Posted by Bob Kelley on March 28, 2003 at 05:34:15:
Congratulations to Paul Bithorn and all who were lucky enought to see the honeycreeper on Boca Chita Key
this week. Larry Manfredi's photo is a stunner.
Paul is wrong however about the sighting of the first live La Sagra's (then Stolid) flycatcher in December, 1982 on the old(now defunct?) Biscayne National Park Christmas Bird Count. I was first spotted by Bill Robertson(who first identified it by its call), myself and Fran ?( a naturalist at BNP).
We were covering the north part of Elliott Key that day, and had walked the whole length of the old road
there. We saw few birds, but it was always a treat to
spend some time with Bill.
As we returned to the dock near the visitor's center
for our return trip to the mainland we heard a strange call(not unlike a Great Created Flycatcher, but noticably different). Bill said it was a Stolid Flycatcher, and we quickly found it. It was very cooperative. We were a few hundred yards north of the Visitor Center on Elliott Key.
When we reached the dock, the south party(which included Bruce Neville and Wes Biggs) were there.
Luckily there was time for them to walk north on the road to its location, and they were able to see the bird.
The bird certainly turned a very hot, dull day into
something special, but as I said before: Any time that you were lucky enough to spend with Bill Robertson was special.
Bob Kelley
Tropical Audubon Society
Miami, FL
RKelley@math.miami.edu