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Posted by Bryant Roberts on 16:51:16 01/08/06
In Reply to: Three Lakes W.M.A. and Lake Apopka Restoration Area posted by Paul Bithorn
I went up to Apopka see the Fork-tailed Flycatcher on Friday, it was a cold and windy day but the bird showed up early at about 4:45 PM and put on a great show coming to within 50 yards of the fence. The Cassin's Kingbird was also seen and was less active than the Western Kingbirds perching in the lower shrubs and never going up to the wires. The Western Kingbirds started arriving at about 4:30 but the Scissor-tailed Flycatchers didn't show up until about 5:30. A Vesper Sparrow was also seen.
I didn't make many stops on the way to the kingbird roosting site but a side trip down Joe Overstreet Road turned up about fifty American Pipits in the first sod field on the right and a couple of Whooping Cranes near the landing.
My base was Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park where I camped Thursday and Friday nights. On Saturday they had one of their Sparrow Roundups where a string of mist nets several hundred yards long was set up and long ropes were dragged towards the net with about about twenty people spaced along the rope acting as beaters flushed sparrows towards the net. My numbers are estimates but about a dozen Bachman's Sparrows were caught along with about a dozen Grasshopper Sparrows two of which were the Florida race; a male and a female. Both had been previously banded; the male with a regular band along with colored bands and the female also carried a small radio transmitter which was replaced. A few Swamp Sparrows were also banded along with a couple of Savannah Sparrows, a Henslow's Sparrow, and an Eastern Meadowlark. We also flushed numerous Sedge Wrens but they managed to avoid the net. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the Henslow's Sparrow before it was captured so it won't go on my year list, but I got some great photos of it.
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