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Posted by Vince Lucas on 12:58:14 04/16/06
All:
Sorry for the late post. On Good Friday, 04/14/2006, I had the pleasure of guiding visiting Tallahassee birder Ed Woodruff to a few places in the Big Cypress National Preserve that he had never visited before, despite the fact that he lived in Naples from 1959-1961 and again from 1965 to 1968 or 69. I was enthralled by Ed's stories of what it was like living here in "sleepy" Naples during those years and I bet if you asked anyone still here who lived here during that time period, they'd most definitely say that they wished for a return of the "good 'ole days." But time waits for no man as the saying goes and change is inevitable. Too bad it isn't always for the better. . . .
Ed and I started our day bu traveling down US Rte 41 south of Naples. In the very few "sky ponds" that still held fresh water, we saw some waders (Great Blue, Little Blue & Tricolored Heron; Great and Snowy Egrets; Glossy & White Ibis as well as Mottled Ducks and both yellowlegs and one or two Black-necked Stilts. Our "best bird" was a sub-adult Bald Eagle sitting on one of the poles at an electrical substation -- high voltage "humming" having little effect on this bird.
Our real first stop, however, was at the Kirby Storter Boardwalk where the "usual" pair of Eastern Bluebirds greeted us from the parking lot at the head of the boardwalk. Great Crested Flycatchers were everywhere and were very vocal. Because of the severe drought Collier County is currently experiencing (620 out of a possible 800 on the drought index), there was little water in the slough at Kirby Storter. However, we did manage to find a small mixed flock of passerines which included many vocal Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and the usual Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens and calling (heard only) White-eyed Vireo and chattering Common Yellowthroats. Northern Flicker, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers were also seen. Ed saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (which I missed) as well as a possible Summer Tanager or Baltimore Oriole (which I only caught a brief nanosecond glimpse of.)
From Kirby Storter, we hit the Loop Road which winds through Collier, Monroe & Miami-Dade Counties. Within the first mile or so of entering this road, we found a small flock of warblers, etc. along the canal/ditch on the west side of the road where there was still some water and many, many basking alligators. The flock contained one bright American Redstart, two Black-throated Green Warblers, Palms and one beautiful Magnolia Warbler that, unfortunately, I was the only one to see. Gnatcatchers were still present as were many singing Northern Parula plus Gray Catbirds, White-eyed Vireos and the other "usual" suspects including vocal Red-shouldered Hawks. No Prothonotary Warblers were seen along the Collier County stretch of Loop Rd. nor at Sweetwater Strand, which was eerily nearly devoid of waders and other birds. We did see a couple of River Otters before they slid into the slough as well as fly-over Wood Storks. Green Heron was a nice sighting at Sweetwater. Both vultures, Common Grackles and several other common birds were all that were added to the day list.
Further along in Monroe County, we saw yet more Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Northern Parulas and one more American "Yellowstart." The rest of the Loop was uneventful save for the dozens of alligators everywhere and the Alligator Gar, Oscars (exotic), catfish, turtles, etc seen where there was standing water. Out at the Tree Snail Hammock Nature Trail in Pinecrest (across from the Loop Road Environmental Education Center) we talked to a couple of visiting birders, one of which was from Montana (can't remmeber where the other was from) who told us they saw a Magnolia Warbler on the trail and had a Northern Waterthrush and a Limpkin further east from where we were. We searched for the Maggie but to no avail. We did see a silent Great Crested Flycatcher that looked suspiciously like a Brown-crested Flycatcher, but try as we might, we just could not turn it into one. At least I couldn't.
By this time, we were in the heat of the day, and Ed wanted to try for the Snail Kites (lifer) before we headed back to Naples and he onto Alva, where he was staying with his brother. We made it to the old abandoned airboat place near the Everglades Tower Inn on the north side of US Rte 41 just as one Snail Kite flew by within 100 yards from us. It was being heavily dogged by grackles and blackbirds. Further out in the glades, another Snail KIte was hunting. There wasn't much else out there but Ed was quite happy to add a new lifer to his growing life list.
On the way back to naples, at the Francis Taylor W.M.A. (about a mile or so west from where we just left seeing the Snail Kites, we spotted two more SNKIs plying the glades. Their white rump patches were quite visible even at 45 miles an hour as we sped along the highway.
It wasn't the best day of birding I've had lately, but it wasn't the worst either. The all too good weather and lack of water definitely has had an effect on the birds. It has slowed down the migrants from stopping here in Collier County for sure. Recent high winds haven't helped the number of brush fires we've had either. One recent one, destroyed something like 360 acres in the Picayune Strand (South Golden gate Estates) which is part of the C.E.R.P. (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project). It was deliberately set by an arson it has been determined. And so it goes in Collier County.
Lastly, Ed mentioned to me that, since he was staying in Alva with his brother, he just had to stop at the feeders at Lois and Leon White's property on Pearl Road across from the Alva Post Office. The White's welcome birders any time and have great birds that come to their feeders all winter long. Unfortunately, as of today, the White's returned to Michigan for the summer. Ed was fortunate to see beautifully breeding-plumaged Indigo Buntings as well as several Painted Buntings (including males), White-winged Dove and Ruby-throated Hummingbird ias well as other birds in the White's yard. Good for you Ed. The White's are Caloosa Bird Club members and are extremely gracious folks as anyone who ever has been to their house to see the birds will tell you.
Note to Ed: thanks buddy for sharing your stories of how it used to be here in Naples. I hope you had a good time birding here. If I missed anything from our trip list, feel free to add the missing birds. Come back again!
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