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Posted by Vince Lucas on 22:20:36 04/28/07
Fifteen intrepid folks braved pea soup fog for much of the early morning -- the worst fog I've ever experienced in south Florida, to bird STA-5 today in Hendry County, south of Clewiston. Two rather unexpected species were added to the STA-5 checklist today, which now stands at 142: Red-breasted Merganser & Ruddy Turnstone. The latter was in full high-breeding plumage. Neither bird is what I'd call "common" for inland Florida, south of Lake Okeechobee. Also seen was the American Wigeon that was found a few weeks ago at STA-5. It was in the same general area and may be injured, although not evidently so.
Nothing of note was seen on our "usual" route to STA-5 from Naples via CR846 (Immokalee Rd.)-to CR833-to CR835-to Blumberg Rd.-to STA-5 due to the thick fog which reduced visibility to about 100 yards at most. It was rather spooky for the first half of the morning.
Here is the day list for STA-5 for 04/28/2007:
Fulvous Whistling-Duck 1
Wood Duck 2
American Wigeon 1
Mallard 1 (male and not feral)
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler 1
Ring-necked Duck 5
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Northern Bobwhite 1
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican 5
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Least Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron 6
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 3
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill 30
Wood Stork 1
Osprey 5
Snail Kite 3
Northern Harrier 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Peregrine Falcon 1
Purple Swamphen 12
Purple Gallinule 10
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Limpkin 3
Semipalmated Plover 1
Black-necked Stilt
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Least Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 50
Caspian Tern 6
Black Skimmer 150
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Common Nighthawk 20+
Loggerhead Shrike
Tree Swallow 125
Barn Swallow 3
Northern Mockingbird
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee (heard only along Blumberg Rd.)
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Bobolink 1 (male)
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Boat-tailed Grackle
On the return trip back to Naples, Alan Murray and I stopped at a small park in Collier County called Oil Well Park, which is located on S.R. 29, one mile south of Sunnyland Station. In the immediate vicinity of this park we heard Northern Bobwhite (#183 for my Collier County Big Year) and saw several Eastern Meadowlarks, two Sandhill Cranes, a subadult Bald Eagle and two Swallow-tailed Kites among other birds.
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