Posted by Mark McShane on February 19, 2017 at 10:11:22
Hi All, Just got home from Key Biscayne a few minutes ago. Paul Sykes and I ventured down to Bill Baggs Friday evening from north Georgia and were the 3rd car in an end out of sight who knows how long line of cars waiting there when the gate opened at 8:00am Saturday morning, and we were the second birders to enter the trail heading out to the site after parking after the park opened. We hurried right out to the location and never looked back until we got out there. When we did look back, the entire trail end section where the bird was being seen on previous days was quickly filled up with what seemed like about 40 shoulder-to-shoulder birders hoping and waiting for a glimpse of the warbler. The Kirtland's would have had to be pretty tame indeed to make an appearance then and there in the trailside wild sage/lantana at the spot. Even if so the lantana fruit there seemed to be virtually gone (I had thought about posting the previous day requesting a trailside lantana fruit status report). We stayed until lunchtime, went and had lunch at the Lighthouse Café, and returned and stayed until we were the last birders leaving at 3:15pm. On the way back to the car we met a couple of returning birders who were heading back out into the area to try again. To my knowledge the bird was not confirmed as being seen or heard on the 18th. Maybe it has grown more shy or is still somewhere nearby where lantana fruit may be more numerous. Good luck to anyone looking for it and please make sure to let everyone know if you find the bird! Good Birding All! Mark Mark McShane Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia www.neargareport.com