Posted by Paul Bithorn on January 12, 2003 at 09:23:51:
While on my way to Lucky Hammock, Saturday, January 11, 2002, I turned right off the of main road into Everglades National Park (SR-9336)onto S.W. 209th
Ave. in Floida City to look for flycatchers. Local birders refer to this area as Flynn's and the loop back to S.W. 212th Ave.is well described in the
third paragraph on Page 232 of Pranty's; A Birder's Guide to Florida.
Upon turning left on S.W. 212 Ave., I spotted one adult and two juvenile Scissor Tailed Flycatchers on the power lines on the east side of the road.
Just south of them on the wires was a solitary kingbird. I pulled directly across the road from the kingbird and noticed a sparkling white malar,
contrasting with the cap and breast. The head was a very dark gray with the breast being a shade paler. There were no white tail edges visible.With
Sibley and National Geo opened on the front seat, I was confident that I was looking at a Cassin's Kingbird. a species that has frequented this area off
and on over the past 10 years.
Hoping to stake out the bird for confirmation from my fellow birders, Robin Diaz and Liz Golden, who I knew were not far behind, all four flycatchers got up and flew south.It was 7:30 a.m., 20 minutes after sunrise and the lighting conditions were good with not a cloud in the sky.
The confirmation would come later in the day (4:30 p.m.), when after leaving E.N.P. I ran into Palm Beach County birders,Nancy Burke, Linda McCandless
and Leo Miller, who I had birded with earlier in the day, looking at a kingbird on the wire in the same location. As I walked up to their scope the
bird flew, but soon therefter,several other kingbirds and birders (Robin Diaz, Brian Rapoza & John Boyd) began to emerge. Five scopes were now fixated on four different kingbirds, confirming that one indeed was a
Cassin's. Further study showed a buffy tip on the bird's tail.
Birds seen in the morning at Lucky Hammock, included Brown-crested Flycatcher (behind the shed),Least Flycatcher (by others), Yellow-breasted Chat (eating Sumac berries in the open, and male and female Painted
Buntings.Later in the day three juvenile Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Peregrine Falcon and American Goldfinches were seen in the area south of the
hammock known as the Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area.Dove hunters were in the area by now, but did not seem to have an effect on the
birding.
Birds seen in the park were American Bittern on Anhinga Trail,Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and Hermit Thrush on Gumbo Limbo Trail, and Brown-headed Nuthatch(3),Eastern Bluebird and Pine Warblers on Research Road (Gate 2).A herd of thirteen White-tailed Deer(4 bucks)were also seen.
A celebratory libation of Foster's Lager capped a day chocked full of year-birds, beer-birds and a rarity to boot. Life is good........