Posted by Bryant Roberts on September 25, 2001 at 23:12:39:
I got up to Coot Bay by boat on Saturday (9/22) where there were
six Black Terns on a channel marker near the entrance to Tarpon
Creek. On Sunday (9/23 ) a quick run up Bear Lake Road turned
up my first Painted Bunting and Common Yellowthroat of the fall.
Common Yellowthroats breed in the park but these are the first I've
seen in the mangrove area. That afternoon a couple of visiting
birders pointed out a Peregrine perched on the microwave tower, it
remained there through the night and I last saw it at it's perch at
7:30 the following morning.
On Monday (9/24) I finally had a full morning free for birding and I
decided to check out Bear Lake Trail. The birding had been good but not
very exciting until I was nearing the end of the trail things started to
happen. A medium large Bobcat startled me by leaping from a branch a few
feet in front of, and above my head. It hit the trail with a solid thump
and took off at top speed towards the end of the trail. It cut off the
trail and out of sight after running a couple of hundred feet and I
recovered from my surprise enough to get back to birding. I turned my
attention to what sounded like a small group of Ovenbirds chipping to my
left off the trail, but what caught my eye first was a Swainson's Warbler
sitting in clear view at eye level about twenty feet away. It remained
there for about a minute, giving me the best and longest look that I've
ever had of this bird. Here is the list of migrants and warblers for Bear
Lake Trail that morning:
37-Ovenbirds
8 - Black-throated-blue Warblers
4 - Northern Parulas
5 - Black-and-white Warblers
1 - Painted Bunting
1 - Hooded Warbler
1 - Veery (my first here this fall)
2 - Worm-eating Warblers
1 - American Redstart
1 - Red-shouldered Hawk (this one was much to dark to be local)
4 - Prairie Warblers (their numbers seem to be lower now)
3 - Northern Waterthrushes (I heard many more)
1 - Swainson's Warbler