Caspian Tern in Flight at Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL 11/4/14

One of the World's true cosmopolitan terns and most spectacular! They are so fun to watch. What's not to love with their huge size, deep red bill, black cap, and those wonderful dark primaries below the wing. Pretty regal while at rest too.

Snowy Egret Hunting - Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL 11/4/14

This snowy egret had it made hunting for salt water fish as the tide went out. The little tidal pools were filled with small fish and this egret could afford to be choosy!

Sanderling at Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL - 11/4/14

Sanderling

Piping Plover at Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL - 11-4-14

Maybe all shorebirds are my favorites, but Piping Plovers are certainly towards the top of the list too! There were at least two banded birds at Huguenot and I was able to get pictures of the bands. I'm going to contact the USFWS and I'll let you know once I confirm where these birds were banded along with their ages. Here is a website I found for finding out information on banded Piping Plovers: http://www.fws.gov/charleston/Piping_Plover.html

Unbanded Piping Plover

Another banded Piping Plover. This one is an adult with a blue flag on its upper right leg and five other bands of various colors! This adult bird was most likely banded on the Northern Great Plains in the United States in either the Lower or Central Platte River

Banded Piping Plover (see pic below for banding information)

Hatch Year Banded Piping Plover - the black flag on its right leg is labeled "J5" this bird was most likely banded in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) Canada, Saskatchewan!

Semipalmated Plover - Similar to the Piping, but with significant differences including being much darker

Turkey Vulture Eating Stingray at Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL - 11/4/14

You really have to appreciate Turkey Vultures. This one definitely has a taste for seafood - in this case a stingray!

Wilson's Plovers at Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL - 11/4/14

One of my favorite birds. Our version of the "Crab" Plover!

Rare Henslow's Sparrow in Duval County Florida - 11/4/14

Recently I took a trip to Jacksonville, FL and had part of a day to go birding. While in J'Ville, and if you only have one place to go, it's a no-brainer to head on over to Huguenot Memorial Park. Huguenot is a City Park that is situated on the north side of the St. Johns River, where it spills out into the Atlantic Ocean.

There is over a mile of beach, huge rock jetties that stretch way out into the ocean, and a huge tidal flats behind the dunes. The Fort George River also reaches the Atlantic here and its inlet is the northern boundary of Huguenot. All this adds up to one of the best places to bird in all of Florida. Many mega-rarities have been recorded here including Bar-tailed Godwit, Greater Sand-Plover, Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Snowy Owl, Long-tailed Duck, South Polar Skua, Long-tailed Jaeger, Brown Noddy, and many many more!

When I pulled up to a picnic shelter to park a sparrow jumped up onto a weed stalk. It was really windy, but it just stayed there forever. At first I thought it was an odd Savannah sparrow, but I wasn't sure. I grabbed my camera and fired off about 50 pics before it flew down into thick grass.

A couple days later I had a long layover in Atlanta and decided to take a look at the pics. I was stunned to find myself looking at a Henslow's Sparrow! I had seen this species wintering in western Duval County in wet grasses, but never at the beach.