Posted by Brian Rapoza on May 09, 2004 at 10:46:59:
Dick Cunningham and I covered Everglades National Park for Saturday's North American Migration Count. We arrived at the Park at 5:45am. Chuck-wills-widows were calling from every direction in the area around the entrance station. One was flying around the parking lot at Royal Palm; it was soon joined by a Common Nighthawk. We heard no owls while in the park, but we sure did see one; a Barred Owl on Gumbo Limbo Trail, perched at eye level only six feet from the path!
Anhinga Trail was quiet, with a few Anhingas, Double-crested Cormorants, and Green Herons present. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gray Catbird, Blackpoll Warbler and Eastern Kingbird were the only migrants seen or heard here. Black-whiskered Vireo and Pileated Woodpecker were heard calling on the Gumbo Limbo Trail; a single American Redstart was seen. Research Road produced our only Eastern Bluebird of the day.
Mahogany Hammock was also quiet, though on our return to the parking lot, we sighted a group of three Northern Harriers flying southbound(?) over the parking lot. A single Cape May Warbler was also found.
The roost at Paurotis Pond was active, with large numbers of Wood Storks and other waders, including Roseate Spoonbills. West Lake produced two Swallow-tailed Kites, as well as a lone American White Pelican and Caspian Tern, plus our first singing Prairie Warblers of the day. Mrazek Pond had only a small group of Least Sandpipers. The road to the residential area in Flamingo produced a Black-whiskered Vireo, as well as several Great-crested Flycatchers.
Brown-headed Cowbirds were numerous in the grassy areas around Flamingo, but no Shiny Cowbirds were seen. Gray Kingbirds were seen and heard around the visitor's center. A pair of Black-necked Stilts, as well as Black-bellied and Wilson's Plovers, and a Reddish Egret were on the mudflats off the visitor's center. A Limpkin was the highlight of a stop at Eco Pond. More Swallow-tailed Kites, as well as Eastern Kingbird and Downy Woodpecker were seen in the Flamingo campground. A Spotted Sandpiper was spotted flying over the Buttonwood Canal along Bear Lake Road. Another Eastern Kingbird was seen at Pine Glade Lake.
We ended our day at Long Pine Key, which was open in spite of a prescribed burn on the east side of the entrance road. Warblers were found on both the nature trail and in the campground, with Pine, Blackpoll, Northern Parula, Cape May, American Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat seen or heard. Other birds seen or heard here were Swallow-tailed Kite, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Towhee and Northern Flicker. Also seen in the campground was my first ever Hispid Cotton Rat!