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Posted by Bob Duchesne on 21:26:05 04/21/09
Day two of my three-day search for Mangrove Cuckoo ended without celebration. The 30-year jinx remains intact. My wife and I started the day at sun-up, trying for the fictitious Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows near Mahogany Hammock. This morning's storm brushed the area, but not before we had spent an hour under ideal conditions without a sighting and barely a song. We enjoyed a wonderful day in ENP otherwise. While enjoying a picnic lunch behind the visitor's center, we pointed out to the rangers the Swainson's Thrush that was chowing down on catepillars just outside their window. Then we watched the Gray Kingbird in the next tree. Before leaving, I finally scored the Shiny Cowbird that has eluded me on many previous visits.
Bear Lake Trail was very birdy. Both heat and mosquitos were neglible problems. The Swainson Thrush fall-out continued, with numerous sightings. A Magnolia Warbler and another Cape May were highlights. About a quarter mile before the end of the trail, a singing Black-whiskered Vireo put my North American life list at 530. He posed for photos, accompanied by a female who was carrying nesting material. Another was singing at the trail's end.
The trail was also full of birds that look at a glance like, but aren't really, Mangrove Cuckoos. Gray Catbirds and Great-crested Flycatchers were everywhere - just enough to make you jump whenever you're hoping for a cuckoo.
So tomorrow is my last try, lest the jinx continue until my next visit in another year or two...
By the way, I started coming to Flamingo before there was an Eco Pond. It was on my second trip that they had just bulldozed the area. It now looks like it did in 1973. Over the years, it gave me several lifers, including Sora, Least Bittern, Smooth-billed Ani, Painted Bunting, and even Grasshopper Sparrow. Now THAT's nostalgia!
Bob Duchesne
Maine
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