Posted by Bill Boeringer on September 02, 2003 at 14:30:00:
In Reply to: TAS Sod Farms Fieldtrip-August 30, 2003 posted by Paul Bithorn on September 01, 2003 at 00:07:13:
I was in the vicinity of the TAS trip but never caught up with it; I concentrated efforts on birding northeast Hendry County, esp. area from Clewiston to Cannon Hammock along SR 835. There were scads of swallows-mostly Barn, but good numbers of Bank, and a few Rough-winged and Cliff mixed in. In the mile before and after Cannon Hammock I saw 4 Caracaras (including one dining on what appeared to be a swallow sp.) and 5 Sandhill Cranes, plus Red-tailed Hawk and Belted Kingfisher. Cannon Hammock was disappointingly quiet, but picked up on the exit out with a Barred Owl sitting 10' off the road at eye level, Pileated Woodpecker and 3 Swallow-tailed Kites soaring over.
A dead Barn Owl (evident car casualty) was on SR835, and an Eastern Kingbird was on Old 27 south of Harlem.There were some plowed fields along SR835 that looked promising initially, but all were too dry for any shorebirds.
At the King Ranch fields near the radio tower on US27 I had Upland Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, Black-necked Stilt, both Yellowlegs, and Killdeer.
Aside from Yellowthroat, the only warbler of the day was a Yellow(northern race) at the end of SR827 where it joins the Miami Canal road. There were also Barn Owls and Black-crowned Night Herons at the cedar stand.