St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge, FL

 Through the haze of controlled burns, we arrived at St. Mark's NWR early on March 2nd. Clouds and smoke, yes, but the weather brightened by mid-day. We birded the Lighthouse pond, along the road, and various ponds and marshes. 

Most are easily accessible by car. Migratory waterfowl was the main show as was the mating rituals of the Common Gallinule.

Here is a sampling of what we saw:

Lots of Boat-tailed Grackles.

Green-winged Teal:

Greater Yellowlegs:

Osprey:

 Willet:

Tricolor Heron:

Savannah Sparrow:

Common Gallinule (territorial dispute):

Common Gallinule (breeding):

American Alligator: