Your Pensacola Fall Guide to Birding

The first thing we should establish about fall birding in the Florida Panhandle is that it begins well before anyone would consider the weather out-of-doors to be fall-like. There are no falling leaves, no crisp hints of winter in the air, because fall migration on the Gulf Coast begins in mid to late July!

It begins with the dispersal of migratory birds who have nested in our region, such as Yellow Warblers, Purple Martins, Mississippi and Swallow-tailed kites, and Great-crested Flycatchers, leaving our area. While birds that have nested just north of us begin filtering into our area. Should a birder who is not afraid of sweating venture out to Fort Pickens and other parts of Gulf Islands National Seashore, they would likely see some of these birds as they trickle through. Mind you, it will require a bit of searching, and being in the right place at the right time, however, it is not uncommon to witness Yellow Warblers migrating down the beach, using the sea oat grasses as their feeding spots.

Migration continues to pick up steam as the calendar slowly creeps toward true fall with the arrival of shorebirds in August. It is still not fall-like by any stretch of the imagination, yet this is the time you’ll want to head to tidal flats and ephemeral pools along our coast to look for Hudsonian Whimbrels, Semipalmated Plovers, Piping Plovers, Least Sandpipers and if you are lucky, a Redknot or two.

Early mornings, before the beachcombers hit the beaches, are your best bet for seeing these birds. Grab your bins, kick off your shoes, and take a walk along the many miles of coastline. We recommend the point walk from the Fort Pickens Jetty (marked on Google Maps) around to Battery Payne. This walk is approximately 1.3 miles in beach sand, so make sure you are prepared, and if you have a spotting scope, be sure to bring it along as well!

The beach walk from Battery Payne to Battery 234 is also another good walk for shorebirds, as there are usually a couple of ephemeral pools in this section. However, this is an even longer walk than the one previously mentioned, and at the time of this writing, access to parking at Battery 234 is closed.

One possible way to see shorebirds without the long beach walk is by checking the ephemeral pools along the road as you drive in. These pools are located between campground loop A and just beyond the entrance to loops B thru E, and should they be in existence at the time, will be on both sides of the road. Be warned, they could be difficult to scan while driving due to the level of plant growth. You may need to park in a designated parking area and walk to the pools, but at least it won’t be as long and strenuous of a walk as the beach option! You should know that stopping your vehicle in the road for any reason is against park rules and dangerous

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You could also find shorebirds on an outgoing to low tide along the miles of shoreline along the bay, which is easily accessed from Hwy 399. There are several parking lots where one can leave their locked car for a walk along the shore. Should you choose to walk the bay or the gulf you stand a chance of spotting migratory shorebirds. If you are walking the gulf side at a time when beachgoers are out, be sure to use your bins or scope to check the vegetation along the dunes. Shorebirds often seek refuge in these areas, so please, use your optics and give them space.

If hiking in beach sand isn’t your favorite thing to do, or you’d prefer woodland birds to shorebirds, then we highly recommend you head into Fort Pickens. In August, Red-eyed vireos and several warbler species begin to pass through the area, and while there are rarely guarantees in birding, Cerulean Warblers could pay us a visit in late-August. It is also a good time to locate the odd flycatcher or two, including a rare but semi-regular visitor to Ft. Pickens, the Olive-sided Flycatcher. This bird is easily distinguished by its preference for high open perches, its vested-looking breast, and its, “Quick, three beers!” call

To locate migratory woodland birds inside of Ft. Pickens, look to the many beautiful sand live oaks! A good place to begin is at the Florida Trail Battery Langdon Trailhead (Google Maps), the entrance of which is located across the street from Langdon Beach. There are several fine oaks at the back of the Battery, which are known for their warbler appeal.

Toward the end of August, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will begin to migrate through our area as well. If you are paying attention you could spy one feeding on the fall blooming plants. Be sure to keep not only an eye out for these little wonders, but also an ear, as they are often cantankerous and chattering to each other even during migration.

In September the floodgates will open as all birds that are going to migrate south feel the push to move. On the right winds, you could easily see 50+ species of migratory birds. Hummingbird numbers peak in September, while warbler numbers and variety have been at their peak for a week or so. If there are any shorebirds left to migrate, they too will be here.

We mustn’t forget to mention the birds that follow the migratory birds, the falcons! Keep an eye to the sky for Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, and American Kestrels.

As fall truly begins, at least according to the calendar, we begin looking for our first duck species. Historically, they arrive in late September and early October, however in recent years their numbers are lower and their arrival later and later. You could find Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, and scaup in the Gulf, and Bay, or if you are watching the gulf waters, you could see flocks of them flying past.

This is also the time to keep an eye out for sparrows. The areas between the small white buildings near the main fort are traditionally a good location for sparrows, but the wooded areas in the campground can also hide a few, including Chipping Sparrows, Field Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, and if you are lucky a Lark Sparrow.

October is known to the local birder as the best month to pick up a vagrant bird. Some of the vagrants seen at Ft. Pickens are Ash-throated Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, and the aforementioned Olive-sided Flycatcher. Though there is no telling what you could see, so be sure to check each bird closely!

What the reader should take from this is, there are no bad places for birding at Fort Pickens and Gulf Islands National Seashore, and there are certainly no bad times of the year to bird said areas. With over 330 species of birds recorded in Ft. Pickens alone, you are bound to add something to your life-list or your life experiences! So grab your bins and your hat, slap on some sunscreen, and take plenty of water and snacks, because before you know it, you will have whiled away the morning, the afternoon, or if you are very fortunate, the entire day.

Some practical tips for birding Ft. Pickens. If the area has experienced recent heavy rains, be sure to check the road conditions on the Gulf Islands National Seashore Facebook page. The road can sometimes be closed for a few days due to flooding during migration. Also, don’t forget to look down for snakes, which if the area has experienced a lot of rain, will be forced into areas where people traverse. To end on a lighter note, be sure to stop at the footbridge to look for the otters. Yes, otters can be seen in the canals of Ft. Pickens. See? You just never know what you’ll find when exploring Gulf Islands National Seashore!

Author

Brenda Callaway

A life-long resident of Pensacola, Brenda is an avid birder and amatuer nature photographer. She made the leap from backyard birdwatcher to birder in 2010 when she and her husband stumbled upon a rare Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher while walking the trails at Ft. Pickens. Since that time, she's taken on an active role in the Francis M. Weston Audubon Society, and traveled out-of-country as well as around the US in search of birds. She and her husband have also replanted her Cantonment yard in native plants for the birds. Brenda finds sharing her love of birding to be as rewarding as actually birding and has made many amazing friends in the birding community.

Your Pensacola Fall Guide to Birding

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Author

Brenda Callaway