Posted by Brian Rapoza on October 03, 2015 at 10:52:18
Another great group of local and visiting birders, fourteen in all, joined Paul Bithorn and me for yesterday's Bird Festival at Fairchild Keys Hawkwatch tour. A number of raptors were seen before we ever reached Curry Hammock State Park, home of the Keys Hawkwatch, including Osprey, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-shouldered, