Posted by Vincent on July 23, 2003 at 13:14:30:
In Reply to: St. Petersburg/ Tampa posted by Alex on July 22, 2003 at 23:08:22:
: Next Thursday I will be spending my day in Busch Gardens with my family. Obviously this is a family event, not a birding event, but maybe I will be able to cut into St. Petersburg, famous for it's Turtle Doves and hot spot Fort DeSoto.
: Hopefully I will be able to get Turtle Dove for life birds, and Black-hooded Parakeets. "A Birder's Guide to Florida" gives directions to the dove site, but no Black-hooded Parakeet sites. Obviously they should be around the city everywhere, but is there a good spot to find them, preferably near the Gandy Bridge and Howard Frankland bridges to Tampa? I need both exotics for lifers. Plus hopefully I might convince a drive through a Caracara area when heading to or from Miami. Can't wait for Central Florida's!pecies
Alex:
For Black-hooded Parakeet, your best bet is Eckerd College located on the Pinellas Bayway as you're heading toward Fort DeSoto Park. These birds are often seen at Fort DeSoto as well (as flyovers around the fountains/mulberry tree area). I wouldn't count on seeing Ringed Turtle-Doves (Streptopelia risoria) as that information in Pranty's book is outdated for the most part. These doves have not done well breeding-wise in St. Petersburg or anywhere else in Florida in recent years. I've still not seen one in three years of trying in Florida. Have fun at Busch Gardens!
Cheers.
Vince Lucas