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Posted by Alex Harper on 15:22:19 02/28/15
Six birders joined Elsa Alvear and our fearless captain, Shane, on a winter offshore bird survey in Biscayne National Park. Before meeting the rest of the group, Carlos Sanchez and I would bird the Convoy Point parking lot. We departed at 8:00 and spotted some shorebirds and terns on the way out:
Biscayne NP, Miami-Dade, US-FL
Feb 27, 2015 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Includes birds along rock jetty on the way out to Elliott Key.
27 species
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 43
Anhinga 1
Brown Pelican 2
Great Egret 1
Roseate Spoonbill 1
Turkey Vulture 13
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Least Sandpiper 33
Laughing Gull 33
Ring-billed Gull 4
Herring Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Caspian Tern 5
Royal Tern 4
Black Skimmer 1
Mourning Dove 4
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 7
American Redstart 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Common Grackle 3
Boat-tailed Grackle 1
We bee-lined for Pacific Reef Light to look for Brown, Masked, and Red-footed Boobies before turning north to Fowey Rocks Light. From Fowey, we turned back south and followed a sargassum line towards Elliott Key for shorebirds and passerines. We made it back to Convoy Point around 3:00 pm.
Feb 27, 2015 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
20.0 mile(s)
14 species
Magnificent Frigatebird 12
Brown Booby 38 A handful of adults with clean demarcation between white undersides and deep brown neck, back, and tail. Most individuals were entirely dark brown. Significantly smaller than the other common sulid (Northern Gannet), slightly smaller and much more streamlined than neighboring Double-crested Cormorants. Nearly all individuals were perched on either of two lighthouses (Pacific Reef or Fowey Rocks).
Northern Gannet 18
Double-crested Cormorant 60
Brown Pelican 17
Osprey 1
Laughing Gull 8
Herring Gull 3
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Royal Tern 8
Peregrine Falcon 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 5
Biscayne NP--Elliott Key, Miami-Dade, US-FL
Feb 27, 2015 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.2 mile(s)
26 species
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Brown Pelican 1
Turkey Vulture 6
Osprey 2
Black-bellied Plover 30
Semipalmated Plover 168
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Ruddy Turnstone 7
Sanderling 128
Dunlin 3
Least Sandpiper 118
Short-billed Dowitcher 16
Ring-billed Gull 13
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Royal Tern 8
Black Skimmer 1
White-crowned Pigeon 1
Tree Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 2 Two individuals flying north over Elliott Key -- early migrants!
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Ovenbird 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Northern Parula 9
Both offshore lighthouses had groups of Brown Boobies, and there was even a Peregrine Falcon on Fowey that nearly grabbed a Laughing Gull. We would see a number of migrating passerines while on the boat. All were heading towards the mainland. While between lighthouses, we would see what was possibly a Masked Booby with five adult Northern Gannets. The birds were traveling quickly away from us, but the bird looked to be smaller and have had a white body with extensive black primaries.
Truly pelagic birds are a bit scarce offshore of Miami-Dade in the winter months, but data is data, and it turned out to be a rewarding day on the water with a good crew of people. Thanks again for Elsa Alvear and Biscayne National Park for putting this together.
Alex
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