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Posted by Robin Diaz on 15:32:50 12/16/08
During a CBC scouting trip today, I found 3 Brown-crested Flycatchers in the upper portion of Everglades National Park. I found bird #1 along the hammock edge, just south of the eastern terminus of Research Road. It moved north ~40 yards where it remained in view from the paved road for 8 minutes, calling with strong, persistent "wit" vocalizations.
Bird #2 was along Old Ingraham Highway, 225 yards west of the intersect with Gumbo Limbo Trail. It came to the edge of the hardwood hammock and only allowed a brief glimpse. It retreated and called 4-5 times.
Bird #3 was John Boyd's bird in Mosier Hammock. An Eastern Screech-Owl called nonstop close-by so I waited at the western edge of the hammock and eventually the flycatcher sat in the open ~45 seconds, called twice, then melted back into the vegetation. The little owl just kept on going!
All 3 birds had field marks classic to the species: large Myiarchus; rather large all-dark bill; pale gray plumage from the face and throat to upper belly; olive-gray upper parts; yellow on belly through undertail coverts was not intense egg yolk color of Great Crested, but a softer, paler, flat yellow; rufous was noted in primaries and also in tail of birds 1 and 3. All 3 birds used strong "wit" calls only.
Other birds of interest: 5 woodpecker species; 13 warbler species, including Yellow-throated, Worm-eating, Orange-crowned, Black-throated Green, Magnolia, Hooded and Northern Waterthrush. Research Road yielded Barn Owl, 1 Lesser Nighthawk, Northern Bobwhite (heard only), Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows and American Robin. A Least Flycatcher was near Royal Palm restrooms and King Rails were near Gate 15. A young Broad-winged Hawk hangs out on the road to Royal Palm.
Noted yesterday and today was an extraordinary number of Blue Jays. This is not an abundant species for our count but these birds are all over the area, each carrying a food morsel! The inept Red-shouldered Hawk imitations are certainly entertaining. I wonder if their presence is related to the surplus mast production late 2007.
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