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Posted by Toe on 23:45:54 08/11/07
Trey and I checked out the area from the 217 ave fields to Pahayokee in ENP and found few birds this morning. Our only notable species was two small groups of Upland Sandpipers. One was on the north side of the main road past 217 ave in the only field with grass on it. The one to the south that had many two weeks ago is now plowed. The others were in the field around Lucky Hammock, which is the first time I've seen them here if I remember correctly. This field looked just right. Only other shorebirds, in very small numbers, were Black-bellied Plovers (3), Pectoral Sandpipers (~6), Greater Yellowlegs (1), Lesser Yellowlegs (4), Black-necked Stilt (4), and some Killdeerz. That's Killdeerz as in Da Bearz.
Lucky Hammock had only one Gnatcatcher. We need the "luck" to return to this place. The Annex had, another Gnatcatcher. Oh, oh. We also found 3 Restarts, so a small improvement. At Royal Palm we found another Gnatcatcher. Or, was it the same one all along? At Pahayokee we found 3 Gnatcatchers, so maybe the previous three came together. We also found another redstart and a Carolina Wren. We saw many Eastern Kingbirds along the drive. In short, it was a very slow morning. At least, I'm not reporting a BFNO or Squat Warbler. It will get better real soon. Besides, we have a couple of good shorebirds to find in next weeks TAS trip to the sod farms.
*If you plan to go to the sod farms, bring plenty of water. The weather service says the high temperature today was 90, but when you're standing on hot asphalt, scanning a barren, sun-baked field hoping that one of those Black-bellied Plovers turns out to be an American Golden Plover, and watching the heat rise from the dirt, the heat index reaches at least 130 or more!!!! Do not bring any hidrogen for it will surely be fused into helium in an instant.
Cheers.
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