Posted by Nancy Freedman on March 12, 2016 at 20:28:48
Ten birders joined me on this breezy, beautiful day. Wakodahatchee was full, hardly any parking places and I got there at 6:45! Highlights here were, of course, the nesting birds. Many, many Wood Storks. Caught a pair mating while simultaneously clacking their bills together. They were even on the back, degraded islands. To our left as we walked on to the boardwalk were nesting Green Herons; Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flew in over us. There was an incredibly beautiful lone male Great Egret displaying. The Neotropic Cormorant spot was mostly inhabited by Cattle Egrets fighting for space. A DC Cormorant juvenile was in a nest hanging his head over the side, looking totally inebriated while his parents stood on both sides of him. Purple Gallinules were grazing in the grass. On the back stretch we encountered a Great Blue stabbing and eventually swallowing a very large fish. And a first for me was seeing two Great Blue's walking along opposite sides of the embankment holding their wings out the entire way, displaying or defending? The grand finale was seeing three newly hatched Gray-headed Swamphens being fed by their parents and taking their first swim. They were so cute! The parking at Green Cay was just as bad, hardly any spaces, plus a 5 min. shower. We saw 3 Soras right away as we made the turn to the right on the boardwalk. We also saw a lion on the boardwalk - figure that one out if you haven't heard about it. (I hadn't). The Martin houses were busy. There are two Eastern Screech Owls on the back boardwalk with a huge corn snake hanging across from them on the other side of the boardwalk. Saw 2 Black-necked Stilts (there had been only one at Wakodahatchee). At both places there was a dirth of ducks, Mottled and Blue-Winged Teal only at Green Cay. We did see 3 Wilson's Snipes. Leaving we found an American Bittern, who had just eaten a snake, just walking around in the open. We had lunch at Loxahatchee on the benches near the Nature Center. When we first arrived there was a Pileated Woodpecker sitting on top of a little white station wagon making for great viewing. With very detailed directions to the owls, obtained thanks to Rich Schofield, we found the nest but not the birds. We didn't trek for the Ani's because they have been seen at various places. All in all, a pretty darn good day in my book!