Third Thursday, Part 1

A small part of the inaugural Third Thursday

As I approached my retirement from 41 years in teaching, I often joked that I was retiring to become a full-time birder.  I'm trying very hard to meet that goal.  But one of the obstacles was a complete lack of organized birding activities during the traditional work week.  My idea was to do something about that.

I'm a member of the Alachua Audubon Society, one of the most active and (in my view) best Audubon chapters in the state.  From September through the end of May we sponsor about 45 birding field trips, all on either a Saturday or Sunday.  During nearly every weekend over a nine-month stretch, I have one or two field trips I can attend and share the birding experience with a lot of really great people I've come to think of as friends.  But during the week?  Nothing.  My friends and I were on our own. So about a year ago I approached the Alachua Audubon officers about sponsoring a mid-week birding field trip once each month.  I also suggested combining the field trip with a social activity - lunch at a restaurant.  The result has been a series of terrific days that have come to be known as Third Thursday.

Yellow Rat Snake at Bolen Bluff

We started in September with a walk around Bolen Bluff in Gainesville.  The crowd was enormous; too big, in fact.  We split into groups, took opposite directions on the trail, and agreed to meet back in the parking lot three and a half hours later.  Initially, the birding was slow, but a waterthrush here, an owl there and (eventually) a few warblers resulted in a really nice day.  A Yellow Rat Snake (right) also added to the excitement.  Afterward, about 15 of us descended upon Blue Highway in Micanopy for some of the best pizza I've had since leaving Pennsylvania almost 30 years ago.  It was an encouraging start, but could it be sustained?

The October Third Thursday visited San Felasco Hammock State Park in Alachua, known locally as Progress Park.  This time the group was smaller, as I had expected.  I had originally pictured this as an activity for retired birders.  Our initial group had attracted a number of retirees as well as several college students and a few people playing hooky from work for a day.  The October group was all retirees.  The pace was a bit slower, but the birding was really good.  For a quiet day, we tallied 35 species then found our way to Conestoga's in "Beautiful, downtown Alachua" for a fantastic lunch.

Black-crowned Night-Heron at La Chua Trail

November's trip was a gem.  We walked out the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie State Preserve, one of my favorite spots on earth.  Essentially, I forgot I had a camera with me as I scurried this way and that to see a Barn Owl, a White-crowned Sparrow, a Common Yellowthroat, a Black-crowned Night-Heron (left), a Swamp Sparrow, a Bald Eagle, a Green Heron, a Wood Stork, a Ruddy Duck, a Northern Harrier, a Purple Gallinule, an American Bittern, a Vermilion Flycatcher or any of the 40 species we saw.  The group was bigger this time, and stretched out along the trail quite a bit.  That made a large group feel smaller, but kept me busy trying to touch base with everyone.  Truthfully ... I loved it.  So much fun!

Then it was time for lunch and we swarmed into Peach Valley in Gainesville.  I had called ahead to warn them that a group of 14 was on its way.  Who would have thought that a second group, also of 14, was just a few blocks away?  They beat us there and got our tables, and we were relegated to the patio on a very cold day.  Problem?  Not for this group.  No one complained, the restaurant manager brought out some area heaters, we plowed into a wonderful lunch, and I was introduced to the delights of apple fritters.  We told stories, laughed ourselves silly, and generally had a terrific time.  How can you not love this group?

Two of the three groups stopped to watch the Forster's Terns.

December was consumed by a combination of the holidays and the Christmas Bird Count, so our Third Thursday group didn't meet again until January.  When we did, it was incredible.  We were allowed to tour the Sweetwater Sheetflow Project, a water treatment facility being built on the edge of Paynes Prairie.  Soon this fantastic park will be open to the public, but that hasn't happened yet.  Nonetheless, through the efforts of Debra Segal and Alice Rankeillor, we were granted the necessary access.  As soon as word got out, I was swarmed with emails from people wanting to join our group.  Eventually we had 37 people attend, and we broke into three groups.  That said, the place is so big that it felt empty.

But there were birds everywhere!  I love looking at ducks, so this was a good day.  There were Gadwall, Ruddy Ducks, Blue and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Lesser Scaup. Bufflehead, and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks.  There were White, Glossy and White-faced Ibises.  Eagles soared overhead causing American Coots and Common Gallinules to scurry for cover.  Killdeer and Least Sandpipers probed the mud while Forster's Terns patrolled the skies.  Snipe and Pipits darted by us while Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs ignored us as we walked along the berms above them.  Limpkins and Roseate Spoonbills added their own unique touches to the gorgeous vistas throughout the park.  The day ended with an excellent meal at Chuy's Mexican Restaurant.  I waddled out of there stuffed, but very content.

This Anhinga (at Circle B) is a gorgeous bird!

Our February trip took us far afield from our usual Gainesville haunts.  We traveled to Lakeland in Polk County to bird at Circle B Bar Preserve.  This is always a great birding destination, and this time was no exception.  We had a 40+ species day that included great looks at all of the expected waders and a few ducks as well.  But the day's biggest surprises came from two little warblers.  At almost the same time, I called out, "There's a Prairie Warbler!" while Howard Adams called, "Northern Parula!"  Two beautiful and unexpected warblers on a cold day in February topped off an excellent birding day.  We wrapped it up at Palace Pizza, one of the highest rated restaurants in Lakeland, according to "TripAdvisor" and the twelve of us who squeezed into three tables in their small dining area.  I must say, we did ourselves proud by polishing off a huge amount of excellent Italian fare.  This was the first time I had searched for a restaurant using "TripAdvisor".  It proved to be a really good strategy that I would use again a few weeks later.

After a birding trip to Peacock Springs State Park, "TripAdvisor" led me to a restaurant in Live Oak called "All Decked Out."  I loved it, and as it happened, it was really close to our next Third Thursday destination.  Sometimes, things just go right.

Barred Owl at Suwannee River State Park

Our March destination was Suwannee River State Park in Suwannee County.  We made the hour-long drive to the park and began walking upriver on the River Trail.  The birding was slow at first, but picked up considerably as we encountered two separate feeding flocks.  Mixed with the Yellow-rumped, Pine and Black-and-white Warblers were Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-headed and White-eyed Vireos, and the usual Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee.  On the return trip along the creek, we saw an Orange-crowned Warbler,  three Hermit Thrushes and a very cooperative Barred Owl (right).  Later in the pine forest along the Sandhills Trail we encountered Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern Towhee, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Yellow-throated Vireo and a single Bald Eagle passing overhead.  Finally we made our way to Live Oak and All Decked Out where I had my second superb piece of coconut cream pie in under two weeks. 

Our final Third Thursday for this birding year will come in April when we visit Cedar Key.  I hope we are swarmed over by a horde of migrant warblers, tanagers, and orioles.  I don't know where we'll eat yet, but it will be good, I'm sure.  I'm already thinking about next year's trips - which will we repeat and which will we replace with something new.  But most of all, I'm looking forward to renewing the camaraderie of a terrific group of people who have made this an exceptionally good experience.

Some of the Third Thursday Regulars at Suwannee River State Park

Green Heron at Circle B Bar Preserve in Lakeland, Polk County, Florida

Lunch at Peach Valley Restaurant with some of the Third Thursday crowd

A nesting Barn Owl at Paynes Prairie State Preserve.  There were two chicks in the nest as well.

American White Pelicans at Circle B Bar Preserve

Blue-winged Teal at Circle B Bar Preserve