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Posted by Vincent Lucas on 21:38:38 01/21/06
While Ron Smith was seeking out new avian treasures in Hardee County, today's trip to STA-5 in Hendry County, organized and led by the intrepid Margaret England of the recently formed Hendry-Glades County Audubon Society, was a study in comparisons and contrasts to our trip there two weeks ago. Instead of 5 or 6 attendees, there were over 25, some coming from as far away as Sarasota. Some numbers of species were similar to numbers seen two weeks ago and some were less. A few species were new to the on-going list at STA-5, while others were lacking entirely. And so it goes.
Four of us started out from Naples about 6:00AM following our "usual" route of CR846 through Immokalee on to CR833 further east and then CR835 to Blumberg Rd. & STA-5. We just had to make a few stops en route to bird of course. In a cow pond east of the town of Immokalee on CR846, our first stop, since it had been too dark to bird prior to this, we found a lone cooperative Black-bellied Whistling-Duck and a Roseate Spoonbill among the numerous Wood Storks, egrets & herons. Sharp-eyed Arthur Wilson spotted a nice Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a telephone line about 1/2 mile further east (or north) of Canon Hammock County Park on CR835. A nice flock of 50 or more American Robins were also flybys in the vicinity of Canon Hammock County Park. Other "usual" birds seen over the cane fields or along Blumberg Rd. were Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, Common Yellowthroat, Common Ground-Dove & Eastern Meadowlark.
STA-5 was fantastic as usual with the myriad American Coots, eleven species of ducks, most in good numbers, huge flocks of American White Pelicans plus shorebirds, waders, raptors, swallows, etc. etc.
Most notable species seen, beside the absolutely phenomenal numbers of both whistling-ducks, were at least one or possibly two American Golden-Plovers (No black "armpits" in flight, noticeable dark cap & white supercilium); at least two Barn Swallows (as compared to over 75 seen two weeks ago at STA-5); a few dozen Long-billed Dowitchers, two Black Skimmers; one Caspian Tern; two American Bitterns; two Peregrine Falcons & two Bald Eagles (one adult & one subadult).
Here's the complete species list for STA-5 for today, January 21, 2006 -- includes birds seen along Blumberg Rd:
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Black-bellied Whistling Duck (many more i.e. >100 seen today versus two weeks ago)
Fulvous Whistling-Duck >1000
American Wigeon
Mallard (one male)
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Purple Swamphen
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Black-bellied Plover >4-5
American Golden-Plover 1-2
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt >12
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher >25
Wilson's Snipe
Caspian Tern (1)
Black Skimmer (2)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Loggerhead Shrike
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow >300
Barn Swallow (2)
Northern Mockingbird
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Savannah Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Boat-tailed Grackle
Others on the trip may want to add any addition sightings.
After leaving STA-5, several of us went into Clewiston for a much-needed pit stop. Along the way, we found a Crested Caracara sitting on the top of a telephone pole along CR835. At the McDonald's on SR80 in Clewiston, we easily found two Common Mynas plus the usual European Starlings, Fish Crows, Ring-billed & Laughing Gulls & Rock Pigeons.
Next, we made a visit to the Dinner Island Ranch WMA off of CR833, southeast of Clewiston. We had a few obliging Swamp Sparrows along with much greater numbers of Savannah Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, Sandhill Cranes (x4), Eastern Phoebe, American Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher plus the usual waders, etc. A pair of "odd" or bizarre ducks (hybrids of possibly Northern Shovelers & Mottled?????) gave us reason to pause. Not much else was seen at Dinner Island Ranch WMA but the place definitely has potential!
After biding adieut to Margaret & friends, the original four of us from Naples went back home via CR858 near the Hendry County Correctional Facility in extreme eastern Collier County/western Hendry County. In it's usual spot out in the cow pasture (on the west side of CR 858 between the 12th & 13th telephone pole north from where CR 858 makes the right turn at the Correctional Facility) we found the female Vermilion Flycatcher flycatching from small bushes where I'd originally found it back in December. Where it had been in the interim (I've searched for it several times to no avail) is anyone's guess. But here it was now. All of us had great looks at this rare Collier County winter visitor. We also had two more Scissor-tailed Flycatchers as well as two Western Kingbirds in the same general vicinity.
A great fitting end to a great day of birding here in South Florida. . . .
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