My Quest for an RCW

7:15 I peek through the curtains. Sun won't be up for another 25 minutes. Palm fronds are scraping across the window. The winds up, not a good day for birding. Back to bed. An hour later, the sun shining through the window wakes me. Damn, I should be on the road already. This is the day to see an RCW. I may not pass this way again. I look out the window. The wind is still howling. There will be no birding today. Time for some coffee. I turn on CNN. They still haven't found that missing jet liner. I should be on my way to Unit 54...the Apalachicola National Forest, part of The Great Florida Birding Trail. I stall, another cup of Joe. Really, I should go. I look out the window. Whoa! The wind has dropped, the sun is peeking through the clouds. I must go. It's already 10:45.

11:02 I'm on my way. I make my way through Indian Pass, then Apalach, then Eastpoint, I turn north on SR 65, pass through Sumatra, which could tell a few stories. Finally, a little after noon I turn onto Forest Road 123. I should have been here three hours ago at least. This is not a good time to be searching for RCWs.

And then I see it, two trucks, kids in the back of one. Oh my, this is not good, I need peace and quiet, no disturbance of any kind. I slink into the pull-off beside one of the trucks. Three adults are munching on sandwiches. I power my window down. "I'm looking for woodpeckers," I drawl trying to sound chipper. The girl in the sunglasses, looking like a movie star with short cropped hair frosted in two tones, says, "You're in the right place, we're RCW biologists." If I wasn't already sitting, I would have fallen down. Are you kidding me. "My name's Sarah, this is Joel and that's Joe. We're checking on some red-cockaded woodpecker groups in this area. We call them RCWs for short. We don't even use the AOU abbreviation RCWO, just RCWs." Wow, from what was a dismal morning, my day is turning golden. My odds of seeing this endangered species has now become a real possibility.

The red-cockaded woodpecker has been listed endangered since the 1970s. It is found only in mature longleaf pine savannahs and most of this habitat has been cut and logged. However, here in the Apalachicola National Forest, biologists like Joel are micro managing this species in such a way that through banding of chicks they know each and every individual bird. And the species is thriving to the point where some birds are used in restocking programs through the southern States. It is very much a success story, which unfortunately is not being promoted as well as it could be.

Joel gives me directions to two areas nearby where I have an excellent chance of seeing an RCW. We exchange emails and I'm on my way. I stop at the first site. Turn off the engine. I walk carefully through the savannah being careful not to step on anything that would make noise. A number of mature pines have white rings painted on them. They each have a cavity. The RCW excavates a number of cavities but only uses one, the others are for roosting at night. Usually the one that is used secretes the most sap and resin which is a deterrent to tree-climbing snakes. Yikes! Sarah has told me that I will hear them first. They travel in small groups. Their call sounds similar to a squeaky toy played with by a dog. But all is quiet, eerily quiet. I move on to the next site. The same thing. Not a sound. I backtrack to where I met Sarah, Joel and Joe and drive slowly along the forest road.

Longleaf Pine Savannah - note trees with white rings

Pine cavity - note sap around entrance

Finally, I hear pecking. This is it. I scan the trees in the direction of the sound. Any second I will see my quarry. There it is. It's tucked behind a pine bough, difficult to see, but no doubt an RCW. It moves into view. I set my binoculars, focus. Oh no, that's not a red-cockaded, it's the far more common red-bellied woodpecker. My hopes are dashed. Okay, you want to play it that way...take this. I pull out my phone and go to my bird app. Let's play the call of an RCW and see how the red-bellied reacts. I play the squeaky toy. Boom. Seconds later, I'm surrounded by red-cockaded woodpeckers. They seem to have appeared in a puff of magicians smoke. One, two, three at least, probably more. I scan a long-leaf pine where I have seen them fly. And there it is. A woodpecker about the size of a Downy back home with a white cheek patch, diagnostic for the species. Then I see another one. Finally, I have three of them in my binocular view. Beautiful. I follow them a short ways through the savannah. I play their call on my app one more time and they come to me immediately to investigate. I get great views of the diminutive little guys. They are not gaudy like their cousins the red-headed or boisterous like flickers or the pileated, but in their own way they are a marvel of adaptation and evolution. And then they are gone. As suddenly as they had arrived they disappear. I stand there alone. I'm in awe. And I'm proud of the work the biologists do to protect this species. Somehow, the pine forest would not be genuine without it.

