Spindalis- one hit, one miss


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Posted by Abby on 12:15:48 02/27/05

Aireo and I spent Friday in the keys in search of the male and female Western Spindalis. We began at Indigenous Park in Key West around 7 am, but after several hours of searching we came up empty. However we did see some nice birds, including:

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Hermit Thrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Oragne-crowned Warbler
Northern Parula
Prairie Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Cape May Warbler
Indigo Bunting

On to Long Key State Park... we got there around noon, not exactly ideal. Everything was very quiet except for the occasional Priarie Warbler song and catbird call. Aireo opted for a nap in the truck while I continued to circle the island in the parking lot. I found the same Northern Parula and Ovenbird about 5 times each before finally catching a glimpse of a larger bird with a white patch on the wing... and there it was, the female spindalis! It was feeding on berries right across from the trail entrance. I woke Aireo up so he could share the experience. The bird sat right out in the open for us for several minutes before calling and taking off. We followed it for a little longer as it crossed the parking lot and worked the edge opposite the island. Very nice bird!



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