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Posted by Marcello Gomes on 10:32:45 01/01/14
This past week I visited a couple of areas.
Boynton Inlet:
Had 10 Magnificent Frigatebirds flying high (adult males, females, & immatures).
I caught a male with a deflated bag cruising above me. I was also able to observe a very cool courtship dance between an adult male and female. Maybe a post-breeding love was still burning between them.
Also saw another smaller flock of Black Scoters flying north (less than 30).
Red-breasted Mergansers were 4 of them (females).
In another birding opportunity... I went to the Wellington Environmental Preserve on Flying Cow Rd. in Wellington to check out the scene.
In the hour or so walking about 90 minutes I had:
Lots of Blue-winged Teals.
4 Green-winged Teals.
Lots of Palm Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
A few Savannah Sparrows
About 24 Northern Pintails (some adults but the majority were immatures) - they were far in the distance as you enter the property or the northern side.
After seeing 1001 Canada Geese in dozens of lakes and ponds around Florida I finally spotted the single Canada Geese previously posted on TAS birdboard and it was quite real! It took off as I was beginning to approach (luckily it flew parallel towards my direction). Got a shot of course.
Kept going towards the end of end of the property bordering STA1-E and on the utility poles there were several raptors;
2 Red Shouldered Hawks
1 Osprey
1 adult Peregrine Falcon (finally was able to get a shot of one this season -had seen a few immatures recently). What a gorgeous specimen! Was able to get a few angles.
A few American Kestrels were present as well.
1 Caspian Tern near the tower.
1 Wood Stork in a beautiful light (not the one that brought DUMBO back to the circus) - if you ever watched Disney movies, you know what I am talking about.
Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge (30 minutes behind the Visitor Center's building)
Had not much....
Saw an adult male Yellow-belled Sapsucker with its young and they were having an argument as the young was chasing its father around the Bald Cypress trees near the entrance of the boardwalk.
Right around the same area I was able to spot a male Ruby-crowned Kinglet. First, I heard many Gnatcatchers calling, then I thought I heard a House Wren calling but upon closer inspection i realized that that was not the bird. It was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. It gave me a hard time but I don't give up that easily and was able to manage a shot where you see a very tiny red dot (aka "ruby crowned") .
Not anything else seen that interested me.
Green Cay visit couple of days ago:(1 1/2 hours)
The 5 member Purple Swamphen are still present and feasting and fattening themselves on wetland vegetations.
1 Northern Harrier putting on an aerial show.
2 Red-shouldered Hawks being loud and eventually mating...
1 Merlin
Several Sora out and about.
Several male Common Yellowthroats around feeding and actually being somewhat cooperative. Was able to snatch a sweet photo out of it.
1 Purple Gallinule hiding in a distance
Lots of Palm Warblers
A few Eastern Phoebes
Lots of Glossy Ibis
Now, get this...BETTER THAN ANY BIRDS on that cloudy early afternoon at Green Cay was meeting a young boy. Don't know his age but looked like to be about 8. The kid is an Ornithologist in the making! Sharp as a whip the kid (protecting his identity here) was labeling just about every bird that he came into contact with - NO hesitations! The only mistake he made was to label Purple Gallinules for Purple Swamphen - understandable when he s from upstate NY. Obviously he had never seen one and they are not North American native. What an inquisitive mind he had and how mature he was for his age! He told me he was working on a project about 3 different birds. Mother said he began his bird fever about 2 years ago and that is all he is interested in. When I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up...he readily answered: Ornithologist and a Culinary Chef! Wished I had interviewed him on tape or done a video about him - that's how impressive he was. A prodigy I think is what he is. Being bird lovers I hope you enjoyed this report.
That's all folks! A Happy 2014 full of rarities to us all!
Until next time,
Marcello
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