[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Rick Schofield on 14:12:29 04/25/13
The organized birdwalk season at Loxahatchee normally comes to an end with a whimper but not this season. We had a nice group of 12 people (not the usual 3 or 4), the weather was quite nice (not blazingly hot and humid), and we had more than enough surprise sightings.
Before we even had a chance to start, I had an American Bittern cross Lee Rd directly in front of me as I checked out the Boat Launch area. And back in the Marsh Trail parking lot we had our regular female Snail Kite circling and grabbing Apple Snails in C-6 (the water impoundment closest to Lee Rd).
Carrie, in the mean time, had captured great photos of a pair of Wood Ducks in C-6 before they were scared off by machinery moving by. And, speaking of ducks, we had a fly-over of a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks as we got ready to start the walk.
On our way to the Visitors' Center to check for warblers and other little birds, we stopped to check on the nest cavities in a power pole at the edge of the bus parking lot. I was telling those who hadn't already heard the tale of the Pileated Woodpeckers who carved out the cavity but were then kicked out by a bunch of snarly Starlings. The Starlings didn't really care about the spot -- they just wanted to demonstrate their exceedingly nasty nature -- and they moved on shortly thereafter. The cavity was then taken over by a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers. I honestly can't remember if they were successful in raising a brood. In any case, the Red-bellies were eventually kicked out by a pair of Nandays who, like the Starlings, didn't bother to stick around for long.
End-of-story?
I thought so until I checked out what appeared to be some detritus showing from the cavity opening. It tuned out to be an Eastern Screech-Owl (Red Phase) checking us out. We've had them along the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk for many years but their boxes were taken over by bees and we had seen none this season.
We moved to the Visitors' Center getting singing Northern Parulas and lots of Gray Catbirds (singing as well) along the way. Behind the Center we had more Parulas, Catbirds, a medium-sized flock of Cedar Waxwings, a couple of male American Redstarts, one (or two) Green Herons perching in the tops of some cypresses, and a Northern Waterthrush in one of the ponds where the feeding frenzy took place a couple of weeks ago.
The Monk Parakeet nest gets larger each week but the Great Horned Owls have moved along. Red-bellies were everywhere joined by a Downy or two.
Near the C-6 pavilion we had a Palm Warbler and a Yellow-rumped Warbler in the same cypress. I know that Yellow-rumps should be gone by now but we all got good looks and there was no question as to what it was. On the other side of the road, while checking out the nesting Pileated Woodpeckers, we had some Chimney Swifts overhead.
Circling back to the Marsh Trail we had the male Snail Kite snatching and eating Apple Snails from C-6. He perched directly in front of us on the top of a spindly cypress. (Why didn't I take some photos?)
There was not much going on in the LILA area (where we occasionally get more Snail Kites); there were no cows in C-8 this trip; the Red-shouldered Hawks appear to have abandoned their nest (they are, in my words, stupid hawks who haven't, after 5 or 6 years, figured out how to successfully raise a family); and we could not locate any buntings along the canal that separates Loxahatchee from Bedner's Farm Stand.
While compiling our list in the Marsh Trail pavilion, Sally spotted a distant Roseate Spoonbill and Sue heard and then saw a small flock of shorebirds flying overhead. We we lucky that they made several passes and we able to determine that they were Greater Yellowlegs.
When I went to turn in the compilation list at the Visitors' Center, two Great Crested Flycatchers that we had seen and heard earlier were attacking their reflections in the windows. They weren't about to give up.
Well, that's it for this season. I apologize for not posting as many reports as I should have -- hopefully next year I'll do better. Until next fall, I wish everyone a great summer and a bird-filled fall migration.
Rick
Loxahatchee NWR--Marsh Trail, Palm Beach, US-FL
Apr 24, 2013 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Weekly Wednesday morning birdwalk, Marsh Trail, Loxahatchee NWR, Boynton Beach, Florida. 12 birders. Rick Schofield, leader.
56 species
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2
Wood Duck 2 (1 each, male and female)
Mottled Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Wood Stork
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Snail Kite 2 (1 each, male and female)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Common Gallinule (including some chicks)
American Coot
Limpkin
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-Owl 1 (red morph)
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker (1 each, male and female. In nest cavity)
Nanday Parakeet
Monk Parakeet (building nest)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 (seen and confirmed by all in group)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13867656
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]