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Posted by Vincent Lucas on 20:39:07 01/01/11
First, Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2011 obliterates 2010 in terms of dreams fulfilled, a kinder gentler humanity and the end to polarization on so many levels. OK, now the birds. On the last day of 2010 I decided I would again attempt the traditional "century run" here in Collier County to jump start the new year today. For those who might not know, a "century run" is an attempt to see 100 birds all within one county i.e. Collier County, where I live. In previous years, Alan Murray or some other birding pal would join me. Not so this year. I forgot that the Naples CBC was scheduled for today so that left Alan out. Other friends had other plans so I was on my own. Cutting to the chase, I succeeded (barely) with 100 species. My first bird of the new year and the new decade was a Great Blue Heron seen about 6:45AM as I was driving to the Kirby Storter Boardwalk in the Big Cypress National Preserve on US Rte. 41 aka Tamiami Trail. My last bird for the day (#100) was seen in Immokalee just as it was getting dark -- a Rock Pigeon. My best birds of the day had to be the Louisiana Waterthrush (Kirby Stoter Boardwalk), Baltimore Oriole (Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve) and all five species of plovers + Killdeer at Tigertail Beach on Marco Island. There were plenty of big misses including many common species such as Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Fish Crow, Blue Jay, etc. Some were due to bad luck and others were due to running out of daylight hours which at this time of the year, is about eleven hours. Here's my list for my Collier County Century Run 01/01/11:
Note: These are first sightings for the day:
Seen from Just north of Collier-Seminole State Park (US Rte 41) to Kirby Storter Boardwalk in the Big Cypress National Preserve:
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Seen at Kirby Storter Boardwalk in the Big Cypress National Preserve:
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Tufted Titmouse
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Savannah Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Seen along Turner River Rd./Wagonwheel Rd. in the Big Cypress National Preserve:
American Bittern
Cattle Egret
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
Limpkin
Loggerhead Shrike
Common Grackle
Seen at Everglades City/Chokoloskee Area:
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Spotted Sandpiper
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
European Starling
Brown-headed Cowbird
Seen at the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve:
Pileated Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Northern Parula
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-White Warbler
Baltimore Oriole
Seen on Laredo St. in East Naples:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (coming to a Powderpuff Tree)
Seen on Marco Island and Tigertail Beach:
Magnificent Frigatebird
Reddish Egret
Black-bellied Plover
Snowy Plover
Wilson's Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Sandwich Tern
Burrowing Owl
Seen at different locations in Naples while driving:
Muscovy Duck
House Sparrow
Seen at the North Naples Waste Water Treatment Plant on Goodlette-Frank Rd.:
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Seen in the vicinity of Corkscrew Sanctuary on CR846 aka Immokalee Rd:
Sandhill Crane
Seen in downtown Immokalee:
Rock Pigeon
Total = 100 species (century)
Here's some links to photos of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird coming to the Powderpuff Tree on Laredo Street in East Naples and also of a really cool Cottonmouth seen sunning itself on Wagonwheel Rd. in the Big Cypress National Preserve:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98469&id=1452300618&l=479938ac18
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