Posted by Paul Bithorn on May 02, 2001 at 16:05:23:
The Bahama Mockingbird was seen at about 1:15 p.m. in the company of Bob from Boca Raton and Libby Wolfe and Dawn Johnson, two Tennessee birders on their way to join Florida Nature Tours for a Tortugas trip leaving Thursday night. Oddly enough, I saw Murray Gardler, who was leading a South Florida tour for the same F.N.T. fieldtrip about 12 noon. Unfortunately due to time constraints they had to leave, even as the bird was singing just out of sight. I suggested they try Indigenous Park in Key West on their way down to the boat. Bob found the bird on the ground just south of the wooden trail at the north end of the parking lot under a sea grape. The bird then walked out to a puddle for a drink within 20 ft. of us. It jumped up into the seagrape and began its monotonous song, while peering at our group.
I took the Tennessee gals over to the linear park at N.W. 10 St. and Griffin Rd. just south of Ft.Lauderdale Airport. We got drop dead looks at a
Smooth-billed Ani sitting in a leafless Royal Poinciana Tree just east of the modern art sculpture. We also saw a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds chasing an Ani into the Cocoplum hedge along the airport fence.
Unfortunately, Paul's Magical Birding Tour (free) had to come to an end as I had to head off to work, while they headed off for the Purple Swamphens in West Broward. Thank you Russell MacGregor (we're even for the Cerulean) for the Bahama mama and a special thanks to C.J. Grimes for all of his great posts from Everglades National Park, with the highlight being the
Yellow-faced Grassquit. May your future endeavors be just as fructifying and mosquitoless. Also a belated thank you to Wally George for teaching me the
MacGillivray Warblers's call note after four misses at Broward's Fern Forest. Fortunately, our Miami-Dade female at A.D. Barnes has been a very obliging exhibitionist.
Life is good............