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Posted by Rick Schofield on 14:40:06 10/30/14
Wednesday's first weekly walk of the season started an hour earlier than is the regular case. We met at 6:30 am in the boat launch parking lot at the end of Lee Rd so we could witness the morning fly-out. For those unfamiliar with the term, a fly-out is when all the birds that have roosted in the interior of the refuge all leave for their daily adventures. (A fly-in is the opposite -- when they all return for the night.)
We try to have two fly-outs each season -- on the first and last Wednesday of Daylight Savings Time. Sometimes the sight is spectacular, other times not so much. This fly-out fell more in the latter category -- not a total bust but not that great either.
The birds tend to come out in waves by species: first, the Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets; next, the Little Blue and Tricolored Herons along with the Snowy Egrets (totally missing this time); this time the masses of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common and Boat-tailed Grackles were a little late as they are quite often the first things out; and, lastly, the White and Glossy Ibises flood out by the hundreds and hundreds. Scattered in are a smattering of Black-crowned Night-herons. Some times we have Snail Kites and Caspian Terns but not this time.
While waiting for each wave to appear, we had good glimpses of 2 male Painted Buntings, a House Wren, an Eastern Phoebe (or two), several Limpkins, 3 Red-shouldered Hawks (one loner on our side of the C-40 canal and the other two playing/fighting on the far side of the canal), and a small flock of Blue-winged Teal. And, for whatever reason, several Pileated Woodpeckers flew east into the refuge while all the other birds were coming out. (One of our long-standing birders -- not yet present -- has always wondered why the Pileateds go the opposite direction from all the others.)
The mosquitoes were a pain but not insufferable. And the Fresh Market crispy cookies were quite a hit!
We called an end to the fly-out and made our way back to the Marsh Trail parking lot where another regular, Sue, was going to find the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher that she had seen the prior weekend. We didn't initially find it but did have at least one Yellow-throated Warbler, a lone Palm Warbler, two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and a mystery bird. We decided to check out the Visitor Center when there were calls to come see the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher that had since arrived. We all had good looks at it with binoculars and scopes. It is probably a juvenile -- light colors and short (but forked) tail.
We walked over to the Visitor Center but found little there. (Wild grapes were high up in a Cypress though.)
Some people left at this point but some others stayed around and walked back to the Marsh Trail parking lot where we discovered yet another Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched not-too-far from the original bird. And this one was hanging out with a Western Kingbird. These three birds were new to me at Loxahatchee, which I've been birding for roughly 10 years.
So, a day that started out and remained pretty quiet turned out not so bad.
The regular weekly Wednesday birdwalks at Loxahatchee NWR continue through the end of April. We meet at 7:30 am in the Marsh Trail parking lot. There is a $5/car entrance fee if you don't have a National Parks Service or annual Loxahatchee pass.
It's nice to be back in South Florida. I hope to meet up with many of you over the next 6 months.
Rick
Loxahatchee NWR--Marsh Trail, Palm Beach, US-FL
Oct 29, 2014 6:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Weekly Wednesday morning birdwalk, Marsh Trail, Loxahatchee NWR, Boynton Beach, Florida. 11 birders. Rick Schofield, leader.
44 species
Blue-winged Teal 6
Wood Stork 1
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill 1 (flyover)
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 4
Common Gallinule
Limpkin
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Mourning Dove 3
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel 1
Eastern Phoebe
Western Kingbird 1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 2
Blue Jay
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Common Yellowthroat
Palm Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S20371909
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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