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Posted by Paul Bithorn on 15:29:24 10/25/09
Nine birders participated in Tropical Audubon Society's annual fall field trip to Shark Valley and Loop Road on Saturday, October 24, 2009. The birding was quite comfortable thanks to overcast skies and a light breeze.
Fifty species were seen including nine (9) species of warblers including Northern Parula, Black-throated Green, Prairie, Palm, Black & White, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Magnolia and Common Yellowthroat.
Our first stop was the S-334 South Florida Water Management District structure just west of the Miccosukee Casino on the Tamiami Trail (US 41). Osprey, Tri-colored Heron,House Wren, Black and White and Palm Warblers, Common Yellowthroat and a heard Least Bittern were seen from atop the levee. Our next stop was Water Control Structure S-333 in Area 3B, the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area. A pair of juvenile Purple Gallinules were seen feeding amongst the lily pads across the L-67 Canal.
At Shark Valley, a Cooper's Hawk, Great-crested Flycatcher, Carolina Wren, several warblers and a very cooperative Clay-colored Sparrow wer highlights, but we were unable to locate any Marsh Wrens.
A quick stop at the abandoned airboat concession rewarded us with an adult male Snail Kite that circled overhead before flying across the Trail.
The tree canopy in the Pinecrest area of Loop Road provided a scenic lunch stop with birds buzzing overhead while we dined. Black-throated Green and Magnolia Warblers, Ovenbird, White-eyed Vireo and the omnipresent Orthalicus floridanus tree snails were the highlights for this traditional stop.
Several Southern Black Racers and an American Bittern were spotted while driving on Loop Rd.
Life is good............... when quaffing an ice cold Beck's Dark to celebrate a great day of birding with good friends.
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