Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park, Orange County, Florida

• White Trail to Yellow Trail
  Species seen May 13, 2023, and other past dates
  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=137603&user_id=j-stauffer&verifiable=any

**Most of the preserve consists of Longleaf Pine with Saw Palmetto understory

We arrived at 7AM with the hope of hearing some early morning birds calling. We were not disappointed. A few Brown Thrashers were calling along the white trail, within a 5-10 minute walk of the parking lot. Perhaps my favorite US thrasher because of its cinnamon brown coloration, it's a beautiful bird. Perched atop a Southern Live Oak, the one we saw was wary of our presence. I was able to get a couple of shots from a distance but once it saw us it took flight. Are most brown thrashers this scared? Not sure. I recall seeing a thrasher at Briggs Nature Center in Collier County that allowed a close approach.

Gulf Fritillary- fresh individual with brilliant silvery metallic spots on underside of hindwings
Palmetto Skipper- bright ochre wings, mantle and top of head- larvae feed exclusively on saw palmetto, despite the abundance of the host plant, the butterfly is quite scarce

Sabatia flowers- protandrous, with anthers opening first, while stigma branches remain closed. Anthers fall off and then stigma branches open. Very cool to see!

Endangered species seen today:

• Red-cockaded Woodpecker- endangered (E) in United States
• Loammi Skipper- critically imperiled (S1) in Florida

Vulnerable species seen today:

• Palmetto Skipper- vulnerable (S3S4) in Florida
• Bachman's Sparrow- near threatened (NT) (IUCN Red List)

Posted on May 14, 2023 04:58 PM by j-stauffer