Posted by Alex on February 03, 2003 at 12:45:51:
Today was much better than yesterdays adventure. I awoke knowing there was no school today, and did my daily procedure, as my little brother had to get to his school. At about 7:20: REEOOO, REEOOO, REEOOO...
AMAZONS! I grabbed my binoculars, and climbed up my wall, searching for them. They were far off, but were reaching me quickly. At about 30 feet up, they circled a tree, then landed on the telephone wires about 150 feet away. Foucusing my binoculars, they came into view. I saw them perched near 2 mourning doves. They're alot smaller than you think. I saw yellow cheeks, and a yellow forehead, with blue inbetween. Orange-winged Amazons. I watched them until my mom hurried me into the car.
At 8:00, at my dads house, I left on a 1 mile walk to my school St. Rose of Lima. Because the carnival was over there, I and almost all the rest of the 8th graders graders went. On the way I saw 24 white ibis catching lizards along where I was walking, spot-breasted oriole, 100+ white-winged parakeets, 2 monk parakeets, robins and cedar waxwings. I also heard a ruby-throated waxwing. At school, I saw a mixed flock of larger "psittacidkeets", red-masked, and maybe some miltreds. At 11 I was allowed to walk back home. Nothing out of the ordinary, and I watched a black vulture being chased by a mockingbird. I saw my first Miami Shores catbird. When under a couple fruiting ficus trees, I heard cracklings of berrys, and watched them fall around the tree. I had to see what was in there. I climbed up the tree, about 40 feet high: scary. I looked around, but the tree was way to thick. I had a good grip laying bellyfirst on a limb. I sw lots of moving, but I could'nt see anything. Just then, a deafening thunder of parrot calls all around me almost scared me off the tree. About 5 seconds later, I moved up the tree to a clearing in the tree. A vulture stormed past, and about 40 white-winged parrots, a couple red-masked, 10+ monks and 5 amazons flew off in the same directions. It was really neat.
When I realized they wer'nt coming back to the tree, I made my way back home. I saw a lone great egret chasing a cuban anole, with no prevale near a small park on 94th street. I made it home, and watched the parulas singing in my hammock. Good birding.