FORT PIERCE AREA 



A drive across South Bridge to the inlet and ocean, with 

 stops en route, will usually produce a variety of the larger 

 waders, shore birds, gulls, and terps. Common Loons and 

 Horned Grebes are fairly regular in winter. Magnificent 

 Frigatebirds can frequently be seen, especially when fish 

 are running, and thousands of pelicans, cormorants, and 

 other birds, are feeding. A similar short trip over North 

 Bridge is recommended. In bad weather, when few people 

 are about. North Beach is a favorite resting place for gulls 

 and terns. Watch for a few Sandwich Terns among the 

 large numbers of commoner species. 



SAMUEL A. GRIMES 



The Carolina Wren is one of the most vociferous of its family, 

 and nests regularly about buildings and in unexpected places. 



In the southwestern part of Fort Pierce, north of Virginia 

 Avenue, and between South 23 rd and South 25 th Streets, 

 there is an ojjen woods, the home of the Hairy Woodpecker, 

 Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, Bachman's Spar- 

 row, and other birds. 



Indian River Drive, south of Fort Pierce, overlooks the 

 Indian River from the top of a rather high bank. Watch 

 for places to park safely in order to scan the shore, sand 

 bars, and mud flats for waders, large and small. The brushy 

 banks and wooded lots harbor many land birds. 



Five miles south of the center of town, Midway Road 

 runs inland. About three-fourths of a mile west of the 

 river, just before Midway Road angles left, there is a 

 place to stop while you walk a short distance to the top 

 of a dike overlooking the savannah. Look for Pied-billed 

 Grebes, large waders (including both bitterns). King Rails, 

 and an occasional Limpkin. 



Because many of the best localities are under private 

 ownership, the visiting birder should also consult the tele- 

 phone book and get in touch with the following "Audu- 

 bonites" and like-minded people: Mrs. Sawyer Lennard, 

 Mrs. Horace Vick, Sam Hardwick, Mrs. Nick Pantelidis, 

 and the. undersigned. 



Lyle S. Hubbard 



ST. AUGUSTINE 



BEST BIRDING AREAS— Travelers coming into St. 

 Augustine locale will find such birds as guUs, terns, 

 curlews, plovers, and turnstones by driving along Highway 

 Al A into the Vilano Beach area where the ocean is readily 

 seen from the road. Passing through St. Augustine over 

 the Bridge of Lions, Highway AlA continues on south 

 to Anastasia State Park where many species of land and 

 shore birds are seen. Some are: Red-winged Blackbird, 

 Blue Jay, Cardinal, several sparrow species. Ground Dove, 

 Little Blue Heron, American Egret, pelicans, sandpipers, 

 and loons. Continue on the road to the site of Fort Ma- 

 tanzas — ^numerous birds here — and then drive on south to 

 Marineland area. Just south of the site, on the west side 

 of the highway one can usually find Scrub Jays perched 

 on low shrubs. 



J. Evelyn Braddock 



STUART AREA 



Driving south from Ft. Pierce, Route AlA runs along 

 the Indian River and one may catch sight of various water 

 birds. At the edge of the town of Jensen Beach, near 

 the old bridge, are mud and sand flats and low islands 

 where there are many shore birds, including Black-bellied 

 Plover, Semipalmated Plover, and Spotted Sandpiper. There 

 are also Red-breasted Mergansers in this area. Both shore 

 birds and mergansers are absent in summer. 



SAMUEU A. GRIMES 



Th« Black Skimmer has an unusual bill in which the maxilla 

 is only two-thirds the length of the mandible. This enables the 

 bird to feed by skimming over the water and dipping the mandible. 



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