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Posted by Cory Gregory on 06:46:37 05/27/11
Birders,
We're visiting from out of state and I've been scouring the message board for quite a while. Thank you for your posts.
Highlights from our trip so far:
Florida Scrub-Jays - Up near Archbold
Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow - Two singing in Everglades NP, 1.1 miles beyond the turn for Mahogany Hammock along the main road.
White-crowned Pigeon - 10-20 in trees at Flamingo. Surprisingly common!
Spot-breasted Oriole - Corner of 97th Ave and 94th St in Kendall. I don't know exactly where the nest is at this corner but we got lucky by spotting on one the power lines above the bus stop.
Red-whiskered Bulbul - Neighborhood just northeast of hospital in Kendall. Up to 3 birds were seen and heard at the same time.
Hill Myna - Neighborhood just north of the hospital in Kendall.
We have a couple main targets that I'm getting concerned about. first is Smooth-billed Ani. We haven't seen any recent sightings of Smooth-billed Ani. We spent hours at the Greenbelt Park yesterday south of the airport but no anis. We also drove around in the neighborhood south of Old Griffin Rd but didn't see many grassy areas remaining (it looks like the grassy area near the 800 warehouse is all tilled up). Have they been seen at any particular spot with any repeatability? We're out of ideas.
Another species we have yet to run into is White-winged Parakeet. We birded around the Kendall hospital for some time yesterday as well as the neighborhood to the north. Not even a whiff of White-winged Parakeets. It seems like someone would know about a nest hole or colony? We did find a couple small flocks of Yellow-chevroned and Mitred parakeets though. We were surprised by not seeing ANY Monk Parakeets either.
We looked for Shiny Cowbirds at Flamingo but nary a blackbird or cowbird at all. Where in the Keys can they be looked for? Any particular spot on Key West?
Lastly, we tried for Snail Kite along Hwy 41 but no luck. We spent a lot of time at the Miccosukee Indian restaurant and area but didn't see a single kite to the north. As I understand it, the Shark Valley Road is closed, would it be worth walking south from the parking lot?? Surely there is a reliable spot somewhere around here!
Many thanks in advance for any help or tips,
Cory Gregory
Ames, Iowa
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