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Posted by Susan Schneider on 09:52:07 11/23/06
The first treat was astronomical (in both senses). A little before 7 AM, I saw what appeared to be a meteor speeding at an incredible rate across a large portion of the sky from SE to NW, where it fizzled. This was just after sunrise; I've never seen a meteor in the daytime before. Wow! (I thought at first it might be a supersonic plane, but there was no sonic boom.) Possibly a late manifestation of the Leonid meteor shower?
My later morning walk began with a startled Loggerhead Shrike that trustingly returned only a few feet away to retrieve a bee it had caught. I can't get over how tame this species is here compared to everywhere else I've seen it.
A few blocks later a warbler-sized bird attracted my attention by flying into a clump of trees. Mine is not a neighborhood with Amazon parrots or macaws or lovebirds, just the usual exotics. So I was quite unprepared for a male Bishop! Gee whiz. Black head, red throat and breast, short tail--then it was gone and I could not relocate it. I guess anything is possible in Miami, and I see that Orange Bishops do occur. This appeared to be a Red Bishop, but I won't swear to it. The location was 17th St near 104th Av, near FIU.
Good birding and Happy Thanksgiving,
Susan
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