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Posted by Vincent Lucas on 16:33:46 02/10/12
I went out once again to search for my Bird-A-Day. I headed east from Naples out CR846 (Immokalee Rd.) to CR858 (Oil Well Rd.). I didn't see anything of interest save for four or so Crested Caracaras on those routes so when I got to SR29 at Sunniland, I turned south and went to Oil Well Park. Oil Well Park is a small public park in Sunniland, which has Florida's first commercial oil derrick. Oil was discovered in 1943, and although oil did not pump from this exact location, the equipment was moved here as a public display. The coolest sighting there were 3-4 tom turkeys displaying for a half-dozen hens. I thought it was Thanksgiving and I nearly got out my brown and orange crayons and traced my spread fingers on some paper to make a turkey like we used to do back in first or second grade! From Oil Well Park, I went back up to CR858 and headed east of SR29. I stopped where I usually find Grasshopper Sparrows but they weren't home. As a consolation prize, I saw a few Painted Buntings, a House Wren, a Gray Catbird and a male Northern Cardinal. At the twin bridges on Oil Well Rd., I saw several Limpkins, a Black-crowned Night-Heron, a few Mottled Ducks plus all of the other usual waders. I was really trying for a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher that can reliably be found on County Line Rd. (north-south leg of CR858) but with the darkening skies, it didn't look promising. After several attempts, I found the bird on the wires at the M.E.D. Farms where it had just flown in from feeding in the nearby fields. Also seen were some Loggerhead Shrike, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Northern Harriers. I made the loop back up to Immokalee Rd. but try as I might, i could not find a Wilson's Snipe in any of the "appropriate" habitat. Where are these birds this winter? Even out at STA-5, they are not common this winter. I could not find the female Snail Kite that has been present in a small wetland west of the Immokalee Ranch either. This is the first time I've missed her since December. This was the only Snail Kite for which I am aware in Collier County. From there, I paid a visit to my friend's feeders in Immokalee. Despite the fact that the Midney's new neighbors totally eradicated all of the "cover" for these feeder birds i.e. Painted & Indigo Buntings, Chipping Sparrows, White-winged Doves and last year Pine Siskins & American Goldfinch, these birds are still coming to the feeders which have been moved closer to existing trees and bushes. However, when I was there this morning, at least three stray(?) cats were hiding under the Night-blooming Jasmine bush where the bunting feeders generally hang out. That is not good either! An abused emaciated chihuahua by evidence of marks on its face and torso also was in the area where I parked. This tore my heart out having had two chihuahuas myself. I gave it some water, which is all I had, and won it's trust to some extent. It clearly was afraid of humans and rightfully so. I can't imagine how some heartless bastard could abuse such a loving little creature. I hope what goes around comes around as the saying goes. After leaving the Midneys. I went up to lake Trafford Rd. where the Red-headed Woodpecker was in its "usual" spot. On a whim, I went over to the Calvin L. Sirmans Memorial Effluent Reuse Facility. To my surprise, the gate was open and there was a worker nearby. I asked permission to go in to look at birds on the holding ponds and was told it was OK. Yipee! At the ponds, I found the usual waders, coots and moorhens plus 6 Greater yellowlegs, 4 Eastern Meadowlarks, 3 Savannah Sparrows, 2 Purple Gallinules, 2 Soras (one heard and one seen), 25+ Pied-billed Grebes and one American Bittern which was my bird-a-day. No ducks or terns of any kind! After leaving this area, I headed back down Immokalee Rd. toward home. Over 125 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks plus about 20 or so Blue-winged Teal and other expected species were at the farm pond 1/2 mile east of Oil Well Grade Rd., their usual location. My final stop was at Gulf Coast H.S. where the two mated Monk Parakeets were together in their stick nest. Can't wait to see the youngin's!
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