[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Carlos Sanchez on 08:20:37 03/18/13
I birded the area around Lucky Hammock, the Annex, and Everglades National Park (ENP) Sunday. Here are some of the highlights:
Taylor Creek Bridge (ENP) at dawn - Marsh Wren in full song; single Swamp Sparrow.
Lucky Hammock - the spreader canal on the east side of Aerojet Road has almost entirely dried out, leaving behind a quickly shrinking ephemeral wetland. For the moment, it is providing excellent shorebird habitat with both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, and a single STILT SANDPIPER. It has also hosted Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Snipe, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER in the past few days.
The Annex - very birdy with first year male ORCHARD ORIOLE, a couple Northern Waterthrush, multiple Indigo and Painted Buntings, half a dozen Swamp Sparrows.
Everglades National Park (Research Road) - although I paid a visit to this site at around noon, it was extremely birdy with what seemed to be a fallout of Gray Catbirds. They were everywhere, constantly streaming across the road in multiples throughout! Some were even flying around in the sawgrass prairies. I wonder if the clearing of Brazilian Pepper in the area is somehow related to this massive concentration? Highlights included a very late AMERICAN GOLDFINCH flying over the sawgrass prairie area, a Louisiana Waterthrush feeding on mud in a ditch by the road, and a nice feeding flock in the tropical hardwood hammock near Gate 13 that included a bright male Black-throated Green Warbler and an early HOODED WARBLER.
Everglades National Park (Paurotis Pond) - Lots of heavy flight traffic as Wood Storks bring back nesting material to build their nests. Roseate Spoonbills were also conspicuous and easy to see. A Swallow-tailed Kite swooped in low through the trees, making for a great way to end a half-day of birding.
Carlos
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]