Wall Springs Park

blue-winged teal

Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor is a sweet place, but I sort of wrote it off my bird watching list about a year ago, after a few ho-hum visits.  Well, that was a mistake.  Recently, a coworker mentioned she'd been watching a Great Horned Owl there over the course of several weeks, and I decided finally to find it for myself - and by find it, I mean asking my coworker she'd found it. 

In addition to being a pleasant place to walk around, Wall Springs is full of history.  It was originally owned by the Wall family, until, in 1927, they sold their property, and Wall Springs became Health Springs.  The spring was used as a health spa and bathing area up until the mid-60's. By then, the name had reverted back to Wall Springs. Between 1988 until 2009, Pinellas County aquired the property, totalling 210 acres, definitely a respectable size. The source of the spring is the Upper Florida Aquifer, and the spring waters maintains a balmy 74 degree temp. Swimming is no longer allowed, though, in order to maintain the ecosystem. The park is even connected to the Pinellas Trail, which makes for easy bike access.
 

red-breasted merganser

I dropped by one Saturday evening after work, with only my binoculars, thinking of the relaxing walk and potential owl sighting.  Of course, because I didn't have my camera, the first bird I saw was brand new to me.  Without a picture, I had to rely on my memory, and hope I'd recognize this duck when I got home and looked in the Stokes Guide to Eastern Birds, which I also didn't have with me.  Soon after seeing new duck number 1, new duck number 2 paddled by.  There were also several mallards in the spa/pond area, as well as gulls, 2 Little Blue Egrets, and a Tricolored Heron.  If you follow the sidewalk around the pond, you'll cross a bridge over Boggy Bayou, which is another opportunity to see birds - Great Egrets, White Ibis, and a Great Blue Heron this time. The sidewalk turns off to piers, which offer great views, but, if you continue towards the observation tower, you'll find the tree where the Great Horned Owl lives.  She's well camoflagued, but she's worth the effort.

great horned owl

After watching the owl, ear tufts gently blown by the breeze, giant yellow staring eyes, I turned back and headed towards the bridge.  On one side, there were two Snowy Egrets standing on driftwood, then, nearby, another bird unfamiliar to me. I was excited, hoping it was a Clapper Rail, since I've seen them in pictures, but never in person. I'd also recently read about Clapper Rail sightings in the area, so I stored that guy in my memory bank, along with the two new ducks.  SPOILER ALERT for the picture below!

juvenile black-crowned night heron

As excited as I was to go home and look up the birds I'd seen, I wasn't going to miss a gorgeous Florida sunset, looking out from the pier, taking in the breeze and the birds flying off to roost. Is there anything better?

another beautiful florida sunset

And with help from my bird guide,  I was able to identify the ducks and bird I'd seen: Blue-winged Teals, Red-breasted Mergansers, and a juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron.  So no Clapper Rail this time, but they're around. I know I'll see one sometime, and that's all that matters.  When it comes to my time in nature, I'm happy with whatever's on offer, and what I see almost always exceeds my expectations.  As for Wall Springs, I learned my lesson: don't give up on parks, because you never know when a ho-hum experience will turn into a great one.