Returning to Florida and Possum Branch Preserve

Naturally, on my first day of 35 in Florida, I found a White-winged Dove perched on a wire and singing for me.  Last year it was on my final day in Florida before I added this bird to my list.  That is the fun, and beauty of birding.  You just never know what you'll see,(or not see), on any given day in the field.

And, as such, I didn't expect to see a Wood Stork in Possum Branch Preserve this evening.  I also didn't expect to see a possum, but you never know, it is in the title.  I did, in addition to the stork, see a rabbit, but I really want the possum, as I have been there a dozen times with out a single sighting.

The wood stork was fun to find, as was a juvenile heron.  Today also marked the return of the annoying Red-winged Blackbirds.  I jest, but just barely.  They just sing so loud that they tend to drown out most of the other birds that are calling, except, perhaps, for the herons and Common Gallinules.  Speaking of which, it was a year ago that I first encountered them at Possum Branch, when I discovered they were no longer Common Moorhens.

It was fun to walk around a year later and be able to know all the birds I saw, without the aid of Sue or a bird guide.  I also saw an American Kestrel that I had hoped was a Merlin, as I still do not have a great photo of one.  And, oddly, I have yet to see a Snowy Egret this year.

I still have a week before getting a full day off, and am hoping that the White-cheeked Pintail and Brown Booby will hang around for another week.  Meanwhile there are lots of local trips I can take to fill my afternoons after work.