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Posted by Tow on 19:47:47 08/28/05
I mean Toe, sorry. I'm having flashbacks to yesterday. After breaking down at Holeyland Road and getting towed back to Cutler Ridge, I felt I needed to make up for it today. I was really looking forward to the Sod Farm trip. Oh well, I'll get it next year. With a new radiator in my car, I headed down to the Lucky Hammock/ENP area early this morning. I started before 7:00 at the C-111E, which is the first canal after making the curve at Benito Juarez park. In about 15 minutes I saw Eastern Wood Pewee, Great-crested Flycatcher, and 7 warbler species, including both Northern and Louisiana Waterthrush. I then headed toward 217th Avenue in search of Upland Sandpipers. These seem to be fairly abundant in the fields from 217th. Ave. west on the south side of 9336 (maine road to ENP). I even had one within 10 feet of me, without getting out of my car! Around 7:30, I drove down towards Lucky Hammock and I noticed a fairly large shorebird bathing itself at the edge of the water that now covers most of the fields north of 9336 and west of 217th Ave. To my surprise, it was a Whimbrel. Probably still is I suppose. Nice bird; a first for Dade County for me. The western end of the huge flooded field, just on the grass, had a large flock of Black-bellied Plovers and a couple of Yellowlegs. At Lucky Hammock I only found some Redstarts, but the fields to the west had some peeps and Yellowlegs. The field southeast of Lucky had Sandhill Cranes and two Reddish Egrets, and some herons. At the Annex there were some more of the same warblers, plus a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. On my was back to Lucky I met up with John Boyd and we birded together the rest of the morning. We went back for the Whimbrel but couldn't find it. Rats! A stop, again, at Lucky Hammock produced a Lest Flycatcher on the east side across from the Hammock, and John saw an exotic finch (I forget which one, mannakin I think). We couldn't relocate the finch, but did spend some time relocating the Flycatcher until we were fairly satisfied it was a Least. We tried going to ENP, but it's closed. The pines near the visitor's center had a few Eastern Kingbirds. We spent the next while at the Annex, Lucky Hammock and C-111E. Relocated the Least Flycatcher, found some warblers and Uplands and a few other things. John had seen Bank Swallows around 217th street earlier, so after he left, I went back, since this is one of the species I hoped to get at the Sod Farms and I was encouraged now that I knew they were around. I didn't find any around 217th, but did finally see one at the C-111E mixed with some Barns. Not quite a Sod Farm trip, but, I needed this. Got quite a few pointers from John on distinguishing the various Empidonax flycatchers. Thanks! And, had nice morning of birding, with a couple of cool birds thrown in. Wish I could say Life is Good, but it's not easy to say with a magnitude 5 hurricane menacing the Gulf coast. I hope everyone is safe from this monster.
Toe
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