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Posted by Vince Lucas on 17:20:03 02/15/05
All:
Yesterday, fellow Caloosans Marie Gonsalo, Vince McGrath and I ventured over to "Terra Mysteriosa" aka the East Coast, to try for several rarities. We were successful in virtually all counts. . . .
First stop was at the Seacrest Scrub Area in Boyton Beach to try for the Black-throated Gray Warbler. Eagle-eyed Vince McGrath found the bird within 15 minutes of our arrival at 9:30AM. It was associating with the same flock of Pine, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers mentioned by others among the Sand & Slash Pines. Here's the directions to where we found this bird:
Go to Trail Marker 4. There will be a sand path off to your right. Take it to another marker (no number but with a yellow-painted top) about 100 feet or so from the chain-linked fence. At this marker, there will be a footpath that runs off to one's left. Take this path about 100 feet or so and this is the general area in which the bird was found.
This was a lifer for both Marie and Vince. Alas, it was a county bird for me, but a very nice county bird! BTW, a flock of Black-hooded Parakeets flew over the park while we were there. Monk Parakeets were in the area as well. Also seen were a small flock of Cedar Waxwings.
Next stop, Wakodatahatchee Wetlands. Good birds here included the Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (3), Least Bittern (1), Sora (2), Purple Gallinule (4), Limpkin (2 or 3), Purple Martin, Forster's Terns, Sharp-shinned Hawk (1), Black-necked Stilt (1), Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal, Rough-winged Swallow (few), and the cutsey nesting Great Blue Herons and Anhingas with goofy-looking young.
Next stop, Ft. Lauderdale International Airport where we readily located the two Smooth-billed and one Groove-billed Anis along the chain-linked fence and Pigeon Plum hedges on Perimeter Road on the south side of the airport. As others have mentioned, we witnessed very strong bonds among this group of anis including at one point, "cuddling" (for lack of a better term) when a small kettle of Black Vultures circled overhead, above the perched group. Note: we observed these birds from the linear park on the south side of Perimeter Rd. This was lifer number two for Marie but just a county bird for the two Vinces. Other birds in the park included Northern Parula, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Belted Kingfisher & American Kestrel.
We next headed south to the Hainlin-Mill/Turnpike Cave Swallow site where we struck out on the West Indian Cave Swallows. Last year's nests were all that were there. We did see a very approachable Green Iguana that was being harrassed by some Laotian/Vietnamese individuals who probably eyed the lizard as lunch.
South Dade Greenbelt & Lucky Hammock were our next stops but not before tracking down a few Common Mynas on the side streets in Redlands. These birds are getting tough to find in this area.
The male Vermilion Flycatcher was looking, well, "vermilion" as ever at its usual perch on the electrical substation on Greenway.
We were somewhat dismayed to see that much of the vegetation and brush on the east side of Jetport Road across from Lucky Hammock appeared to be in the processs of being cleared. Does anyone know why? Is this for agricultural purposes? Anyone?
It was getting late in the afternoon at this point. Marie found a nice flock of American Pipits in the freshly planted field to the east of the hammock. Numbers were estimated at 150 birds. A very lovely Least Flycatcher practiced the art of bug-catching from the scrub area across from the hammock. Marie observed that the bird became more active toward dusk (when more bugs were out) and that it made large flying "loops" starting at 6:00 (on an imaginery clockface) and skyrocketing up to 12:00 then suddenly reversing direction to flycatch its food. Nice!
Other birds seen at Lucky Hammock & vicinity were Painted Punting (few -- mostly females), Brown Thrasher (1), Grasshopper Sparrow (10-12 or so), Common Ground-Dove (4), Northern Flicker (1), American Redstart (female), Northern Parula, Pairie Warbler, Northern Harrier (two birds at separate times - one female & one male) and of course 12-14 Lesser Nighthawks which appeared exactly on time at 6:30PM. Fabulous views of these birds were had by going out into the newly plowed fields on the west/south end of the hammock.
We struck out on Barn Owls at Royal Palm Hammock in E.N.P. but we did hear a Barred Owl. Research Road failed to produce any Whippoorwills although Vince & Marie briefly saw a goatsucker of some sort fly over the car.
We finished the day in Homestead, celebrating our good fortune by eating a good meal at a Mexican restaurant on Krome Avenue. Marie said that getting two life birds in one day was the best Valentine's Day present she ever received. . . .
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