Posted by John Boyd on October 20, 2001 at 20:14:20:
A small group of 5 birders gathered at the Doc Thomas house this morning for the S. Dade bird trip. Michelle Davis served as subsititute leader. We started by heading to Castellow Hammock, were we saw the adult and immature male Rufous Hummingbirds mentioned recently by Roger Hammer (whom we also sighted). Other birds of note included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Tennessee Warbler, Cooper's Hawk, and unidentified buntings and a couple of Bobolinks overhead.
We then headed toward the Anhinga Trail, stopping on the way at 209th Ave., where a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was a surprise wire bird. We then proceeded to the Coe Visitor's center. Only a few birds were seen there, including a Harrier over the pines.
The next stop was Anhinga Trail, where our birding was interrupted by rain. We had spotted a sparrow just before our long rain delay (which went through lunch). The sparrow was very cooperative, and reappeared on the edge of the parking lot after the rain. It turned out to be a juvenile (not 1st-winter) Chipping Sparrow. We added several warblers, bringing our day's total to 10 (nothing unusual). A walk on Anhinga Trail itself brought Eastern Phoebe, House Wren, and an overflight of Greater Yellowlegs and silent Dowitchers.
Michelle head home at this point. I took the rest of the group to the restoration area. We had a good variety of raptors (all 3 falcons, Eagle, Harrier, Broad-wing and light-morph Swainson's Hawks), Common Snipe, both Yellowlegs, an immature Reddish Egret (a plumage unfamiliar to some of our group...as it was unfamiliar to me last year). 13 White-tailed Deer were on the berm. We picked up Great White Heron at the Taylor Slough bridges on the way out.