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Posted by Vince Lucas on 21:41:54 06/30/07
All:
If you were a fish, STA-5 was not the place to be today as there were literally 1000's of nearly every "white" wader, save for the white morph of Reddish Egret, feasting on them in the northeast cell that we normally bird at STA-5 (Storm Treatment Area #5), south of Clewiston in Hendry County. It was an awesome spectacle to see so many white waders, including 75-100 American White Pelicans (one was color-tagged), Snowy & Great Egrets, White Ibis plus immature Blue Herons and a few nearby Cattle Egrets all "ganging up" on these fish in the remaining pools of the rapidly drying cell, especially on the east side of it. Add well over 100 hormonal American Alligators nearly overlapping each other in quest of food or sex or both and you have a truly memorable sight. Of course the 50+ Roseate Spoonbills and myriad Glossy Ibis, Great Blue & Tricolored Herons that were also getting in on the bonanza was also delightful to behold. . . .
With regard to the American White Pelicans, I have never seen that many birds in summer in south Florida. Virtually all were immatures. Can anyone explain why all of theses birds did not migrate? My guess is an abundance of food i.e. fish at STA-5. Feel free to chime in with your theory. As mentioned, eagle-eyed Alan Murray found one of the American White Pelicans with bright yellow wing-tag. I got a split-second look at the number on the tag and I believe it read "12" or possibly "L2" but I think the former is probably more correct. Does anyone know where I might find out who tagged this individual and where it was tagged? Please advise.
Nine of us braved the scorching heat and biting flies (we're talking Biblical proportions here) and saw several "unexpected" species at STA-5 today. One was an American Wigeon. Undoubtedly, this bird was a hunting casualty from earlier in the year as we've now seen this bird on every occasion, except during May, since January of this year. The other unexpected species were a pair of Ring-necked Ducks.
Before I list all of the 51 species of birds seen today at STA-5, I want to make an observation. Common Nighthawks are rather, well, "common" along Blumberg Road leading to STA-5, where they generally rest on the electrical/telephone wires. Usually, at least in Spring, when they first arrive, they will sit "lengthwise" i.e. parallel to the wires. Both Alan Murray & I noticed that on hot days, like today, they generally sit "perpendicular" to the wires. My guess is that they do this because they may be dissipating heat by minimizing the contact they have with the wires. In other words, more air flowing around their bodies may act as a cooling agent, especially if there is a breeze. Feel free to chime in on this one too.
Here is the bird list for STA-5 for Saturday, June 30, 2007:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 4
Wood Duck -7
American Wigeon - 1
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal - 13
Ring-necked Duck - 2
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican 75-100
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Least Bittern - 5
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill - 50+ (one banded with an orange/red band)
Wood Stork - 50+
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-shouldered Hawk
King Rail - 1 (Photographed by Margaret England as the bird stood on Blumberg Road, fawning a "broken-wing" -- something I've never heard of in rails before.)
Purple Swamphen
Purple Gallinule - 10+
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Limpkin - 6
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Caspian Tern - 2
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Common Nighthawk
Loggerhead Shrike
Northern Mockingbird
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee - male singing on territory along Blumberg Road
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Thanks goes to the indefatigable Margaret England for working so hard to make these tours at STA-5 possible. The next tour is Saturday, July 14th. Here is the full schedule through 2008:
2007:
June 30
July 14
Aug. 25
Sept. 15 (Fall North American Migration Count in Hendry/Glades Counties)
Sept. 29th
October 20
Nov. 11 (Reserved for ABA Convention Tour: Sunday)
Nov. 24
Dec. 1
Dec. 15 (Christmas Bird Count)
2008:
Jan. 5th
Jan. 26 (Reserved for Big O Birding Festival Tour)
Feb. 2
Feb. 16 (Great Backyard Bird Count)
March 15
March 29
April 12
April 26
May 17 (Spring North American Migration Count)
Information for these tours is posted on the Hendry-Glades Audubon Chapter's website.
Hendry-Glades Audubon Society Website: http://www.orgsites.com/fl/hgaudubon/
To Register, send an e-mail or call Hendry-Glades Audubon member, Margaret England, at sta5birding@earthlink.net with your name and contact information including an emergency cell number and the number in your party. You may also leave a message at (863) 674-0695 or (863) 517-0202.
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