By Peter Kleinhenz

A great egret perches on the edge of the Wacissa River at the Aucilla WMA bioblitz. Photo by Emily Ellis.

What the heck is a bioblitz? A bioblitz consists of various teams made up of members of the public going out with taxonomic group experts to search for as much life as possible, within a set geographic area, within a set period of time. On May 6, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held just such a blitz at Aucilla Wildlife Management Area in Jefferson County.

Groups searched for birds, plants, reptiles/amphibians, and insects. The bird group was led by Apalachee Audubon members Budd Titlow, Don Morrow, Rob Williams, and Dana Bryant. They were joined by Scott Davis, a St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge ranger, who assisted with plant identification.

Bioblitz participants check out a butterfly captured by butterfly expert, Dean Jue, at the Aucilla WMA bioblitz. Photo by Andy Wraithmell

33 participants, ranging from 9-year-olds to grandparents, trekked on trails, forest roads, and through the forest in search of life. Each team surveyed for all taxonomic groups and had the opportunity to visit three different natural communities. Groups checked traps for turtles and cave invertebrates, paddled down the Wacissa River in search of birds, and netted butterflies feeding on roadside flowers. Life (including ticks) abounded.

Participants cataloged their finds using iNaturalist, as part of the Florida Nature Trackers program. This data will ultimately be shared with FWC biologists and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory in order for them to better understand, and conserve, the life found on the area.

Below is a list of the birds observed that day:

Wood Duck
Wild Turkey
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Swallow-tailed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Red-shouldered Hawk
Common Gallinule
Limpkin
Spotted Sandpiper
Common Ground-Dove
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Common Nighthawk
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Acadian Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
American Crow
Fish Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Purple Martin
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson’s Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Swainson’s Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Northern Parula
Pine Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal