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Posted by Juan Valadez on 22:24:58 09/20/09
A barrage of storms near Sandy Key and the Cape paired with weak low tides and very high high tides made for a challenging count.
We did find two new species for the count, a Black Tern in Snake Bight and a Baltimore Oriole on a small key in Florida Bay. The same key had three Merlins hunting over the batis marsh.
I was joined by Peter Frezza of Tavenier Audubon and Nadir Souirgi. Rafael Galvez is is currently in the Republic of Georgia where he just finished a ten day raptor count.
Miami can be quite the hellhole but I'm always amazed that I can wake up in my own bed, drive for an hour and a half, launch a skiff in some of the most gorgeous water in North America, run it 60 miles and see thousands of birds from 60 to 90 different species without one of them being an exotic.
Here are some highlights-
Magnificent Frigatebird 11
Wurdemann s Heron 4
Great White Heron 42
Roseate Spoonbill 161
Greater Flamingo 3
Osprey 38
Merlin 4
Clapper Rail 7
American Avocet 1
Wilson s Plover 74 !!
Whimbrel 13
Long-billed Curlew 1
Marbled Godwit 70
Short-billed Dowitcher 1,099
Red Knot 52
Black Tern 1
Black Skimmer 295
White-crowned Pigeon 16
Yellow Warbler 7
Baltimore Oriole 1
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