I’ve received a lot of emails asking about Stick Marsh conditions after my recent Florida Trip Report post.
I went to Fellsmere (aka the Stick Marsh) on my first day in Florida. I was anxious to get back there because I had heard that there was a lot of construction and I wasn’t sure how it would affect the birds and my workshops.
I arrived in the early morning before dawn and it was as if a bomb had gone off and a new world awoke. There was a noisy water pump that made an annoyingly consistent sound and some kind of machinery that kept beeping plus someone’s car alarm was going off. There were signs all over warning people not to enter the construction site-which was just about everywhere. Take into consideration the hundreds of boats launching, including fan boats. I have no idea how every single bird had not left by now. It was as far from a peaceful nature experience as you could get so I left. Vowing not to return until they were finished with all of their construction stuff.
Last year when I was there, the photography was fantastic; only a handful of photographers, lots of birds and some really great photo opportunities. Because of that memory and plus I had a group coming in, I decided to go back and try again. The same loud annoying sounds, and not too many birds around…ugh.
I decided to tough it out so I started humming a few songs to pass the time and then I began to sing this one song quietly to myself. It was a Carly Simon song called “Coming Around Again”. I have absolutely no idea why I kept singing it or even how I knew as many words as I did but it soothed me. Patience and persistence paid off as before I knew it a couple of Roseate Spoonbills started to fly around. Yippee! Nothing like last year, but at least there were spoonbills flying. Slim pickings actually.. but a few birds are better than none!
Spoonbill in flight 2022