UCF Arboretum visit brings new birds, including Great Crested Flycatcher and House Finch
Roger Simmons,
With the temperatures in Central Florida rising as the birding season is cooling down, I decided to make a Saturday morning trek to nearby UCF Arboretum to look for some little birds.
On previous trips I have seen Pine Warblers, Palm Warblers, Eastern Towhees, Purple Martins and Red-shouldered Hawks. There are a lot of different birds scattered among the 80 acres of natural land nestled between the main campus and nearby housing developments.
Today’s trip was filled with woodpeckers – Red-bellied and Downey ones. They seemed to be everywhere.
But also among them were two new-to-me birds: a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers and a pair of House Finches.
I wish had had better photos of both, but that just gives me motivation to go back and try again.
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A little Downy Woodpecker poses on a tree limb at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Down Woodpecker hands upside down on a tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Downy Woodpecker strikes a pose on a dead tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A daddy Northern Cardinal helps feed a juvenile at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Red-bellied Woodpecker looks for food on a dead limb at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Reb-bellied Woodpecker uses its long tongue to looks for food under the bark of a Slash Pine Tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers checks out a dead tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Tufted Titmouse rests on an oak tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Tufted Titmouse pauses for a moment on an oak tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Great Crested Flycatcher hangs out in a Slash Pine Tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Great Crested Flycatcher, relaxed and not displaying its crest, relaxes on a branch at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Great Crested Flycatcher rests on a tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Great Crested Flycatcher takes fight while its mate stays behind at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A Great Crested Flycatcher takes flight at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A male House Finch rests on a branch at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A pair of House Finches, female at the top and male at the bottom, take break in a pine tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A female House Finch sits on a pine tree at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A butterfly lands on a little wildflower at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.A wildflower called Gaillardia, also known as blanket flower, is in full bloom at the UCF Arboretum in June 2023.
This year, I’ve been trying to explore different areas – including Gator Creek, East Gator Creek and Biolab roads. They offer a great habitat for wading birds and more.
There have been flamingos in the Indian River before, but it is pretty rare. I got up very early on a Saturday morning to try to get some pictures of them.
Morning is the best time for birding, which isn’t easy for me since I am not a morning person. But on a sunrise trip to the UCF Arboretum on June 9, I heard a familiar wake-up call. It was a Carolina Wren.
