by Barney B.

Photo taken by Joan Winter

Photo taken by Bob Winter.

Dr. Bill Dunson from Lemon Bay Conservancy was joined by 33 enthusiastic people who toured Wildflower Preserve and Lemon Lake at Amberjack Park. Before the tour, Dr. Dunson explained how the $800,000 SWFWMD grant will create fresh water and salt water marshes. We saw an area where fresh water golf course ponds will be expanded to have emergent water plant littoral zones. Another area seen was a Pepper Bush Jungle which will be bulldozed and made into a tidal lake similar to Amberjack’s lemon Lake. Also pointed out was a stand of African Guinea grass with seeds that are a favorite food for the Indigo and Painted buntings. It was interesting to learn how this 80 acre abandoned golf course is and will be transformed into a first class nature preserve.

The cool windy day made for a comfortable outing and even though it made birding a little difficult, the group saw 27 species. The recently returned snow birds of Blue Winged Teal and Coots seen at Lemon Lake made up the largest number of birds counted.

The Bird list is:

Mottled Ducks

Blue-winged Teal

Pie-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Anhinga

White Pelicans flying

Great Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Green Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Bald Eagle

Common Gallinule

American Coot

Terns flying ( uncertain of the kind)

Mourning Dove

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpeckers

Eastern Phoebe

Carolina Wren (heard, not seen)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

American Robin (flock flying overhead)

Gray Catbirds

Cardinals

Starlings

Report submitted by Bob Winter.

Featured image of boardwalk taken by Phyllis Cady.