Day 39: February 8th - Smyrna Dunes Park

Sunny, Strong north wind,  mid 60’s

Ponce Inlet - Smyrna Dunes Park

       It’s our first trip over to Smyrna Dunes Park at the north end of our peninsula.  We have always loved this park, a pristine expanse of the dunes the way they all used to be.  Home to tortoises, snakes, birds such as Ground doves, Palm warblers, and Loggerhead shrikes, the dunes are traversed by a mile and a quarter long boardwalk.  Spurs off the boardwalk lead down to the beach at the south side of Ponce Inlet.  The jetties to the north and on our side to the south have occasionally harbored the elusive Purple sandpiper.  This bird is not at all common in Florida, but here is one place where you just might be lucky enough to find one.  Well, today, the conditions are just right with winds out of the north and a high tide washing against the massive rocks of the jetty.  The building of these jetties along the Atlantic coast has apparently been beneficial to these sandpipers as their numbers appear to be increasing.  These sandpipers love to pick among the algae covered boulders in search of insects or an occasional crustacean.  And so, today we are fortunate enough to come across one which is so busy foraging that it pays us no heed and allows us some fine close-up photos.  You got to love it when things go according to the plan.

Purple sandpiper on the jetty

Purple sandpiper

       As we return to the boardwalk over the dunes, I mentioned to Alan that I often get Palm warblers along this stretch of the park.  Little did I imagine how true my words would be.  We literally found close to a hundred scurrying along the sand, foraging  on the undersides of the sparse vegetation for whatever bugs may have been unfortunate enough to have alighted there.   Scanning with the binoculars, we saw a continuous succession of warbler after warbler.  Alan rightfully commented that it looked more like mice scurrying along on the dunes that it did warblers!

Palm warbler

        One of our targets today was in fact not a bird, but the indigenous Gopher tortoise.  A rather large tortoise, these reptiles can burrow  more than 10 feet back into the dunes and will usually be visable when the sun warms the sand.  Although we searched all along the boardwalk, we could only fine one of these fine specimens.  Tracks and other signs, however, indicate that there are many others to be found on warmer days.

        Finally,  I promised to keep you abreast with the progress our baby eagles on the street corner of Rte. 1 and Turnbull Bay Blvd.  Here’s the latest update.  First flight for at least one of the little guys cannot be far off.  Today, we witnessed the bird strongly flapping its wings and hovering above the nest as one of the parents watched on with some concern.  The strong north winds may have been a contributing factor, but the bird certainly looks as if it is pretty close to taking to the skies.   Again, we’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Learning to fly