Posted by Joe Barros on September 10, 2018 at 05:17:47
Twenty birders joined us at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for an early fall season bird walk. We met outside the main entrance then made our way to the south entrance where we started seeing the first of many of the days Blue-grey Gnatcatchers. Walking in a Red-shouldered hawk was spotted at the apex of a Royal Palm. Barn Swallows were noted overhead and an impressive group of 20 migrating Common Nigthhawks were seen bounding overhead as we crossed the Arboretum. We came down to the lake where a majestic Great White Heron was at the water’s edge beautifully lit in the morning light. Quite the picture even when a pair of Egyptian Geese moved in to spoil the shot. The bird of the day was a brief sighting of a Scaley-breasted Munia seen perched at the top of a tree. We believe that this is a first for FTBG. It was certainly a first for me in Florida (#364). We looped in and out of the Kushlan Bird Trail and the historic “Warbler Zone” where we began to find greater activity, an Ovenbird calling and then showing itself, a Northern Waterthrush pumping its tail, a Black and White Warbler creeping along a limb, and a pair of Worm-eating Warblers feeding deep in the foliage. A few members lagging behind found the more common warblers that we missed American Restart, Norther Parula, and Prarie Warbler. As a group we totaled 8 species of warblers for the day. Another bird seen in large numbers were Eastern Kingbirds streaming south in multiple groups The list of birds seen is below. Thank you to all who joined us on the walk at FTBG and again I would again like to thank all at Fairchild, William & James, who welcomed Tropical Audubon Society to the Garden each year. The Kushlan Bird Conservation Program sponsors the Birding activity at Fairchild including the weekend bird walks. The highlight is the upcoming Bird & Wildlife Festival at Fairchild October 28 and 29. Please go to the website, http://www.fairchildgarden.org, go to Events to see the schedule and register. See you there. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami-Dade, Florida, US Sep 8, 2018 7:40 AM - 12:09 PM Protocol: Traveling 3.134 mile(s) Comments: TAS bird walk. A group of 20 birders joined me as we crisscrossed Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden loosely following along the Kushlan Bird Trail. 33 species Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) 1 Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 6 Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) 20 Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 1 Anhigna (Johnas boydus) 1 Great Blue Heron (White form) (Ardea herodias occidentalis) 1 Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2 Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) 2 Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1 White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 9 Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) 5 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 2 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1 Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 5 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 2 Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 1 Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 34 Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 2 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 7 Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) 3 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 12 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 3 Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 1 Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 2 Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 4 Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) 2 Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) 1 Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1 Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 2 Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor) 1 Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 3 Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) 1