Day 47: February 16 – Spruce Creek Park

A beautiful sunny and warm day, calm winds

       It’s the 47^th day of the year, and so far,  I have visited 44 different sites to bird and photograph images of the natural world.  Sharon and I made note of the fact that in spite of being here in Florida for over three months last year, there were some spots that we love to bird that we never got to.  We’ll try to make this year different.

The marsh at Spruce Creek Park as seen from the Observation Tower

       Spruce Creek Park lies on the shore of Rose’s Bay in Port Orange.  It’s 1637 acres are traversed by a 536 foot boardwalk and more than 3 miles of trails through pine forest.  A well-constructed 15 foot observation tower overlooks the wide expanse of marsh.  With such diverse habitat, you never know what you’ll come across.  It’s one of those places where you have to go back time and again, because each time you visit, you’ll find something new. 

       I began today’s walk at the fishing pier which juts out through the marsh.  I had hoped for Marsh wren or rails, but it was admittedly pretty quiet this morning.  I did enjoy watching a Tricolor heron stalk the edge of the marsh grasses in search of breakfast. 

Pine warbler

      From there, I wandered over to the boardwalk and spent some time watching the fiddler crabs, herons, egrets, a belted kingfisher and ospreys.  I have had luck in the past looking for warblers at the boardwalks end where it enters the forest.  At first, I only heard woodpeckers….Pileated and Downy.  But then, the musical trill of a Pine warbler was heard not too far ahead.  The most common warblers at this time of year are the ubiquitous Yellow-rumps and Palm warblers.  Pine warblers will be here in greater abundance within the month, but it was certainly nice to get such good looks at several this morning.  The more I walked into the forest, the more Pine warblers singing I heard.  Staking out territory already?  Looking for a mate?  Or just practicing for the upcoming breeding season?  Whatever it was, it helped to make a thoroughly enjoyable stroll through the park even more fulfilling.