Posted by Vincent Lucas on February 25, 2002 at 21:54:12:
In Reply to: 2/24 - Smooth-billed Anis in Homestead posted by Marquette Crockett on February 24, 2002 at 14:44:53:
Marquette:
Glad you saw the Smooth-billed Anis in Homestead. Ironically, several of us were there on Sunday morning 2/24/02 about 11:00AM and didn't find them! We didn't find the Cassin's Kingbird on SW 344th (Palm Dr.) near Homestead High School either, but did find the two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. We had a total of seven Scissor-taileds (& three Western Kingbirds) in the Kendall/Homestead area. We had five along the Black Creek Canal. One had the longest tail I've ever seen on a Scissor-tailed! To reach this area, we continued on the agricultural road over the railroad tracks paralleling the canal where the Dickcissel et al had been previously seen in West Kendall. (We saw virtually nothing here, perhaps due to the strong winds.) Eventually, the "road" turns south along a large "hedgerow" of Brazilian Pepper. About .5 to .75 miles down this south "leg" on the right is where we had the birds.
We also found two Spot-breasted Orioles just south of the Royal Palm Tennis Courts and Red-whiskered Bubuls, Mitred Conures, Yellow-chevroned Parakeets, Hill Mynas etc. in other areas nearby.
Along S.R. 9446, sitting in an ag field across the highway from Lic. Benito Juarez Park, we had a female Peregrine Falcon. The bird was acting uncharacteristically as it was easily approachable and only flew a hundred feet or so before again landing and laying in the dirt. We think that it might have been ill or injured. Could someone nearby see if this bird is still there and if so, still behaving uncharacteristically? Perhaps it needs to be captured and taken to a rehabber?
Good birding!
Vincent Lucas
Naples