A Lifer at Big Lagoon

This past week I left Jacksonville and made my way to Pensacola where I stayed at the Navy’s Blue Angel Park. This RV park has two campgrounds, a boat launch, three 18-hole disc golf courses, pavilions, and beaches.

Birding within the RV park was OK. On the first day I found a few Brown Pelicans at the marina, but no shorebirds on the beach. Within the wooded areas of the park I found Pine Warblers, Eastern Bluebirds, and Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Brown Pelican. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 900.

Pine Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 1000.

Pine Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1400.

Pine Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1250.

Pine Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1250.

Big Lagoon State Park was a 15 minute drive from Blue Angel Park so I went there in search of birds. According to eBird, there were some recent sightings of Hooded Mergansers and Loons at the park, so that’s what I went there to find. But while driving through the park, Yellow-rumped Warblers were flying all over the place, criss-crossing the road going from one scrub oak to another. I drove down to the East Beach area and ended up staying in the parking lot the whole afternoon, photographing Yellow-rumps and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 720.

Carolina Wren. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 900.

Along the trails through the scrub oak hammocks I found more of the same, with Carolina Wrens, yellow-rumps, and Gray Catbirds making up the bulk of the birds I heard and saw. But then I heard that piercing “tow-hee” call instantly recognizable as from the Eastern Towhee. I carefully made my way towards the call and there I found an Eastern Towhee on the ground in the middle of a bush scratching through the leaf litter. A few moments later it hopped out onto a piece of wood, perfectly posing for me as it continued to call for its mate.

Eastern Towhee. Bill slightly open as it calls for its mate. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 1400.

Eastern Towhee. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 2200.

On my last day at Big Lagoon State Park I took a walk along the boardwalk between the Governor’s Pavilion to the campground. There I was fortunate to find a lifer for me, an Orange-crowned Warbler. At first I didn’t even know what it was, thinking it might be a Nashville Warbler. But a little research using the Merlin app and the “Birding in Florida” Facebook group let me know the true identity of this bird.

Orange-crowned Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/11, 1/1250 sec, ISO 1000.

Orange-crowned Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/8, 1/1250 sec, ISO 640.

Orange-crowned Warbler. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/8, 1/1250 sec, ISO 560.

Further down the trail was a marshy area where there were lots of Swamp Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, a Brown-headed Nuthatch, a couple of Northern Mockingbirds, a Brown Thrasher, and a Common Yellowthroat. It was tough getting photos due to the height of the boardwalk and the shadows cast by the trees, but I managed to get a couple of somewhat clear shots from a distance. That’s where the 800mm lens really comes through.

Swamp Sparrow. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 640.

Common Yellowthroat. Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 640.

On my last morning I ran into a group on a birding field trip. I joined the group led by Randy, a volunteer who leads a bird walk every Saturday at 9am. Our group of about eight folks walked for an hour and a half, identifying 22 species. At the end of the walk Randy gave all the participants a watercolor print he made of various birds. It was a generous gesture and a great way to end my visit at Big Lagoon.

And…I eventually did find Hooded Mergansers…waaaaay out in the bay. No photos though.

Happy birding, and merry Christmas!