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Posted by Vince Lucas on 22:37:26 02/16/08
All:
Some 99(!) folks from the Sarasota & Peace River Audubon Socities as well as other birders and photographers came out to STA-5 (Stormwater Treatment Area #5) in Hendry County south of Clewiston today to enjoy the great birds and the beautiful weather. They were not disappointed! Earlier in the week, I was alerted to a Greater Flamingo that was seen at STA-5. We all hoped that the bird would still be there for this weekend's tour. It stayed! Many photos were taken. Of course, like the other Greater Flamingos that have been seen at other STA's and nearby sod farms in Palm Beach County, the origin of this bird will be questioned by some individuals but that's OK. The bird acted wild and was not banded. It is a new addition to the STA-5 checklist which now stands at 156 (or is it 157?) for this site. Birders wanting to see this bird, assuming that it will stick around, which in my opinion it will, have another opportunity to see it tomorrow, Sunday, February 17th or Monday February 18th. Just show up at the STA-5 gate off of Blumberg Rd. Here's the STA-5 schedule which has a link to maps and directions:
http://www.tropicalaudubon.org/sta.html
By the way, the recent rains have added much water to the impoundments out at STA-5 as well as to other formerly dry areas along the back roads leading out to STA-5 via CR846 --> CR833 --> CR835 --> Blumberg Rd. Case in point, we saw two Snail Kites on both the trip to STA-5 from Naples as well as the return trip back to Naples. The canal across from the Ocean Boy Organic Shrimp Farms is now being dredged and as I feared, the Snail Kites have moved on (not 100% certain though) from this former great site. However, on our return trip from STA-5, a number of us had crippling looks at a pair of Snail Kites hunting in a wetland just north of the intersection of CR833 & CR835. Limpkins were also present as were the "usual" ducks, waders, raptors and shorebirds. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbirds put on a nice show near the Deer Fence Canal off of CR835 and the Cassin's Kingbird made an all-to-brief appearance before flying off to parts unknown.
Being that this weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), we are hoping that we will have the only Greater Flamingo recorded for North America and perhaps Purple Swamphens as well? We'll see.
Thanks goes out to Margaret England and the members of the Hendry-Glades Audubon Society for acting as a liaison with the South Florida Water Management District in giving the public the opportunity to bird at this fabulous site. If you have never been to STA-5, you don't know what you are missing. . . .
Here's our day list for STA-5 (including Blumberg Rd.) for Saturday, February 16th, 2008:
Fulvous Whistling-Duck > 300
American Wigeon > 10
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler >40
Northern Pintail 4
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback 1
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup 1
Ruddy Duck 3
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican >150
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill >200 with at least 4 of them banded
Wood Stork
Turkey Vulture
GREATER FLAMINGO -- new bird for STA-5
Snail Kite 2
Bald Eagle 3
Northern Harrier >15
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Crested Carcara 2
Peregrine Falcon 3
Purple Swamphen >10
Common Moorhen
American Coot >25000
Limpkin 4
Black-bellied Plover >30 (the most we have ever recorded at STA-5)
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt >50
American Avocet 9
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone 3
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin 5
Stilt Sandpiper >6
Long-billed Dowitcher >1000
Ring-billed Gull 1
Gull-billed Tern 2
Caspian Tern 28 (the most we have ever seen at STA-5)
Black Skimmer >400
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Phoebe 1
Western Kingbird 1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 1
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat >20
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
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