MAY 9, 2009, SLAS FIELD TRIP REPORT TO SEBASTIAN INLET STATE PARK

The final St Lucie Audubon field trip of the season was to Sebastian Inlet State Park on May 9th. We had 12 members on the trip, and arrived at the park around 8:30 am......sunny and temps in the high 80's, but a very welcome breeze off the ocean kept us comfortable. We stayed on the North side of the inlet until 10:30 a.m., and then a few of us went over to the South side of the inlet where we were very lucky to watch a dolphin  playing close to the shore on the Intercoastal.

Just birds seen at the Inlet Park are listed below ( we did not count birds along the drive up and back) :

1--Brown Pelican
2--Anhinga
3--Double Crested Cormorant
4--Snowy Egret
5--Triclored Heron
6--White Ibis
7--Wood Stork
8--Osprey
9--Ruddy Turnstone
10--Sanderling
11--Ring-billed gull
12--Royal Tern
13--Least Tern
13--Black Skimmer
14--Rock Dove
15--Mourning Dove
16--Fish Crow
17--Northern Mockingbird
18--Northern Cardinal
19--Common Grackle
20--Boat-tailed Grackle

Also seen...pair of unidentified ducks in flight and 1 member possibly saw a White-tailed tropicbird in flight.

Non-bird sightings: fiddler crabs, sea-hare, dolphin, rabbit, and the first sighting of the season for LOVE-BUGS!!....a sure sign summer is coming!

-- Submitted by Dorothy Shultz