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Posted by Carlos Sanchez on 17:17:07 04/05/09
Today, I decided to bird the western section of Everglades National Park from Flamingo to Paurotis Pond. I figured that if migrants were not around, I could always fall back on shorebirding. I started my day at around 8:00am at the entrance to Snake Bight Trail. After walking down the trail for about 10 minutes with having little more than a Blue-headed Vireo and a dense cloud of mosquitos shadowing me (although repellent kept them off, I thought this was a little disconcerting), I decided to make an about face and head for Eco Pond for shorebirds -- Snake Bight just didn't seem to be worth it today.
Eco Pond is currently little more than a mudflat dotted with hypersaline pools. A walk around the the perimeter yielded Black-necked Stilts, Least Sandpipers, and a female Painted Bunting.
Things started picking up along the bit of coast line south of the campground -- Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin, Willet, and Marbled Godwit were feeding along the shore. The mangroves themselves were full of the songs of Prairie Warblers. I heard a soft chip note that did not seem quite right and, with a soft pish, an immature Yellow Warbler of the Cuban race was enticed into view. I then walked over toward the campground itself for passerines in the patches of hammock where I found my best bird of the day -- a stunning male Baltimore Oriole.
Back to the car, I spotted a Magnificent Frigatebird cruising along. I drove over to the Visitor Center and began to search through the trees for more migrants. As at the campground, the songs of Prairie Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, and Great Crested Flycatcher were ubiquitous, and nearly all of the birds observed were already paired up. I managed to find a female Cape May Warbler in one tree, a male Shiny Cowbird amongst a flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds on the lawns, and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher sallying for insects.
Onward to Mrazek Pond, I picked up both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, an American Avocet, and a couple lingering waterfowl (Northern Shoveler and Blue-winged Teal). Next, a visit to West Lake added Black-and-white Warbler to my day list. At Paurotis Pond, the rookery was extremely active with Great Egret, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all breeding. I wrapped up my birding at around noon.
Although Neotropical and Caribbean migrants were few and far between, it was still a great day.
Carlos
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