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Posted by Vince Lucas on 20:36:27 04/16/07
All:
I had the afternoon off so I decided to go in search of some Collier County birds to add to my Collier County Big Year list. I started out by stopping at Eagle Lakes Community Park in Naples, first going to the western most impoundment nearest the Whistler's Cove Apartments. I found a White-rumped Sandpiper among the few dozen Least Sandpipers. Ka-ching! Nothing else of note at that impoundment. Afterward, I went down to the "main" impoundment -- the one with the gazebo, straight out from the parking lot. There I ran into visiting Illinois birder Brian Herriott who was looking for Shiny Cowbirds among the Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles. After about a half-hour of searching, we finally found a stunning male Shiny that perched-up on a Bald Cypress for us and we had crippling scope views of it. For me, it was the first Shiny Cowbird I'd seen in Collier County in over four years. Ka-ching! We scoped out the shorebirds and others in this impoundment and managed to find 2-3 Stilt Sandpipers (ka-ching!) as well as several Long-billed Dowitchers, Lesser Yellowlegs and Black-necked Stilts. Also of note, there were two American White Pelicans resting on a small islet in the impoundment and a few Brown Pelicans were flying around as well. Other birds present: one Black Skimmer, one Mallard (feral), >12 Mottled Ducks, an equal number of Blue-winged Teal, plus all of the "usual" waders, etc. I had hoped for some migrant Bobolinks but no luck.
Afterward, I drove down to the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk with visions of trees dripping with migrating warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, etc. etc. No such luck! The place was as dead as I've ever seen it. NOT ONE WARBLER OF ANY KIND! Outside of a few Barn Swallows I saw from the parking area along US Rte. 41, I didn't see any migrants. The eagles have fledged and were busy flying around above the boardwalk screeching. I heard several Tufted Titmouse(s), Great Crested Flycatchers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a waterthrush species and saw a Red-shouldered Hawk, both vultures and a few waders but that was it.
Oh well, adding three new county birds to my Collier County Big Year list was a nice way to spend the afternoon! And for anyone keeping score, my CCBY list total now stands at 172 species.
I almost forgot, this morning after taking my friend to the dialysis center, I was driving by the North Naples Waste Water Treatment Plant on Goodlette-Frank Road and on the sound side of the bridge, I saw a flock of about 75 Cedar Waxwings eating the fruit of some sort of exotic tree. I wish I could ID that tree! Underneath the tree and along a weedy dry swale, I saw over a half-dozen brilliantly blue-colored Indigo Buntings. Nice to see that they are still here.
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