Tuesday’s Critter Count from Bird Rookery Swamp

 

Check out yesterday’s count from the almost 13 miles of trail at Bird Rookery Swamp!

photo by Dick Brewer

BIRDS

Wood Stork – 42

Anhinga – 25

Great Blue Heron – 8

Great Egret – 53

Snowy Egret – 11

Cattle Egret – 2

Little Blue Heron – 2

Tri-Colored Heron – 1

Black-crowned Night Heron – 22

Yellow-crowned Night Heron – 1

White Ibis – 5

Black Vulture – 68

Turkey Vulture – 28

Swallow-tailed Kite – 7

Red-shouldered Hawk – 39

Mourning Dove – 4

Common Ground Dove – 1

Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 3

Barred Owl – 3

Chimney Swift – 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 46

Pileated Woodpecker – 11

Great-crested Flycatcher – 18

Carolina Wren – 48

White-eyed Vireo – 21

Blue Jay – 1

Fish Crow – 2

Tufted Titmouse – 14

Gray Catbird – 16

Northern Mockingbird – 2

Common Yellowthroat – 1

Black-and-white Warbler – 1

Northern Parula – 3

Northern Cardinal – 23

Common Grackle – 2

 

BUTTERFLIES

Palamedes Swallowtail – 54

Tiger Swallowtail – 11

Zebra Longwing – 4

White Peacock – 29

Viceroy – 4

Gulf Fritillary – 1

Common Buckeye – 2

Red Admiral – 1

Phaon Crescent – 8

Great Southern White – 3

Cassius Blue – 1

Brazilian Skipper – 1

Palatka Skipper – 2

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 8

Great Blue Skimmer – 1

Blue Dasher – 3

Band-winged Dragonlet – 6

Halloween Pennant – 4

photo by Dick Brewer

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS

Alligator – 246

Brown Anole – 1

Red-bellied Turtle – 4

Banded Water Snake – 1

Green Treefrog – 1

photo by Dick Brewer

MAMMALS

Raccoon – 5

White-tailed Deer – 1

Gray Squirrel – 1

Crouching Fawn Surprises Scouts

This past weekend Boy Scout Troop 11 got a real surprise while hiking the CREW Marsh Trails. Here’s what troop leader Jeff Dodd shared:

My group was out at CREW on Saturday backpacking. We stayed at the gate 3 campsite Saturday night. On the way to camp we were hiking along the Pop Ash Slough Trail and we came across a fawn standing in the trail. As it saw us approach it went into “stealth” mode crouching to get as flat as possible to the ground. Of course this little fella was right in the middle of the trail but I’m sure it thought it was hiding.

CrouchingFawn by JeffDodd
CrouchingFawn by JeffDodd

Fawns less than two weeks old usually crouch in place, rather than bolt away. It’s their way of “disappearing in place” because they are not quick enough yet to escape most predators. What a great sighting for this troop of scouts. Thanks to Jeff for sharing the story and the photo with us. And thanks for respecting the fawn and leaving it alone and safe!

If you have CREW wildlife sightings you’d like to share, please let us know so we can post them here for all to see.

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