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Posted by Carlos Sanchez on 20:25:19 11/10/12
I spent the entire day birding the Everglades today (11/10). It was slow at times (it feels like many wintering species have not yet arrived in force, plus water levels are very high everywhere in the park), but there were many great birds around.
Research Road had a pretty large flock of late migrant (?) swallows that included Barn, Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. The parking lot across the street from the Dan Beard Research Center had two CHIPPING SPARROWS.
The Royal Palm (Anhinga Trail/Gumbo Limbo Trail) area was relatively quiet. Anhinga Trail had a Purple Gallinule, while Gumbo Limbo had Broad-winged Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Magnolia Warbler, and two Black-throated Green Warblers in addition to the more common species.
Gate 15 had an adult Bald Eagle harassing a flock of White Ibis. At the same time, a Peregrine Falcon was dive bombing the eagle.
The Flamingo area probably had the most activity for the day. Shorebirds included Black-bellied Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone, and Short-billed Dowitcher. A feeding flock on the Guy Bradley Trail had a Yellow Warbler, while a White-winged Dove was a strange surprise on that trail. Other birds included Roseate Spoonbill, Short-tailed Hawk, and American White Pelican.
On my way out, a stop at West Lake was very productive as there was a large mixed raft of ducks that included American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, and two drake REDHEADS.
All in all, a fantastic day in the glades with 85 species seen and an additional 5 or so heard only.
Carlos
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