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Posted by Jeff Weberf on 17:58:52 01/31/09
Eleven enthusiastic birders joined me for today's Beginning Birdwalk in Everglades National Park.
An early highlight (though seen by only two of us) was a female Kestrel consuming a Gray Catbird nearly as big as she was, on a wire just outside the park. Though a little tough to watch, the scene reminded me of how life is never truly lost in a healthy ecosystem, but transferred efficiently from one organism to another. (I doubt the Catbird would have viewed it this way, admittedly.)
Anhinga Trail and most of the other spots visited yielded all the expected birds, but a second highlight on Research Road was two White-tailed Kites kiting over the fields to the west of the corner that heads toward the missile base. We got great scope views of them in the air, as they remained nearly stationary in a stiff wind.
Flamingo and the surrounding area had the expected ducks and waders, but offered few shorebirds, even at low tide. The wind kept everything pretty much hunkered down, I guess. There were four American Crocodiles near the Marina Store, and another on the bank at Nine Mile Pond.
That's about it. We all had a great day enjoying the comfortable cool weather and cloudless blue sky in the Glades.
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