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Posted by Marcello Gomes on 22:42:17 03/25/15
Hi all,
Well I was going to wait a few days to spare you from reading another one of my posts but I have been literally cornered and questioned about some of my recent finds. Yes, I'm okay and not hurt:) Letting you know that reports have been filed on ebird under "Palm Beach" if you want to see detailed sightings. However, I can spare you with the more common birds and jump to some exciting ones.
Well, in one of my last posts I mentioned that the La Sagra's Flycatcher was at the Lantana Preserve -yes, that one I posted taking a sand bath. So, this past Saturday, I made a 30 minutes visit in hopes of seeing the bird again (I did not). Nonetheless, I met a fellow knowledgeable birder who was there to see the La Sagra and he said they had not seen the bird since the 20th of this month. He did mentioned that he had earlier spotted a Wood Thrush. I said: "Who needs the La Sagra's?" So there i went hunting for this uncommon bird in South Florida. I was able to get a sweet shot of it. Bird was on the ground when a Mockingbird chase it to a tree and that's where I got the shot.
Where's the La Sagra's you ask? Well, I have checked a few times recently and it is gone. There have been a pair of Great-crested over there and since this preserve is a pocket-size they may have bullied that La Sagra's right back to the Bahamas. I'm sure the Bahamians are happy to have their bird back:).
Fast forward a few days to precisely yesterday and I finally spotted one of those tough-to-find Swainson's Warbler at Spanish River. I have been thinking about this species for a long time and have searched for it without success. I was about to give up (you may have heard this line before but this is also true) and I was about to give up because the only thing jumping and moving on the ground dried up leaves were lizards. I stopped and gave one last look. I can't believe my luck! The bird was literally covered in a sea of dried up leaves and I did not see it even though it was very close to me. I managed a shot without a flash and I'm happy with it. I know the species have been reported many times in Miami and other locations in South Florida and Florida Keys but I have not heard any from Palm Beach county this year..yet. I did flush a Chuck-will's Widow twice on that same day at Spanish River.
As far as migration, we've had some more warblers popping up in different areas but mostly the early expected ones. The best is yet to come....
Happy birding to all,
Marcello
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