Last Thursday morning (September 2nd) Jim Stewart spotted fish in AG’s Pond (i.e., wetlands). This is a much waited for first. To our knowledge the fish arrived naturally but it is also very possible that they received some human assistance. The fish have not yet been Identified and it is hoped that they will turn out to be 100% Florida natives.

Late on the afternoon of September 7th the season’s first hummingbird was observed foraging in the Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden. The Firebush are in full bloom now so there is a plentiful food source for both birds, butterflies and bees. Despite extended views, without binoculars it was difficult to see details beyond a bright red throat and small white ‘bib.’

North shore of AG’s Pond Looking West From Hibiscus Ave.

One of the ‘old’ poles on left at water’s edge. New pole with yellow guy wire on right next to Cabbage Palm.

Pam Hopkins, Director, Possum Long Nature Center

In addition to these surveys, Audubon of Martin County has built and installed several Bluebird houses on adjacent Fox Brown Road. Here, Bev Poppke inspects one of the boxes.

Among several stops along the route, we visited Nancy Oliver, who graciously led us around her property. In a tall pine we saw this overheated Red-Bellied Woodpecker. It was a typical August day in South Florida, with temps hovering around 90.

At a “ranchette” in Martin Ranches, butterflies outnumbered birds.

Despite the heat, we managed to find some shade, and time to rest and socialize.

In addition to Bev, the other volunteers were (L-R): David Simpson, Jim Kearman. Bill Borger, Chick Clipsham, and Nancy Price.

Download a copy of our Bird List.

* Wednesday, October 20, 2010. Lakeside Ranch Stormwater Treatment Area (STA).
* November 20, 2010. Blue Cypress Lake.
* December 18, 2010. Stuart & St Lucie Inlet.
* January 22, 2011. Stormwater Treatment Area (STA)-5, Hendry County.
* February 18-19, 2011. Everglades.
* March 12, 2011. Hackberry Hammock.
* April 8-9, 2011. Birdathon.

New sign-up page for field trips.

PLNC, of course, stands for Possum Long Nature Center, at our headquarters in Stuart. There’s always something happening there, and volunteers are appreciated. Some only come to watch, like the writer of this post, and this Downy Woodpecker.

If you’ve ever tried to photograph, or even watch, a Downy, you know they make you chase them ’round and ’round the tree. By the time I caught up with this one I was exhausted, and had to take a break.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) will be relocating the power lines, that now hang over the wetland, to an underground conduit. To prepare for the new pole, Greg Braun and Pam Hopkins trimmed the dead stalks off a Cabbage Palm. Throughout the restoration project, great care was taken to retain native plants and trees.

No work project is complete without gawkers. I was joined in “supervisory” duties by the Osprey pair that nest at PLNC.

Here’s a closer picture of one of them in a different tree, staring right back at me.

Another addition to PLNC this past year was a shadehouse, so we can raise our own native plants. It was constructed as an Eagle Scout project, using poles provided by FPL.

PLNC has lots of shady places to get away from the urban hustle and bustle…

… or bring a sandwich, sit by the pond, and reflect.

While walking their transect in the southern part of the park, which is near the Martin-Palm Beach County line, Pam spotted a Butterfly Pea (Clitoria mariana L.).

While common in Florida, the Butterfly Pea has never been vouchered in Martin County. Vouchering involves collecting, drying and pressing a complete plant. The specimen is forwarded, with site information, to a recognized authority for verification and storage.

Because it’s illegal to take anything from a state park, they gave photos and the coordinates of the plant to a park biologist.

The Butterfly Pea has been vouchered in Palm Beach County, several hundred yards south of where they found this specimen, so it’s likely some seeds were carried over by birds.

Pam gets the credit for spotting the plant; it was only when Jim looked it up online that they learned it had never been vouchered in Martin County.

Oh, and what about the Scrub Jays? Yes, they saw them, too!

Photos by Jim Kearman

We’re working with the Florida Bluebird Society.

The boxes were designed and built by one of the scouts, with materials donated by scouting parents.

Our Citrus Boulevard Preserve encompasses 270 acres of wetland and upland, including two ponds, dug when the land was a cattle ranch. Scouts installed three nest boxes at a large pond, and another at a smaller pond.

Thanks to the scouts (and their parents and adult leaders) for donating time and resources to provide nest boxes for the Wood Ducks that frequently visit our preserve in winter.

Audubon of Martin County’s Properties chair, Jim Kearman, accompanied the scouts and took the photos.