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Posted by Rick Schofield on 15:37:36 10/30/13
A quite reasonably-sized group of 12 met in the pitch black to view the morning flyout at Loxahatchee NWR this morning at 6:30 am. The mosquitos were bad -- not nearly as bad as at Snake Bight -- but they left shortly after sun up. You normally need to be there 1 hour before sunrise so as not to miss anything good. Today, however, we didn't need to be there quite so early but it did give us time to exchange pleasantries and inquire how everyone's summer went.
We wondered where all the birds were for the flyout and were concerned that this could be another bust. But -- eventually -- they started to leave the interior of the refuge on their way to wherever it is that they go for the day (golf courses included!).
We had reasonable numbers of Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Herons; Great Egrets; and Limpkins. There were large numbers of Black-crowned Night-Herons and even larger numbers (hundreds, if not thousands) of White and Glossy Ibises. The prize for largest numbers, though, goes to the Grackles -- Common and Boat-tailed (with whoever knows whatever was mixed in) -- swarms like locusts!
All-in-all, I'd say it was a decent flyout -- neither bust nor spectacle. Because of the timing, I try to view it during Daylight Savings Time. Standard Time requires you to be there around 5:30 am, which is way too early for me. So, while anyone is welcome to view the flyout on their own time (remember, though, that the Loxahatchee gates don't open until 6:00 am), I won't be leading another group there until next spring.
So... On to our post-flyout walk.
We didn't have a whole lot of birds but we did have a decent number (45 species) and a good variety -- Indigo and Painted Buntings, Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue Warblers, Black-and-White Warblers, Yellow-throated Vireo, and lots of Common Yellowthroats. The complete list follows.
It's nice to be back in South Florida. I look forward to more walks at Loxahatchee and joining field trips with both Tropical Audubon and Audubon of the Everglades.
Rick
Loxahatchee NWR--Marsh Trail, Palm Beach, US-FL
Oct 30, 2013 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Weekly Wednesday morning birdwalk, Marsh Trail, Loxahatchee NWR, Boynton Beach, Florida. 12 birders. Rick Schofield, leader.
45 species
Blue-winged Teal X
Green-winged Teal X
Anhinga X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Little Blue Heron X
Tricolored Heron X
Black-crowned Night-Heron X
White Ibis X
Glossy Ibis X
Roseate Spoonbill 1
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey 1
Red-shouldered Hawk X
Common Gallinule X
American Coot X
Limpkin X
Sandhill Crane 1 flyover
Killdeer X
Mourning Dove X
Belted Kingfisher X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Pileated Woodpecker 5
American Kestrel 1
Eastern Phoebe X
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Blue Jay X
Carolina Wren X
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird X
Black-and-white Warbler 4
Common Yellowthroat X
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 female
Palm Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal X
Indigo Bunting X
Painted Bunting X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Boat-tailed Grackle X
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15525709
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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