TAS Carpool Trip to Corkscrew/FT. Myers Beach

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: Saturday's TAS carpool birding trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Ft. Myers Beach produced a total of 102 species. : Highlights on the drive on I-75 and Government Road (CR 833)were Snail Kites, White-tailed Kite, Crested Caracara, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Dowitcher, and a group of six River Otters. Vultures were seen feeding on a dead gator by the side of the road. : Our first major stop was Stormwater Treatement Area 5. Along Blumburg Road, we added Red-tailed Hawk and an immature Bald Eagle, as well as more caracaras. At STA 5, we found large numbers of easily observed Fulvous Whistling Ducks, as well as Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mottled Duck and Dunlin. Frigid wind chills discouraged us from further explorations of this incredible new birding area. : Backtracking to CR 833, then west on CR 846, we added Northern Rough-winged Swallows, plus a swirling flock of American White Pelicans, seen while we had stopped to view vultures feasting on a road-killed wild hog. Another River Otter, as well as a Swallow-tailed Kite were seen before reaching Corkscrew. : One of the many highlights of our Corkscrew visit was an American Bittern seen actively feeding on crayfish. Also seen were two Barred Owls, nesting Red-shouldered Hawks, Limpkin, and another Swallow-tailed Kite. : We ended our day at Ft. Myers Beach, where highlights included American Oystercatcher and Whimbrel. A scan of the Gulf produced Common Loon, but no Black Scoters. A Wilson's Plover put us at the century mark for the day, with Sandwich Tern being the 102nd and final new species seen. : The complete trip list: : Common Loon : Pied-billed Grebe : American White Pelican : Brown Pelican : Double-crested Cormorant : Anhinga : American Bittern : Great Blue Heron : Great Egret : Snowy Egret : Little Blue Heron : Tricolored Heron : Reddish Egret : Cattle Egret : Green Heron : Black-crowned Night Heron : Whie Ibis : Glossy Ibis : Wood Stork : Black Vulture : Turkey Vulture : Fulvous Whistling Duck : Mottled Duck : Blue-winged Teal : Northern Shoveler : Green-winged Teal : Osprey : Swallow-tailed Kite : White-tailed Kite : Snail Kite : Bald Eagle : Northern Harrier : Red-shouldered Hawk : Red-tailed Hawk : Crested Caracara : American Kestrel : Common Moorhen : American Coot : Limpkin : Sandhill Crane : Black-bellied Plover : Wilson's Plover : Semipalmated Plover : Piping Plover : Killdeer : American Oystercatcher : Greater Yellowlegs : Lesser Yellowlegs : Willit : Whimbrel : Ruddy Turnstone : Sanderling : Western Sandpiper : Least Sandpiper : Dunlin : Short-billed Dowitcher : Long-billed Dowitcher : Wilson's Snipe : Laughing Gull : Ring-billed Gull : Herring Gull : Royal Tern : Sandwich Tern : Forster's Tern : Black Skimmer : Rock Pigeon : Eurasian Collared Dove : Mourning Dove : Common Ground Dove : Barred Owl : Belted Kingfisher : Red-bellied Woodpecker : Yellow-bellied Sapsucker : Downy Woodpecker : Pileated Woodpecker : Eastern Phoebe : Great Crested Flycatcher : Loggerhead Shrike : White-eyed Vireo : Blue-headed Vireo : American Crow : Fish Crow : Tree Swallow : Northern Rough-winged Swallow : Tufted Titmouse : Carolina Wren : Blue-gray Gnatcatcher : Gray Catbird : Northern Mockingbird : European Starling : Northern Parula : Yellow-rumped Warbler : Pine Warbler : Palm Warbler : Black-and-white Warbler : Common Yellowthroat : Northern Cardinal : Red-winged Blackbird : Eastern Meadowlark : Boat-tailed Grackle : Common Grackle : House Sparrow : :

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