Two RCWs - note the diagnostic white cheek patch

Life's a Beach

I know, I know, the title of this post is about as cliche as they come. However, after a cool first week it's been nothing but sunshine and temps in the high teens and low 20s. Just about as good as it gets for the beach, birding and birdies. It's hard to believe we begin our last week on the Cape tomorrow. The last three weeks have blown by. I've managed to get in four games of golf, two at St. Joseph Bay and two at St. James Bay, three of those with Michael who joined us for seven days. A treat. We lost a few balls, however, we hit it pretty darn good for a five month lay-off. Oh yes, watch out for the gators.

Michael booms one!

One of my favourite things about traveling is always the people you meet and the new friends made. We've enjoyed our visits and exploring with Emmett and Pam Doiron, a great couple from Nova Scotia we met last year and who, like ourselves, enjoyed the dog friendly beaches (they have three) so much they decided to return this year. And Emmett loves to fish.

Another cast, another fish

A highlight for me was meeting David Jones from Boston on St. George Island. I had gone there in search of piping plovers and to see if I could find any that were banded. David just happens to be a kindred spirit with an eye and the tools for amazing bird photography. We were fortunate to find two groups of pipers, one group of four and a second group of seven. Of the 11, David was able to take close-up photographs that identified four full combinations of bands and one partial. He later identified a number of pipers on Dog Island and we have now determined that one bird was banded on the Great Lakes in 2008 and amazingly, another banded at Big Quill Lake, Saskatchewan in 2005. This bird has made the trek south nine times. You read right, NINE times. That is an incredible feat. To view more of David's wonderful photos go to his web site at www.pbase.com/clamflats.

The Group of Four

And my favourite local is The Tap Room in Apalachicola. A fine selection of craft beers from across the United States, good pub grub and a cool vibe. A must if you're in the area.

The Tap Room sandwich board

And last, Bobbie and Arnie have had a blast at the beach. No surprises there, Arnie's a Portuguese Water Dog for cryin' out loud.

Ken & Arnie lovin' the beach

Nashville Cats

Nashville, perhaps better known as Music City USA, is a very cool town. It's the music that makes it cool. Every bar and restaurant that we walked into, music was being played 'live' ... on a Tuesday ... at lunchtime! A young couple was kicking it out at Tootsies, three older veterans played old-time country at Legends Corner and another accomplished couple played at JB's restaurant Margaritaville while we ate our Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Tootsies Orchid Lounge

Like a giant outdoor mall the historic district is anchored at either end by state-of-the-art professional sports venues; Bridgestone Arena to the south, home of the NHL's Nashville Predators and LP Field to the north, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. In between stands the imposing Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame and a terrific collection of late 1800s and early 1900s buildings turned into bars, boutiques, record stores and restaurants.

Ryman Auditorium

Nashville Skyline
Cumberland River & LP Field (right)

If you love country music, even a little bit, I think you have to make the trek to Nashville at least once. It's a great scene.

Legends Corner - Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville Cats, play clean as country water 
Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew 
Nashville Cats, been playin' since they's babies 
Nashville Cats, get work before they're two 

Well, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two 
Guitar pickers in Nashville 
And they can pick more notes than the number of ants 
On a Tennessee anthill 
Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two 
Guitar cases in Nashville 
And anyone that unpacks his guitar can play 
Twice as better than I will 

- John Sebastian

KP

Hidden Gem on the Forgotten Coast

Every once in a while you have one of those days where everything just comes together. In this case, a magnificent golf course and a new friend. I had planned to drive the two and one half hours to Tallahassee to play the Fred Couples designed Southwood course, ranked #25 in "The Top Courses you can play in Florida" by Golf Magazine. However, golfers I met kept telling me, why don't you drive to Carrabelle, about 45 minutes east and play St. James Bay. Whoa! am I happy I took their advice. A great track.

I joined up with Don Scanlan (63) of Marriotts Cove, about an hour's drive south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. A retired financial advisor (hope his clients took his advice), it turned out we had a mutual friend in Larry Teetaert, whom I worked with at Parks for 30 years. Canada may be a big country, but it's a small world.

