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Posted by Joe Barros on 18:14:47 04/06/09
An excited group of birders anxious for spring migrants gathered yesterday morning for the TAS Birdwalk to both Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden & Matheson Hammock. At Fairchild we were able to get a sneak preview of the James A Kushlan Bird Trail, part of a larger Bird Conservation Program being initiated at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden with Dr. Kushlan s support.
The group entered Fairchild and as quickly as we started down the Kushlan Bird Trail we were off trail chasing Hill Mynas for our non-south Florida birders. After great looks at the always cheery mynas we headed back to the trail. The beauty of the Kushlan Bird Trail is that it follows a path into various Bird Zones where the botanical collection creates a habitat that is conducive to finding the expected birds and hopefully some surprises as well. We moseyed about the Zones on and off the trail to see the following birds.
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Little Blue Heron (seen later in the day)
White Ibis
Blue-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Red-masked Parakeet
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher (Calling as we exited FTBG)
Blue Jay
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwings
Hill Myna
European Starling
Prairie Warbler (singing in the mangrove and several about the garden)
Palm Warbler (surprisingly in a palm!)
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
We left Fairchild and continued into the Hammock at Matheson and added
Broad-winged Hawk (several harassing the vultures)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper s Hawk
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Un-identified Gull (high up in the sky)
Chestnut fronted Macaw
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Screech Owl (In nest cavity)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Blue-headed Vireo
Purple Martin
Thank you to who attended the walk and to Jeremy at Fairchild for arranging an early entry into the garden and waiving the entrance fee to all the TAS birders. We had a great time.
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