Homestead Sparrows, Airjet Pipit, and a Western Ho-Down at Spin Dallas (Nov. 17th & 18th)

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: Michelle Davis and I did some quick birding yesterday evening and this morning in and around Homestead. Yesterday evening we stopped by the agro-fields/roadside vegetation on S. Airjet road (the road to the “Youth Camp”, off 392 st, between the intersection of 217th ave and the C-111 canal; ¼ mile before the entrance to Everglades National Park). Last night michelle pointed out several night-calls that she identified as migrating sparrows...that coupled with the thousands of shooting stars this morning gave us some feeling of optimism as we embarked for the Sparrow Fields (on the west side of sw 217th ave, at the intersection of 344th st.). : Here’s a very partial list....partial to the birds I can remember and that were not dirt common. : Yesterday evening at Airjet Rd. : Wilson’s Warbler (adult male) : Black-throated Green Warbler (1) : American Pipit (1) : Limpkin (1) : Great White Heron (1) : Cooper’s Hawk (adult) : House Wren (1) : This morning at the Sparrow fields : Savannah Sparrow (50+) : Grasshopper Sparrow (15-20 at least...with only a small corner of the field covered and perching in low, open shrubs!) : Clay-colored Sparrow (at least 1) : White-tailed Kite (2) : N. Harrier (3) : Red-shouldered Hawk (1) : This morning at Airjet Road : CJ Grimes (1) : American Pipit (1 flyover) : Least Flycatcher (2 counter calling!) : Swainson’s Hawk (1 light morph juv.) : Sharp Shinned Hawk (probable male) : Cooper’s Hawk (probable male) : Wood Stork : Savannah Sparrow (6) : House Wren (1) : Today at Bill Baggs SP : Spindalis zena (1) (Western Spindalis; Stripe-headed Tanager; That bird with the orange/yellow arse) : -possible directions are to walk 100 feet down the trail (see L. Mandingo’s previous posts), look to the hammock for three or four young trees with ratty pink flagging tape (really short) tied to them. once you’re in the middle of those trees, walk parallel to the footpath until you come under a mix of a fig tree, a sea grape, and a sabal palm. You should come to the sabal palm first, the sea grape should be directly in front of you about 20 feet, and the ficus just behind it and to the left. Listen for the “seep”- it’s almost sparrowlike (maybe because of all the savannah’s we heard today!). The bird was feeding semi-actively while we were there. You’ll probably hear it before you see it- so if something is calling incessantly, you’ve most likely got it. : Good birdwatching! : cheers : David : ____________________________________ : David La Puma : Graduate Research : Conservation Biology : Florida International University : woodcreeper@yahoo.com : "When DDT was first invented, my Dad brought some home -- there was a whole bag of it in the closet. I didn't eat it or anything, but he said you could -- it was supposed to be 'safe', it only killed bugs." : -Frank Zappa ,1998, from The Real Frank Zappa Book

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