Posted by Shark Valley/Loop Road - TAS Fieldtrip on November 02, 2003 at 13:38:19:
The Tropical Audubon Society's field trip to Shark Valley and Loop Road on Saturday, November 1, 2003, reminded me why I love South Florida so much. A breezy day, with high cerulean blue skies, made the birding quite comfortable. We were graced by the presence of several students from the gifted program at North Beach Elementary School, whose mission was to photograph ten species of birds. They would not be disappointed. A respectable nine species of warblers were seen including:
Palm Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Pine Warbler
Northern Parula
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Black & White
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-throated Warbler
A pair of White-winged Parakeets flew over us as we congregated at the Doc Thomas House, home of the Tropical Audubon Society in South Miami. A pair of Blue and Yellow Macaws greeted us as we departed South Miami, gliding in front of a large glass office building, creating a surreal backdrop.
Other highlights included a flyover pair of Snail Kites at the L-67 entrance to Area 3B, the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area. I was blessed to attend the dedication ceremony at this site many mango seasons ago and remain close friends with the Taylor clan. Kildeer, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, House Wren and Swamp Sparrow were also seen here.
An American Bittern was a great find at Shark Valley, and just south of Otter Cave a Sedge Wren sang out from the prairie. Several Black Racers (Coluber constrictor), including a five-footer, were seen basking in the sun along the trail. The beautiful Sweetbays (Magnolia virginiana) were in various states of flower, seedpods and fruit.
The Pinecrest area of Loop Road had a nice mixed flock of warblers, vireos and flycatchers. The pinelands just west of Pinecrest produced Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Pine Warblers and a single Brown-headed Nuthatch, as promised by John Boyd and Nancy Freedman. This un-banded bird is possibly part of a remnant population that has always existed here and hopefully is reemerging.
The Loop Road Environmental Education Center nature trail was alive with Tufted Titmice. Sweetwater Strand, further up the Loop towards Monroe Station, was quiet bird-wise, but its’ breathtaking beauty explains why Clyde Butcher has made it the subject of many of his classic black and white photos of the Big Cypress.
Birds seen along the Tamiami (Tampa-to-Miami) Trail included Snail Kite, at the old airboat site west of Shark Valley, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Harrier and Common Myna.
Life is good...............knowing that we can share our knowledge of our local fauna and flora with impressionable younguns’. Planting seeds, while they are young, will bear fruit, as we make them aware at just how close they are to an escape route from the urban sprawl of Miami-Dade County.