Posted by Brian Rapoza on September 29, 2018 at 22:35:10
Fifteen birders joined me for today's birding trip to the Islamorada area in the Florida Keys. We met at the Cracker Barrel (CB) in Florida City and visited three state parks in the Upper Keys: Key Largo Hammocks (KLH), Windley Key (WK) and Curry Hammock (CH), which included a visit to the Keys Hawkwatch). Our day started with thunderstorms and 15-20mph winds, but ended mid-afternoon with sunny skies. We tallied the following birds: White-crowned Pigeon (KLH, WK) Eurasian Collared Dove Mourning Dove Chuck-will's-widow (WK) Ruddy Turnstone (CH) Least Sandpiper (CH) Semipalmated Sandpiper (CH) Western Sandpiper (CH) Laughing Gull Magnificent Frigatebird Double-crested Cormorant Brown Pelican Great Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron White Ibis Turkey Vulture Osprey Swallow-tailed Kite (CH) Short-tailed Hawk (CH) Red-bellied Woodpecker Merlin (CH) Peregrine Falcon (CH) Great Crested Flycatcher (WK) Eastern Kingbird (CH) White-eyed Vireo (KLH) Red-eyed Vireo (WK) Black-whiskered Vireo (WK) Blue Jay (WK) Barn Swallow (CH) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Northern Mockingbird European Starling Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Ovenbird (WK) Black-and-white Warbler (KLH) Common Yellowthroat (WK) American Redstart (WK) Cape May Warbler (WK) Northern Parula (KLH, WK) Black-throated Blue Warbler (WK) Palm Warbler (KLH) Yellow-throated Warbler (CB) Prairie Warbler (WK) Northern Cardinal