Posted by Brian Rapoza on May 05, 2018 at 21:29:53
Thirteen birders joined me for this morning's birding trip to North Key Largo. We met at the Cracker Barrel in Florida City, where Common Myna and our first Gray Kingbird was seen; we also experienced our first rain shower of the morning.. On the way down Card Sound Road towards Key Largo, some in my car saw a Barn Owl and Pileated Woodpecker cross the road ahead of us. At Alabama Jacks, we quickly found a singing "Golden" Yellow Warbler. Other birds encountered during a walk to the Card Sound Bridge and back included Red-breasted Merganser, White-crowned Pigeon, Blackpoll, Cape May and Prairie Warbler and Brown-headed Cowbird. In Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge along Card Sound Road, we spotted a Roseate Spoonbill and I heard a Clapper Rail calling from a nearby mangrove island. At Carysfort Circle, we heard our first Black-whiskered Vireo even before my car had come to a complete stop. We obtained great looks at this bird and several others during our walk around the circle. Other birds seen there included White-crowned Pigeon, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, Common Yellow-throat, Blackpoll, Cape May, Black-throated Blue and Palm Warbler, Painted Bunting and Bobolink. We spent the rest of the morning on a permit-required trail in Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park, where we encountered a group from the Miami Blue chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. Soon after both groups hit the trail, we experienced another brief rain shower. Bird activity seemed to pick up considerably once the rain stopped. Most numerous were Northern Waterthrush, which were walking in the road in every direction we looked! Other warblers seen there: Ovenbird, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and Black-and-white, Worm-eating, Blackpoll, Cape May and Black-throated Blue Warbler. We also had great looks at two Mangrove Cuckoos; other birds tallied along the trail include Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed and Black-whiskered Vireo, Carolina Wren and Swainson's Thrush. Among the butterflies seen was a very cooperative Schaus' Swallowtail! We ended our morning, as is tradition for this last TAS walk of the birding season, with a delicious lunch at the Buzzard's Roost on Key Largo. Here's the trip list (52 species): Red-breasted Merganser Double-crested Cormorant Brown Pelican Green Heron White Ibis Roseate Spoonbill Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Red-shouldered Hawk Clapper Rail Laughing Gull Royal Tern White-crowned Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Common Ground-Dove Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Mangrove Cuckoo Barn Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Great Crested Flycatcher Gray Kingbird White-eyed Vireo Black-whiskered Vireo American Crow (on the 18-mile stretch) Carolina Wren Swainson's Thrush Northern Mockingbird European Starling Common Myna Northern Parula "Golden" Yellow Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Prairie Warbler Palm Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Worm-eating Warbler Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Northern Cardinal Painted Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird