PRAS December Walkabout Report – Deer Prairie Creek

December Walkabout – Deer Prairie Creek What a beautiful day for our December Walkabout as it started out sunny and cool, and there was just a slight breeze. We had 22 birders attend and the birds were plentiful. When we arrived in the parking lot, a RedShouldered Hawk was enjoying a peaceful morning in a near-by snag, and Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Eastern Phoebes greeted us in the trees. It was just a short walk to the pond where we saw 2 Black Crowned Night Herons, as well as a Green Heron, Little Blue, Great Egret, White Ibis, and a Belted Kingfisher. We headed down the trail lined with oaks, pines, and cabbage palms and saw our first Red-Headed Woodpecker, and a flock of Robins that was the first of the season for some of us. By midmorning we were walking through the Pine Flatwoods, the sun was hot, and the bird activity died down a bit. We did enjoy seeing an immature Red-Headed Woodpecker and a Sharp-Shinned Hawk flew overhead. All together we saw about 30 species of birds and had a great morning.