[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Vincent Lucas on 17:33:17 03/08/11
This past Sunday, when I was with the Covill family from Marco Island at the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve in Collier County, we very briefly saw a bird that was initially called a Northern Parula based on a glimpse of a warbler with two wing bars and some yellow coloration around the throat, etc. The bird was high in a Bald Cypress and never came down and then flew off with a mixed flock of Tufted Titmouse, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, etc. I distinctly remember telling the others that I didn't think it was a Northern Parula but with such a brief glimpse of the bird, I was hesitant to call it. Then yesterday, on the SWFLBirdline, Julie Long of Sanibel and St Charles, Illinois, reported a Blue-winged Warbler as well as a Worm-eating Warbler at the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk. I thought to myself, that warbler with the wing bars we saw wasn't a Northern Parula but rather, a Blue-winged Warbler! So early this morning, I went back to the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk and refound the bird. It is indeed a Blue-winged Warbler, probably a first-winter female but I'm not certain. As on Sunday, the bird was high in the Bald Cypress canopy and only allowed fleeting glimpses. Nice bird and #168 for my Collier County Big year list. I could not find the Worm-eating Warbler reported by Julie but saw the Northern Waterthrush at the end of the boardwalk in the ever-shrinking gator hole. The other "expected" species were also present. I spent about 1.5 hours on the boardwalk.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]