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Posted by Brian Rapoza (for John Diley) on 16:04:11 11/24/08
Whilst browsing the internet today I found your web site & I wanted to post a message but presumably as I am not a member it would not accept it. I just wanted to thank the Florida birders who kindly helped me on my recent holiday & the message was to read as follows :-
Having recently returned to my home in England from a holiday in Florida, I thought I would take this opportunity on your wonderful web site, to thank all the friendly local birders who helped to make it a great success with a final tally of 23 lifers. It would have been 24 till I found out that Northern Harrier is the same species as our Hen Harrier here in Yorkshire. Still I have discovered from your web site that Common Mynah is now tickable, so you win some, you lose some!
I would like to say hello to a young lady I met at Mahogany Hammock [Susan Schneider I think]who was on her way back from a successful trip by kayak to see the Flamingoes. I did see my Burrowing Owl Susan, thanks to two lady joggers who pointed me in the right direction to a typically confiding bird up a house driveway in Key Colony. I was glad I did not need to follow your advice & go to Bermudez Park on the way to Miami Airport. Can somebody there ask the authorities to install the missing sign leading you to rental car returns at the last roundabout!
I would also like to thank Kerry & Jim who were carrying out the raptor count at Curry Hammock & produced "to order" a Swainson`s Hawk for me. Also the two birders who spent their valuable time guiding me around the habitats of Lucky Hammock "pishing up" no less than 5 lifers in one of the most exhilerating hours birding I have ever spent. The five birds were - Scissor Tailed Flycatcher, Lincoln`s Sparrow, Western Kingbird [3], Yellow Breasted Chat & Northern Waterthrush as well as Caracara, Orange Crowned Warbler, Magnolia Warbler & Ovenbird.
I also managed to "mop up" as well as the Burrowing Owl, two other birds I missed when I came to Florida in May 2007 - Black Bellied Whistling Duck & White Crowned Pigeon. Boy did I have to work hard for the pigeon! 55mph for 124 miles from one end of the Keys to the other looking at every tree top! I finally had a fantastic close view of a juvenile along a nature trail near Curry Hammock.
Anyway its back to the more mundane birds here in England though maybe not all mundane. Since I returned I have had a Steppe Grey Shrike, so confiding that it has been photographed perched on a photographer`s telephoto lens, a Two Barred Crossbill on a nut feeder in a farmers back yard & three Rough Legged Buzzards [Hawks] a few miles from my home here in Yorkshire. And its going to be a Waxwing winter with thousands of Bohemian Waxwings working their way down the country. Last time this happened I had nine in my front garden. Isn`t birding great!
Anyway happy Thanksgiving & good birding for the new year.
JAD
John Diley
Yorkshire, England
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