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Posted by Bryant Roberts on 19:59:18 12/07/04
I got down to Everglades National Park this Sunday and Monday (12/5,6) with a couple
of stops north of the park on the way down. The best birds at Lucky Hammock were
Magnolia and Wilson’s Warbler at the hammock and a White-throated Sparrow across the
road at the north cut through. The Vermilion Flycatcher was at his usual spot at the
C-111 bridge area as was the one at Paurotis Pond. The high point of the trip for me was
my life Brown-crested Flycatcher at the intersection on research road where the road turns
west towards the research facilities. A walk down the Ingraham Highway Trail at Royal
Palm Hammock produced a Worm-eating Warbler along with three Black-throated Green
Warblers. Three Lesser Nighthawks appeared over the tree line north of Eco Pond at a
little before six in the evening but only one made a brief pass over the pond. Monday
morning there were Cape May Warblers both at the Flamingo Visitors Center and at the
south end of Rowdy Bend Road and a Louisiana Waterthrush on the Mangrove Trail at
West Lake. At about noon there was a dark morph Short-tailed Hawk over West Lake
and a little later there was one soaring north of the marina. There was an adult Lesser
Black-backed Gull at Snake Bight.
Seventeen species of warblers were seen during the trip but buntings were harder to find
than usual. There were plenty of Sharp-shinned Hawk around but I didn’t spot any
Cooper’s Hawks, Merlins, or Peregrines. Goldfinches were abundant everywhere.
Snake Bight Road has been cleared of large obstructions but hasn’t been mowed yet and is
still a bit weedy near the end. Christian Point Trail is still flooded in for the first hundred
and last few hundred yards but the water was no more than ankle deep. Neither trail
produced any Flamingos or much in the way of shorebirds. Bear Lake Road is still closed
to motor vehicles. Mosquitoes are still bad in spots but are getting down to normal winter
levels.
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