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Posted by Vince Lucas on 15:22:11 02/18/07
Here are the results from yesterday's STA-5 tour in Hendry County. Thanks again to Margaret England and the Hendry-Glades Aububon Society for all of the liaison work with the SFWMD to make these tours possible. Thanks also to my friend Alan Murray who helps me lead these tours. Yesterday's tour had 105 participants -- a new record. All involved saw some great birds and had only superlatives to say about how the tour was organized, the leadership and the birds seen. Here is my report, which I believe Margaret will report to the GBBC (at least the birds seen at STA-5), since the tour fell in line with the dates of the GBBC:
Pre-trip Report from Naples via CR846 to CR833 to CR835 to Blumberg Rd. to STA-5: Alan Murray and I left Naples with temperatures around the 40 degree mark but it was quite evident to us that it was much colder in inland Collier and Hendry Counties as witnessed by the frost that was on the ground in those inland areas. Suffice it to say that it was C-O-L-D! We did see a huge flock of perhaps 100+ Cedar Waxwings gorging themselves on Brazilian Peppers along CR846 east of Immokalee. We also saw 6 Wild Turkeys on this road as well. Crested Caracaras numbered about 4-5 along this route. At the L-1 Canal, about two miles west of Blumberg Rd. on CR835, we saw 18 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and at least one Black-crowned Night-Heron. This is the best place that I know of to see these species "bill-to-bill" in southwest Florida.
STA-5 (including Blumberg Rd.) Tour Report. Estimates are extremely conservative:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 20
Fulvous Whistling-Duck 50
Mottled Duck 12
Blue-winged Teal 400
Northern Shoveler 50
Green-winged Teal 6
Ring-necked Duck 50
Lesser Scaup 6
Ruddy Duck 4
Pied-billed Grebe 50
American White Pelican 100
Double-crested Cormorant 200
Anhinga 300
American Bittern 3
Great Blue Heron 25
Great Egret 75
Snowy Egret 75
Little Blue Heron 25
Tricolored Heron 50
Cattle Egret 200
Green Heron 15
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
White Ibis 25
Glossy Ibis 25
Roseate Spoonbill 20
Wood Stork 10
Black Vulture 200
Turkey Vulture 150
Osprey 4
Snail Kite 3
Northern Harrier 30
Cooper's Hawk X
Red-shouldered Hawk 6
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Crested Caracara 2
American Kestrel 15
Peregrine Falcon 1
King Rail X
Sora 2
Purple Swamphen 40
Purple Gallinule 2
Common Moorhen 1000
American Coot 25000
Limpkin 1
Sandhill Crane X
Killdeer 30
Greater Yellowlegs 100
Lesser Yellowlegs 1000
Least Sandpiper 10
Long-billed Dowitcher 30
Wilson's Snipe 3
Caspian Tern 3
Royal Tern 1
Black Skimmer 30
Mourning Dove 10
Common Ground-Dove 4
Barn Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 10
Eastern Phoebe 2
Loggerhead Shrike 4
Tree Swallow 5000
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 500
Cave Swallow 8
Barn Swallow 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 6
European Starling 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 7500
Palm Warbler 25
Northern Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat 10
Savannah Sparrow 10
Red-winged Blackbird 500
Eastern Meadowlark 4
Common Grackle 15
Boat-tailed Grackle 200
A few notes. The Cave Swallows (as well as all of the other swallows present), were extremely co-operative early in the morning when insect life was pretty much non-existent due to the cold. The swallows would perch on weeds and even on the impoundment roads affording great views as well as ample opportunities for photography. Do to some outstanding photos taken by several participants, we have finally nailed down the identity (to race) of the Cave Swallows of which there were at least 8 seen. All are of the Mexican race. The Royal Tern was unexpected this far inland and is a new addition to the STA-5 checklist. The Northern Waterthrush was only the second time we've recorded this species at STA-5. The first was last year along the canal that borders Blumberg Rd. We saw what was probably the same banded Roseate Spoonbill that was reported several weeks ago from STA-5. It had the reddish band indicating that it was originally banded at the Rich Paul Alafia Banks Sanctuary near Tampa. The Barn Owl was seen by several of us, including a group from the Peace River Audubon Society (Charlotte County) at an old dilapidated aluminum structure along Blumber Rd. on the way back to CR835 after the tour.
Post Tour Report: At Canon Hammock Park, several miles to the west of the intersection of Blumberg Rd. & CR835, we found Prairie Warbler, Pine Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (heard only) in addition to the usual Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers, Carolina Wren (heard only), etc. On CR833, north of the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, we saw an obliging Limpkin in a tree and a few miles further west on CR833 we all had our FOTS Swallow-tailed Kite. Nice to see them back! A stop along CR858 just south of the intersection of CR846 & CR858 (along CR858) netted us only one Western Kingbird. We were unable to find any Scissor-tailed Flycatchers nor the female Vermilion Flycatcher. I'm sure that they are still around, however. Alan saw a Brown Thrasher and I found four Sandhill Cranes on the Collier County side of the road. We also found a Swamp Sparrow on Oil Well Rd. which is the other name for the east-west stretch of CR858, west of the Hendry County Correctional Facility.
All in all, another great day of birding in southwest Florida.
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