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Posted by Bryant Roberts on 22:09:23 07/07/07
I got out to J. U. Lloyd State Park Friday (7/6) morning where the only interesting birds seen were a first year Lesser Black-backed Gull (my first in summer in Broward County), a Magnificent Frigatebird, and a Northern Gannet in very worn first year plumage. The Gannet could fly but it spent most of its time swimming a couple of hundred yards offshore. I checked the usual Ani sites including a walk through the length of the Airport Greenbelt Park without finding any Anis.
This morning (7/6), I went to Everglades Holiday Park where the water level in WCA 3 is starting to rise; the rise is due in part to the recent rains but recent back pumping from the South Fork New River Canal probably also played a large part. This is the last area that I know of in south Broward to find once common breeding species like White-eyed Vireo and Carolina Wren. Both these birds were found along with a King Rail, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Swallow-tailed Kite. There were plenty of Dragonflies around; mostly the usual ones but there were also many Common Green Darners and a large swarm of Wandering Gliders. Both these species are migratory and are harbingers of fall, or at least late summer. There is plenty of Corky-stemmed Passion Vine growing on the levees and Zebra Longwing, Gulf Fritillary, and Julia Butterflies were abundant. There is also lots of White Milkweed Vine growing along the bottom of the levees and there were plenty of Queen and Tropic Queen Butterflies around. Other butterflies seen included White Peacock, American Buckeye, Phaon Crescent, and Black Swallowtail; I wasn t bothering to identify the little guys. I didn t find any today but the levee that runs south from the parking area often produces Palamedes Swallowtails. The high water suited the frogs and they were calling from the marsh despite the heat and morning sun. Species heard included: Pig, Southern Chorus, Southern Cricket, and Green Tree Frogs. I didn t hear any calling but I saw an Oak Toad on the top of the levee. Dear Flies were a problem and in some places they were bad.
The Purple Martin roost on Davie Road is still going strong. This evening they began massing at about 8:20 and landing at 8:35; by 8:50 most were settling in for the night. The show is getting the attention of the locals; there were nine people, some with lawn chairs set up to watch when I arrived.
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