Posted by Bryant Roberts on September 05, 2001 at 23:48:00:
I got to check out Snake Bight Road yesterday (9/4)and spent
some time at the boardwalk at the end, the migrants seen along
the road were:
1 - Northern Parula
1 - Prothonotary Warbler
1 - Northern Waterthrush
2 - Louisiana Waterthrushes
3 - Ovenbirds
5 - American Redstarts
The boardwalk turned up the usual mix of shorebirds and waders,
the only new species for this fall were:
6 - Blue-winged Teal
18-Cattle Egrets
Later that afternoon there were hundreds of Barn Swallows along
with a few Bank Swallows hunting low over the mowed areas north
of the visitors center. A check of the usual resting areas turned up
these species along with 43 Purple Martins. There were only a few Barn
Swallows still in the area today.
This morning (9/5) I noticed something unusual, egrets flying south
towards Florida Bay. In the morning waders usually fly north from
their roosting islands in the bay to inland feeding areas. A check
with binoculars revealed that they were Cattle Egrets, about 30 in a
couple of flocks. These, and the group seen yesterday are the first
Cattle Egrets I've seen in any numbers this summer near Flamingo.
A check of Bear Lake Road and Bear Lake Trail today turned into
my best day for migrants this fall. There were at least three Chuck-
will's Widows, a couple of Mangrove Cuckoos calling, and the ubiquitous
Prairie Warblers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers along with:
2 - Red-eyed Vireos
7 - Black-and-white Warblers
3 - Yellow-throated Warblers (southeastern coastal race)
8 - Northern Parulas
6 - Black-throated Blue Warblers (first of season)
4 - Worm-eating Warblers
1 - Hooded Warbler (first of season)
2 - Prothonotary Warblers
30-Ovenbirds
1 - Northern Waterthrush
5 - Louisiana Waterthrushes
7 - American Redstarts
These, along with two Yellow Warblers at Eco Pond added up to
thirteen warbler species for the day, with two new arrivals and high
numbers for most species.