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Posted by Vincent Lucas on 15:05:57 04/20/12
Today was the last day my Danish birder friends Anne Borgen Paulsen and Sven Fuglsig would be here in Naples, so naturally, we went out birding this morning! We started at Dona Drive in the Big Cypress National Preserve getting my long put-off Barn Swallow. There were still a few Tree Swallows around as well as the nesting Purple Martins. Anne photographed a banded one. I'm not sure who bands Purple Martins there, perhaps John Kellam or some other biologist at the Big Cypress national Preserve. A Northern Flicker was also present. We then went down to Everglades City and Chokoloskee. Near the marina in Everglades City(?). more Purple Martins and a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper on the "beach"/mudflat area. On the oysterbeds off of the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee, we counted 8 American Oystercatchers -- the most I've ever seen at one time in Collier County. Our next stop, was Lake Trafford Rd. in Immokalee where we found the Red-headed Woodpecker that is always there along with vocalizing Eastern Towhees. Our last stop of the day was the Calvin L. Sirman's Memorial Effluent Reuse Facility where our hoped for Least Bittern did not materialize. Instead, we found many juvenile Green herons, juvenile Black-crowned Herons and Purple Gallinules with fuzzy young. Many Boat-tailed Grackles in all stages of development were also present. Two Forster's Terns remained and all of the expected waders were accounted for. It's been great birding this last week with Anne & Sven and I wish them well in their world travels and birding adventures!
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