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Posted by Toe on 22:18:58 09/27/12
I stopped at Matheson east side in the morning on the way to work and there didn't seem to be too many birds around, but I decided to give it a closer look. I only birded the area from the north parking lot to the bathroom. Surprisingly I came up with 8 warbler species, with the best being a Chestnut-sided, Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrush, Baltimore Oriole (adult male), Summer Tanager (adult male in full breeding), Painted Bunting, and a (the) Bell's Vireo in the brushy area just north of where you park. I couldn't stay long, but I stopped again on the way home late in the day and checked out the service road and the west side of the hammock. I added three more warblers, including Swainson's, and a Mississippi Kite along with several groups of Sharp-shinned Hawks heading south. The kite took me by surprise, since I had already seen several groups of 3-4 Sharp-shinneds flying south, but after one group of 3 hawks I noticed a slightly larger bird that did a couple of circles behind the rest of the group. If it hadn't done that, I wouldn't have stayed on it and watched it fly over. When I realized what it was, I quickly pulled up the camera but didn't focus on it before it flew behind some trees. My first Dade County Mizzippi Kite was seen only a few feet from this same spot! Lots of raptor activity, so keep looking up! (but don't forget to look down and to the sides too, especially when driving)
The 2 hour list for today:
Mississippi Kite
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Bell's Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Swainson's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie
Summer Tanager
Baltimore Oriole
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