Posted by Vincent Lucas on September 13, 2003 at 23:03:32:
All:
Along with friends Doug Wassmer & Lilian Saul from Tampa, several birders from afar (Indiana and Ohio) as well as birders from other parts of Florida, many of us saw the Black-faced Grassquit at Everglades National Park shortly after sunrise this morning. It looked like it was gathering nesting material. Thanks to the youthful eyes of Andy Bankert for finding this bird for us!
Doug and Lilian left Tampa at shortly after 2:00 AM and picked me up in Naples at about 4:15 AM. As others have said, if you want to see this bird, you need to get there EARLY! It stayed in the area of the Long Pine Campground on the road from the private residence to the hammock further north for about one-half hour. Had we not been there "on time", we would have missed this bird. Good luck!
As mentioned, there was a male Wilson's Warbler in the same area along with Pine Warblers and a few others. Doug, Lilian and I didn't stay long to see what else turned up. Instead, we went over to Royal Palm Hammock. Along the Gumbo Limbo Trail, we found several Ovenbirds, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, heard a Northern Waterthrush, and dipped on a Yellow-throated Warbler that others saw. We also had several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Great Crested Flycatchers and White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireos among other birds. Hordes of Eastern Kingbirds were present too.
A jaunt down Research Road failed to produce the hoped-for White-tailed Kite but we did add a pair of Prairie Warblers and several Eastern Bluebirds as well as Northern Flicker and Pileated Woodpecker and Eastern Meadowlarks in the immediate vicinity. A nice flock of migrating Bobolinks landed within a 100 feet from us.
We next visited Lucky Hammock and found among other birds, the lone Lark Sparrow that has been present for over a week. The surrounding fields yielded flocks of Bobolinks, at least two Northern Harriers (one male), and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. A probable Indigo Bunting "blurred'-by us.
Along S.R. 9336, before Benito Juarez Park, we had a pair of Common Mynas eating the remains of someone's McDonald's kids meal.
On SW 209th (near Flynn's) we had a most interesting sighting. A lone Cedar Waxwing was in a mixed flock of mostly grackles and doves. Doug Wassmer photographed the bird. I had read of sightings of Cedar Waxwings in the Miami area from two weeks prior but thought that perhaps the observers of these birds had erred. No more Doubting Thomas for me. Stevenson & Anderson state that Cedar Waxwings may appear as early as August or September in the state, but these were usually sighting from much further north. This is the earliest record for CEWA in the state for me. Is anyone else seeing these birds?
In the same area (Flynn's) we also added American Redstart and White-winged Dove. An adult Bald Eagle flew over S.R. 9336 on our way back to Florida City, where, to our dismay, "Robert Is Here" was closed for renovation (September & October). Thus, the celebratory mamay milkshake was not to be had. Plan B had to be put into effect. Further north on Krome Ave, there is another fruit stand (Grandma's) which also sold milkshakes. A refreshing cherry-mango one did the trick for Doug and me while Lilian settled for a banana-and-some-other-fruit combo one. We waited out the deluge the skies had dropped on us in a most pleasant manner although not an authentic Robert Is Here one!
From the Homestead area, we ventured north to U.S. Rte. 27 and Pembroke Pines where we once again failed to find any White-tailed Kites at 196th Ave. SW. We did manage to find a few Purple Swamphens at the Southwest Florida Library Mitigation Ponds on Sheridan Avenue for Doug and Lilian. This was a lifer for them. A vocalizing Limpkin was a nice addition to the day list here.
Going further north on U.S. Rte. 27, we stopped at the tower area near the sod farms south of South Bay. We found many Killdeer, a Solitary Sandpiper, a good number of Pectoral Sandpipers as well as Black-bellied Plovers and Boat-tailed Grackles. Along with a pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Cattle Egrets and Glossy Ibis, those were most of the birds we saw at this locale. Noticeably absent were any Common Nighthawks. In fact, none were seen on the entire trip. I guess they have all departed for points south.
Across the highway and along the King Ranch, the sod farms, which, just a week earlier were full of water, were now dry. Consequently, there were few shorebirds still present. We could not find any Upland Sandpipers especially.
Along C.R. 827, west of U.S. Rte. 27, we found one Barn Owl but no hoped-for Smooth-billed Anis this time. A plowed field with some remnant water still remaining near the junction of C.R. 827 where it intersects with the Miami Canal yielded our best shorebirds, waders and other birds. We had several Roseate Spoonbills, dozens of Black Terns, a few Caspian Terns, a dozen or more Bonaparte's Gulls (uncommon?) in and among the many Laughing Gulls as well as one Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, a few Stilt Sandpipers, Killdeer, hordes of Black-necked Stilts, Least Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers and Black-bellied Plovers. Most 'expected' waders were present including a few Wood Storks. Many Mottled Ducks along with a few Blue-winged Teal were also seen. A lone female Northern Harrier plied the surrounding sugarcane fields.
At least three more Barn Owls and several Black-crowned Night-Herons were seen in the Red Cedars further along the Miami Canal. A Cooper's Hawk was also present. Scores of Barn Swallows, including many young, were hawking insects everywhere. Many were sitting on telephone lines and on the unpaved road and it looked like they were ingesting small stones for their crops. Is this accurate?
On the way back to Naples along C.R. 846 (Immokalee Rd.) we had at least two Belted Kingfishers who were weathering the thunderstorm that despite it's best effort, could not dampen our cheery but tired spirits.
All in all, it was a great day for seeing and sharing our love of Florida birds among friends. . . .
Good birding!
Vincent Lucas
Naples