Weekend Adventures: Birding at Pebble Hill Plantation

Due to popular demand- I have been asked to post about my recent birding adventures. Granted, I couldn't tell if the request was made sarcastically or not, but ask and you shall receive!

This weekend, David and I had the opportunity to join a group out at Pebble Hill Plantation for a birding tour led by Dr. Jim Cox from nearby Tall Timbers Research Station. Tall Timbers does extensive research on the Red Hills Region of SW Georgia/NW Florida concerning timber, land, and wildlife management. Dr. Cox studies the song birds of the region and the impacts of land management on them.

On to the event- it was so very interesting to learn about the birds that make the pinewoods their homes. We all gathered on Saturday morning. It was the perfect day and the sun was shining bright, I just wished it had been a smidge bit warmer.

All smiles as we loaded up on the wagon to begin!

The horse stables @ Pebble Hill

The first stop we made, was at the location of some Red-Cockaded Woodpecker trees. These woodpeckers prefer longleaf pine trees of at least 90+ years of age to nest in. Most pine forest these days are no longer long-leaf and are grown as tree farms and most don't go past 30 or so years of age. So, these woodpecker's habitat is quite small and why they are now endangered. However, Thomas County plantations have some of the oldest natural stands of long-leaf pines, so these special woodpeckers make their home here. If you are ever riding past a pine tree stand and see a metal or white ring around a big pine tree- that probably means that tree has been identified as a red-cockaded woodpecker home. Here's another tell-tell sign:

You can see the hole that is bore into the tree, but also all of the pine sap that has dripped down the tree as a result. It takes several years to excavate the cavity in the trees and these homes are usually passed down from generation to generation, if possible.

Sadly, we didn't spot one of these rare little guys, much to my disappointment. But we sure did call and look for one!

I told David to pose for me, but then decided that didn't look "birdy" enough.

Ahh- much better :-D

 

The real excitement was when we were able to catch and band a few wintering sparrows. The first little guy we were able to band was a Henslow's Sparrow. This was an exciting find, because they aren't commonly seen around!

He was caught using a mist net

Getting his band

Beak measurements taken

Beautiful little sparrow!

Jim explaining what scientist do with the data they collect from banding and how it helps them better understand these little guys.

 It was really interesting to learn how birds are banded and how they use that information. It made David want to get a mist net to catch little birds. It was fun! But we will leave that to the professionals for scientific purposes.

 

The second sparrow we were able to band was a Bachman's Sparrow.

This little guy's markings remind me of pine bark- which naturally is perfect

Measuring his wings
 

It was a great day and we really enjoyed learning all about the native (and wintering) species of birds in our area! I was able to add several new birds to my life list, which is always a plus!