[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Bryant Roberts on 19:38:28 06/26/11
I stopped by the H. A. Campbell Public Use Area on my way to do some early scouting of the Belle Glade area for likely shorebird sites later in the summer. When I arrived there were about a thousand Purple Martins on the wires between the parking area and the impoundments. I walked around the southeast quadrant of the impoundment area and saw hundreds of Black-necked Stilts but only a few other shorebirds; about three Greater Yellowlegs, five Black-bellied Plovers, and a few Killdeer. There was single American White Pelican in the northern section along with a couple of American Coots. The most surprising ducks were a pair of Blue-winged Teal. Along with the usual marsh birds and waders there were about thirty Roseate Spoonbills, ten Purple Swamphens, three Least Bitterns, and five Limpkins. The Limpkins were the first I have seen there in several years of visits and while I have seen Snail Kites northwest of the impoundment area I have never seen them over the impoundments. I have wondered if herbicides containing copper which is toxic to snails may have been used in the impoundment area. There were a few Mussel shells on the levee near where the Limpkins were seen which may have been what they were eating.
Brown s Farm Road looks promising for late summer with several flooded fields. Some of the more interesting birds seen there today were 180 Roseate Spoonbills, a Black Tern, Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, and Barn, Bank, and Tree Swallows.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]