Whip-poor-wills arrive in the first half of the month.
Wintering sparrows begin to head north; the White-throated are usually the last to go.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks arrive at inland breeding sites.
Painted Buntings begin to arrive late in the month.
Spring migration brings the American Redstart, Ovenbird, Indigo Bunting, Baltimore and Orchard Oriole, Red-eyed Vireo early in the month and the Yellow Warbler, Rose-breasted and Blue Grosbeak later.
Mature male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks arrive about three days before the females. First year males usually arrive last.
Indigo Buntings arrive.
Lyrids meteor shower, late-April.
Earth Day, April 22.
From Our Friends at UF IFAS
Birds
• Sooty Turns take over Dry Tortugas for nesting. • Bobwhite quail nest now through September. • Migrant warblers concentrate on coasts after cold fronts. • Watch for hummingbirds feeding on blooms of columbine, buckeye, and others. • Grosbeaks, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and thrashers begin returning to North America
Mammals
• Black bears begin moving after winter's inactivity. • Long-tailed weasels, minks, and river otters will be born April through May. • Endangered Gray Bats return to Florida caves to raise young. • Manatees move up the Wakulla and St. Marks rivers Amphibians • Pine barrens treefrogs begin calling.
Reptiles
• Most Florida snakes begin mating rituals. • Beginning of Sea Turtle nesting season on Florida beaches. • Alligators begin moving about, seeking new territories and mates
Fish
• Largemouth Bass move into shallow water in Lake Talquin. • The cobia migration is in full swing in the Panhandle Insects • Plant extra parsley for black swallowtail butterfly larvae to eat.
Plants
• Blooming wildflowers and pitcher plants blanket the wet savannahs of the Apalachicola National Forest
