Posted by Paul Bithorn on February 02, 2003 at 13:59:08:
The Tropical Audubon Field Trip to the Archbold Biological Station on Saturday, February 1, 2003, led by Todd and Ellen Snow, was nicest fine. The weather was beautiful with the temperature in the 60's and a soothing breeze.
On the drive out we saw a couple of Brown Pelicans along the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County, the first of many that we would see inland the rest of the day. Two Snail Kites were seen from I-75 hunting for Pomacea paludosas in Conservation Area 2A west of Markham Park in Broward County.
We were witness to the spectacle of an adult Bald Eagle stealing a fish from an outmatched Osprey along US 27 in Hendry County. A quick stop at John Stretch Park produced a dozen Caspian Terns loafing in a field with Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls and a Wilson's Snipe feeding voraciously in a shallow ditch.
The Belle Glades Campground gave us a fleetng glimpse of the Vermillion Flycatcher being seen there as well as Purple Gallinule, Indigo Bunting and Swamp Sparrow.
Detjens Dairy and Shepard Road harbored Sandhill Cranes, Florida Scrub Jay Tufted Titmice, Eastern Towhee and scads of lemon-yellow Pine Warblers grazing in the pastures.
Archbold offered close up and personal views of Florida Scrub Jays, their colorful bands making us mindful of Dr.Glen Woolfenden's life-work studying our only endemic bird species. They approached us within arms distance along the beautiful xeric scrub nature trail.White-tailed Deer and Armadillo were also seen within the confines of the station, but the highlight was the hundreds of American Robins that carpeted the ground. Woodpeckers were scarce as only Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers would be the days find.
A quick jaunt to Rainey Slough offered hundreds of waders with Wood Storks and hundreds upon hundreds of White Ibis being the showstoppers.
A pond east of US 27 between Palmdale and Moorehaven had half a dozen American Wigeon and a lone Ring-necked Duck. A brief jaunt in Clewiston to the levee that encircles Lake Okeechobee was worth the stop as a Limpkin fed in the canal to the west of the levee.
All in all a great day of birding, as we tallied a total of 88 species in one of my favorite places to bird in this great state of ours. Just as Dave Godwin reported earlier, regarding his trip to Myaka State Park, we also saw no American Coots. Oddly enough, Pied-billed Grebes were also conspicuous in theor absence. Life is good..................
knowing that 7 brave astronauts that had the "right stuff" were willing to risk their lives to make America the great country it is.