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Posted by Rafael Galvez on 12:19:21 09/06/10
In Reply to: Re: Matheson Blackburnian, Cerulean, Swainsons, Chestnut-sided posted by Mary Lou King
Matheson Hammock is a big place, with plenty of possibilities. I've birded there many times when others have scored on excellent species, and I've missed out. Although the access road west of Old Cutler can be excellent, I always make sure to cut north at the end of it, just before getting to the open fields, and take the trail heading east through the hammock. The vegetation is dense throughout that trail, but a combination of checking the understory for skulkers, and keeping an eye on the canopy for passing feeding flocks is often rewarding. I've had repeated luck on the eastern end of the hammock trail with Swainson's Warblers during fall. It is also a great place to look for thrushes, once they start showing up.
The mangrove trail I referred to can be accessed from the parking lot west of Old Cutler, adjacent to the Fairchild entrance. You walk around the south side of the lake, and take the first right towards an east-west trail flanked by Australian pines and mangroves.
This day, I started off going west on the access road. By 7:30am I was already on the hammock trail heading back east - I did the mangrove trail last.
Best of luck...
Remember, clean lenses, and quick focusing!
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