Day 80: March 20 – the Vernal Equinox

Sunny and mild – low 70s

       We welcomed the arrival of spring this morning by joining the Tuesday morning bird walks I help out with.  A group of 14 visitors and residents met at 8:00 A.M. on the glorious day to bird the Indian River Lagoon Preserve in New Smyrna Beach. 

       As is our normal MO, we walked the path through the wooded section of the path first.  We had some heavy rains last night and people joked about finding wading birds alongside Saxon Avenue on their way to the park.  I thought this might have the birds up and about, but that was not the case.  Early on, we had a fine, though thoroughly soaked, Brown thrasher on the highest limb of a bare tree overhanging the path.

       He was not very vocal and if it were not for one sharp-eyed participant, we might have strolled right under the bird without ever noticing it.  As we moved on, the activity lessened and we had to struggle to hear and see anything other than the always-heard Carolina wrens and cardinals.  Even the Yellow-rumped warblers which are always present in big numbers were fewer and farther between.  Our sighting of the morning on this section of the park was probably the diminutive Ceraunus Blue butterfly. 

     

Ceraunus blue (Top and below)

  Once down at the fishing dock on the lagoon, we struggled to find birds once again as the tide was about as high as it gets thus submerging all the sand bars and oyster beds which serve as an attractive food source for shorebirds and waders.  A few herons, egrets, pelicans, and ospreys were seen along the far shore, but generally, it was a quiet morning.

       As we returned to the pavilion, we did hear the gentle repetitive cooing of the Common ground doves.  We used to hear these handsome little doves on a regular basis, but this year, they have been all but absent.  We never did see one today, but to hear them was reassuring.  Back at the cars, we did get our real sense that spring is in fact here as we was a Northern mockingbird with fine material in its beak which these birds use to line their cup-like nests.  And so, spring is in fact here at last and we look forward with excitement and anticipation to see what the following months will bring.