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Posted by Brian Rapoza on 16:12:57 08/25/12
Bill Boeringer, Roberto Torres and I visited the Everglades Agricultural Area in Palm Beach County today, primarily to search for the Hudsonian Godwit reported on Thursday at the King Ranch sod fields on US 27. We arrived just before dawn at King Ranch and scoped all of the sod fields, but failed to find the godwit. Mottled Duck, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Pectoral Sandpiper Common Nighthawk, Eastern Kingbird and Purple Martin were among the scattered birds seen at this location. We eventually moved on to a flooded field on the west side of US 27 and north of King Ranch, where we found two Marbled Godwits, not the hoped-for godwit but still an unusual find for this inland location. Other shorebirds here included Black-necked Stilt, both yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Stilt and Least Sandpiper, Dunlin (seen by Toe), and both dowitchers (identified by call). Other birds seen here included Fulvous and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill and Gull-billed and Black Tern.
We spent the rest of the morning on and around CR 880 east of Belle Glade. Several Upland Sandpipers were at sod fields at Six Mile Bend, on CR 880 just east of Browns Farm Road. We checked flooded fields off Brown's Farm Road, Sam Senter Road and Sem Chi Road, adding Semipalmated Plover, American Avocet, Willet, and Spotted, Solitary, Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. We ended our day with a respectable 21 shorebird species. Caspian and Least Tern and Black Skimmer were also added. A few Bank Swallows were among the thousands of Barn Swallows seen throughout the area.
Overcast skies, a pre-Isaac breeze and only occasional light sprinkles made for extremely pleasant birding conditions; it was cool enough pre-dawn that a sweater or jacket would have come in handy. I can't recall ever enjoying the weather at the EAA in August!
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