Arachnophobia At Sabine Woods

Thursday afternoon I drove out to Sabine Woods to take my mind off work (and the big troubles I'm having there). The lantana and turk's cap were still blooming, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were abundant. Dragonflies were also swarming over the sanctuary, and I saw an unfortunate few caught in the webs of giant garden spiders. These spiders were HUGE. Their webs were everywhere, and multiple spiders clung to some of them. It was no place for someone with arachnophobia.

There were plenty of passerine migrants around. Because of all the spiders and mosquitoes I didn't go into the woods, and only birded from the roadside and the large clearing near the entrance. I saw 3-4 White-eyed Vireos, a Brown Thrasher, an American Redstart, a Northern Parula, 2 Summer Tanagers, a Blue Grosbeak, and several Indigo Buntings. A Great Kiskadee was heard but remained unseen near the entrance to the sanctuary - probably the same one reported here off and on since July.

The weather has been pleasantly warm and dry in recent weeks. The remnants of Tropial Storm Ivan (formerly Hurricane Ivan) dropped a little rain on us, but not as much as predicted.