Day 68: Year Bird 180

Sunny, temps in the high 70s, light winds from the south

       While somewhat elusive, the Yellow-throated warbler is a winter resident in Florida and therefore can be found before the rest of the pack comes migrating through.  They generally stay in the tops of the palms in search of the bugs which live there.  It was a beautiful day here in Florida today, so I didn’t mind spending a fair amount of time hunting for this new “year-bird” at Spruce Creek Park.  I walked the trail back and forth and neither heard nor saw this warbler for quite some time.  I did hear and see Pine warblers and heard the Yellow-rumps, but that was not why I was here. 

       Birding friend Alan had photographed the Yellow-throat more than a week ago at this location, but because these are residents, I didn’t think I had to worry about them moving on.  Eventually, I did see one and pishhhing did the trick.  It came down to check me out, I got off one single shot, and the bird quickly retreated back into the canopy.  So, what you see is what you get….the effort of a single click of the shutter....Year-bird #180.

       While hunting for the warbler, I did see a number of anoles, both the green and the invasive Cuban form of this lizard.  Eventually I noticed a lizard of different hue, the Five-lined skink.  With 5 brilliant yellow stripes down the body of this reptile and its iridescent blue tail, it is hard to confuse him with the anoles.  With the brightly colored Yellow-throat, it made for a Technicolor day. 

Five-lined skink