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Posted by Paul Bithorn on 21:19:58 02/20/07
Brian Rapoza and I decided that the President s Day weekend was a golden opportunity to attempt to pick up some Florida rare birds for our state lists. Brian s wish list was Hammond s Flycatcher, Horned Lark and Western Meadowlark and my list was the same with the addition of my latest nemesis bird - Fox Sparrow. Sixteen hundred miles later, we ticked off two of the rarities.
Leaving the warmer climes of South Florida at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 17, 2007 we made a beeline for Hal Scott Nature Preserve in Orange County to seek out the primordial swamp where the Hammond s Flycatcher was being seen since Sunday, January 28th. We met up with Bob Paxson from Merritt Island, Colin Gjervold from Tampa and our dear friend Linda McCandless from West Palm Beach. Around 9:00 a.m. Colin located the bird east of the bridge and we struggled to get better looks as it foraged for insects along the Econlockhatchee River floodplain. I decided to perch on an uprooted tree stump facing the only citrus tree in the forest and softly spish. I saw a moving shadow cast itself on the road, spun around and the flycatcher was right in front of me. I immediately called the rest of the group over and we enjoyed crippling looks of this very social flycatcher for a good 45 minutes. When loading my cooler earlier in the morning, I had located an Amstel Light buried in the back of the fridge, which would serve as my celebratory libation for my 413th Florida bird and I think Brian s 406th.
We headed for Tallahassee with a short stop at Chapman s Pond in Gainesville, where Ruddy Ducks, Blue-winged Teal and a single female Bufflehead, along with several Bonaparte s Gulls made for a nice stop.
We had enough light left to bird a few spots along the west side of Lake Jackson, including Indian Mounds, Crowder Road Landing, and Faulk Landing, where Purple Martin and White-throated Sparrow were our best birds. After a couple of Yuenglings at the Salty Dog and good nights sleep at my brother Michael Jon s house in Harbinwood Estates, we were back on the road at 5:30 a.m. in search of the Horned Larks that Andy Bankert found in Jackson County on Sunday, January 14th. We flushed an American Woodcock from the side of the road on the drive up and turned around in time to hear it peent.
Sustained, frigid winds of twenty mph made for an arctic-like morning scanning the fields around Auxiliary Field # 3. American Pipits, Eastern Meadowlarks, Savannah, White-throated, Song, Chipping and Vesper Sparrows were seen, but much to our frozen chagrin-no Horned Larks or Fox Sparrow, which was seen by David Simpson and others in the area. It was cold enough that I considered puttin on a pair of jeans. Note to self Bring gloves next time.
On Sunday morning we made the long drive to L.A. (Lower Alabama) north of Pensacola in Escambia County in search of Western Meadowlarks. We studied the taped songs of of both meadowlarks on the drive out. We used Bob Landry s recent report as a guide and soon found a dozen meadowlarks in a grassy field on the north side of the dirt road between a single-family home and the home with the red roof. We soon heard the warbling song of the Western and began to study several adults in both nonbreeding and breeding plumages. We looked up the ruts in the field with our scopes but the birds were hidden in the grass, giving us half-grassed looks. I saw a breeding plumaged bird fly across the road into some short grass and got a good look at the flanks, which were spotted as opposed to the Eastern s streaked pattern. As luck would have it, we heard a Western in full song and located it in the large bare tree in front of the house closest to the road. We had scope views of the bird singing its heart out. It was then joined in the tree by seven other meadowlarks giving us great looks for comparison. The birds flew out and a single bird flew in from the east. It too sang and again the spots were well seen. Both Western s we saw were in breeding plumage. I can guarantee you one thing - we will never look at a meadowlark quite the same! Several Brewer s Blackbirds were seen feeding around the cattle at the nearby dairy farm. Only the second time I ve seen this bird in Florida the first being seen in Holiday a few mango seasons ago. The Western Meadowlark was a lifer for me and state bird # 414 and I think Brian s 407th. A Miller Lite was all I had to celebrate with, but it was ice cold. Second note to self: Bring gloves next time.
Monday morning, after defrosting the windshield, we headed to Lake Talquin State Recreation Area to look for Fox Sparrows. We searched a large sparrow field and kicked up several Field Sparrows but no Fox. I have never seen so many Hermit Thrushes in one place. We then headed home but the lure of O Leno State Park pulled us in to search for my nemesis bird, but once again to no avail. I almost expected a family of Hobbits to greet us along the trail in this beautiful cypress swamp. The ol blood pressure did surge a bit when we heard a bird scratching in the leafy under-story only to discover a female Eastern Towhee of the Florida (alleni) race. Again Hermit Thrushes were everywhere definitely an irruption year.
No worse for wear we arrived back in Miami at 7:00 p.m. Life is good birding with my good friend Brian and birding areas that will be featured in his soon to be published Falcon Guide to birding in Florida.
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