[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Alex Harper on 14:39:36 11/26/08
I had a late start this morning, as I had to drop my Dad off at work before taking his car to south Dade. I stopped at Cutler Wetlands first. Two Franklin's Gulls were loafing amongst many Laughing, Ring-billed, and a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls. American Avocets, Long-billed Dowitchers, and Stilt Sandpipers were the best shorebirds among the yellowlegs and few Least Sandpipers.
I stopped by Dump Marsh and spotted my life Tropical Kingbird rather quickly. I'm glad this bird stuck around in the same area.
I barely had to search for my now-countable Common Myna in Florida City.
I then met up with Carlos Sanchez at the C111 Canal, hoping for Yellow-headed Blackbird and LeConte's Sparrow. We saw neither, but see three Sandhill Cranes, at least ten Swainson's Hawks, and many Grasshopper Sparrows. I also met Paul-the-other, a poster whom I had not met after many years.
I struck out at the Rusty Blackbird location at Pa-hay-okee. The only unusual sighting was a dead five foot Burmese Python on the side of the road. Looked to be less than a day old.
We then headed back up to Lucky Hammock. As we arrived, a tractor was in the process of cutting the fields east of the hammock, so sparrows were fleeing into the brush. Besides many Savannahs and Grasshoppers, we found only one other sparrow: a Clay-colored. Swainson's Hawks continued to surround us at all points while in the area.
A trip back to the C-111 canal yielded neither the blackbird nor sparrow, once again.
I will more than likely head back out one of these mornings to search for the LeConte's and Rusty, although those are two birds I should naturally find more easily up at school.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]