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Posted by larry gladsden on 12:37:37 10/31/08
I've been out on the levee south of Everglades Holiday Park, for the last 3 days, late afternoon to dusk. I've seen:
bald eagle chasing osprey (right over my head, quite low, very dramatic); kingfishers; sparrow hawk mobbing a red shouldered hawk, marsh hawk hunting low on the levee (again, pretty dramatic as it passed close by me); various blackbird and heron species;palm warblers of course, yellow throated warbler, house wren, swallows, specifically, I think I saw cave swallows, ( I definitely saw a large buffy area on the flanks, white belly).
various sparrows, definitely many Savannah sparrows, also probably a migratory grasshopper sparrow (flew from grass and brush by side of track on levee, into a small tree, about 10' above ground (but at my eye-level since I was standing on levee). I noted the following: it had an eye ring, faint buffy stripes throat, black behind eyes, light stripe center of forehead, dark brown on either side of stripe, brown and gray back and wings (gray was very noticable), the bill appeared to be light, but perhaps that was reflected light, the sun was low, buffy on flanks, tail did not flick, tail seemed narrow, white belly; light above eye, I'm not sure.
Also have watched a gray fox twice, first time it walked to within 30 yards of me. (A few years ago, one approached to within a few yards while I was hidden in brush on the levee, before I shooed it off).
a flycatcher type of bird. Perched on dead brush sticking out into the dirt track under fpl cables west of us27 south of everglades holiday park. It had a worm looking thing in its bill at first. I was some distance away (50 yards?), breast and belly appeared white (too far to tell if there was any yellowishness), head and wings appeared dark (gray?). I did not notice tail motions, I did notice a prominent wing bar, I estimate it to be 6-8" - the distance made size difficult to judge. It flew off into the low brush. See photo. Maybe a great crested flycatcher, due to the size and wingbars - but the habit seems wrong, it was in brush, low flying, whereas I have read the great crested typically inhabits the canopy or sub-canopy of trees. What do you think? cuban pewee? The habit is right for that bird, low perch, low-flying. Brown crested flycatcher?
poor photo of grasshopper sparrow; http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jacknnap/grasshopper.jpg
savannah sparrow; http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jacknnap/grasshopper.jpg
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