[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by John Boyd on 19:36:35 11/17/12
Fifteen birders joined me for today TAS trip to Everglades National Park. Two of the group noticed a King Rail beside the entrance road to Coe Visitor's Center when they arrived. Several of us looked for it. Although it called, and we saw ripples from it, we could not see it.
After everyone had assembled, we headed back east to the C-111 canal were we found lots of Loggerhead Shrikes and Eastern Meadowlarks to go with the male and female Vermilion Flycatchers. The female remained on the north side of the road, but the male spent time on both sides, sometimes sitting near the female. We also saw 3 White-tailed Kites from this vantage point. We then checked the area near the Aerojet Rd. intersection. An Ash-throated Flycatcher was working the north side of the road about 200 yards east of the intersection.
Lucky Hammock brought us a flashy American Redstart and a Black-throated Green Warbler. We also found a couple of Swainson's Hawks (one flew directly over us a little later). We then headed up back toward the main road to see the Tropical Kingbird with the two Western Kingbirds.
We also saw Roseate Spoonbills and a Bald Eagle before we headed on to Anhinga Trail. Little
was added at Anhinga Trail. Given the time and tide, I opted to go directly to Flamingo. We had lunch at the picnic tables under the breezeway. Reddish Egret, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great White Heron and Wurdemann's Heron were some of the highlights during lunch. Had we seen more shorebirds, it would have meant a century day for me. As it was, I would end the day with 97 species (a little more for the group).
A walk on the Guy Bradley trail added only a few species, but we did see a Short-tailed Hawk above the ampitheater and a Pine Warbler near the parking lot. We returned to our cars and headed to Eco Pond. We found 6 female or immature Painted Buntings and two Pygmy Rattlesnakes. As we were about to leave, a Pileated Woodpecker flew in and perched on one of the dead trees on the island. I don't think I've ever one at Eco Pond before.
Mrazek Pond added Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Then it was off to West Lake. A good-sized duck flock was present. After some study, we ended up with 2 Ruddy Ducks, about 6 Redheads, lots of Ring-necked Ducks, 4 or more Lesser Scaup, lots of American Wigeon, and one female Northern Pintail. The pintail was hard to spot as it spent a lot of time with its head down and kept on the move. An American Avocet dropped in while we were studying the duck flock.
By now it was getting late, and we headed back toward Long Pine Key with stops at Nine Mile Pond and Paurotis Pond. Neither added much, but some of saw some Wood Storks. My last new bird for the day was Myrtle Warbler at Long Pine Key. The group ended with at least 100 species.
The list below includes only what I saw or heard, including a couple of species seen on the way down.
Ruddy Duck
Muscovy Duck
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Blue-winged Teal
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Pied-billed Grebe
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Rock Pigeon
Common Ground-Dove
Sandhill Crane
King Rail
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Wood Stork
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Cattle Egret
American Egret
Great Blue Heron (inc Great White Heron and Wurdemann's Heron)
Green Heron
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-bellied Plover
American Avocet
Killdeer
Dunlin
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Osprey
White-tailed Kite
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Great Crested Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Vermilion Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
House Sparrow
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Myrtle Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Grasshopper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]