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Posted by Paul Bithorn on 17:34:48 04/04/11
On Sunday, April 3, 2010, I had the distinct pleasure of birding with Betty "Connecticut Shorty" Moylan and Maggie "New York Maggie" Malone, two former Hobo Queens whose father was a legendary hobo named Connecticut Slim. Maggie s daughter, Leigh, and her husband, Chris, joined us for our adventure.
I knew we were going to have a great day of birding, when at our first stop, the Burger King in Virginia Gardens, we found a small flock of Crimson-fronted and Green Parakeets feeding in a Black Olive. Our next stop was Little Havana, where we had great looks at White-winged Parakeets and Spot-breasted Orioles. The area across from Baptist was Bulbul-less but nesting Hill Mynas, Mitred and Monk Parakeets, adult male, juvenile male and female Baltimore Orioles were well worth the stop.
Cutler Wetlands had its usual cornucopia of species, including Northern Harrier, White Pelican, Long-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover and a plover with a dark cap, small bill, white eye-line, a dark smudge behind the eye, spotted breast, beady eye and a small-headed look. We beamed our scopes on the bird waiting for it to lift its wing, which it eventually did. No black armpit!!!!! I called Trey Mitchell to alert him to our find and 90% certainty that we had an American Golden Plover. Trey s photos and video, along with Toes excellent photo, later iced it. We stopped to scan the flock of Caribbean race Cave Swallows back at the bridge on S.W. 216th St. and the Florida Turnpike.
After a lunch stop at Alabama Jacks, and a couple Key West Pale Ales, we soon located a stunning male Yellow Golden Warbler, which shone like a neon light in the Red Mangroves. After crossing Card Sound Bridge we located a feeding Reddish Egret and Roseate Spoonbill and a couple of stops along the road back to US 1, produced Prairie and Northern Parula Warblers, White-eyed Vireos and a kettle of Black and Turkey Vultures, a pair of Ospreys and two falcon-like birds with long tails gliding effortlessly in the thermal. After closer inspection and consulting our field guides, we felt pretty certain that we had an adult and juvenile Missisippi Kite. Not bad for a day s work. We then headed home so they could pack for a birding trip to Costa Rica. Hobos give each other nicknames and Connecticut Shorty nicknamed me the Nowhere Man. Life is good birding with one of the most interesting families I have ever met.
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