Don Scanlan on the 158-yard par 3, 11th

As the story goes, St. James Bay was developed by a Texas oil tycoon for his own playing pleasure. It was as if JR Ewing himself, had invited us to his private playground. We had the course to ourselves.

Ken blasts out of a bunker on #16 on route to a 'sandy'

St. James Bay was like no other course I have ever played. Built in a wetland and certified a Signature Sanctuary by Audubon International, the course is a maze of boardwalks to get over and around the swamps and gator ponds. It was like playing in a bird sanctuary with herons, egrets and cardinals at every turn. We played from the whites, which only measured 5439 yards, but don't let the length fool you; this was all target golf. You needed the precision of a surgeon. I managed to splash six balls, even though I played quite well. It was the most balls I can ever remember losing during a round.

For the record I shot 86 on nines of 39/47 with nine pars and one birdie. Thank you Don. Great day, see you on the 'Jimmy' next spring.

KP

She's as sweet as tupelo honey

With a wake-up temperature of +1C, it wasn't exactly a beach day. So we headed inland to the small community of Wewahitchka in search of Panhandle gold...tupelo honey. It didn't take us long to discover Smiley Apiaries.

Tupelo honey is produced from the White Tupelo tree that grows in the swampy terrain of the Apalachicola River Basin in Northwest Florida. Tupelo honey is world-famous for its distinctive flavour and because it does not crystallize like other honeys.

Ken & Bobbie with our Tupelo gold

We had a fascinating chat with the owner while his wife, we believe, filled bottles and packed boxes of the sweet stuff. For more information check their web site at www.FloridaTupeloHoney.com

It's also worth noting that Ulee's Gold (1997) starring Peter Fonda as a Florida beekeeper was filmed in the surrounding area. Peter picked up an Oscar nod for his performance, which some reviewers still feel is his best ever.

You can take all the tea in china 
Put it in a big brown bag for me 
Sail right around the seven oceans 
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea 
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey 
Shes an angel of the first degree 
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey 
Just like honey from the bee 
- Van Morrison

KP

Flounder Fishing on Florida's Forgotten Coast

Earlier in the trip I was invited out for a bit of fishin' by Clay Lewis. Clay (52) owns and operates CSB Rentals on Cape San Blas. He has kayaks and bikes to fit every budget and has over 25 years of knowledge and experience about the area. Call 770-289-8023. I rented a 'grannie' bike and it's a terrific way to explore the Cape.

Joining us on his pontoon boat were friends Gene (67) originally from Panama City and Hal Tarpley (28). Hal is a second generation owner and operator of Shore Thang Charters. This kid was a master, and if you love to fish, I would highly recommend checking him out if you're in the area. Go to www.shorethangfishing.com

Clay loads up the pontoon, Roxy looks on

(l-r) Clay, Gene, Roxy and Hal

To say we had a good outing would be an understatement. We were after Gulf Flounder. They make excellent table fare. Hal guided us to a sand bottomed area of St. Joseph Bay. There, they lie camouflaged in the sand waiting for prey, or my lure, to come near enough to strike. Hal gave us a quick lesson on bottom fishing with a jig and then told us to have at her. It did not take long before Gene had a couple of nice bites and we were away to the races. In the end we lost count, but came away with a dozen in the cooler of which, I'm proud to report, were two of mine.

Gulf Flounder on ice

We returned to Gene's place bay-side on Cape San Blas where Hal cleaned the flounder and Gene fired up his propane deep-fryer. What a feast! A huge thank you to Clay, Gene and Hal, a wonderful, wonderful day. I hope we can do it again next spring.

KP

Feeding Frenzy

Woke up this morning to this amazing scene.

Incoming!

The large white birds hitting the water like missiles are Northern Gannets. During their spring migration, they will follow the coastline of the Panhandle east, eventually crossing Florida and then follow the Atlantic coastline north to nesting islands like Bonaventure near Perce, Quebec. The gannet is the only northern member of the booby family. Along with the gannets were Common Loons, Brown Pelicans and an assortment of gulls and terns.

Cape San Blas Air Force

Not sure what all these expert fishers were catching. Someone on the beach suggested mullet. As good a guess as any...I guess.

KP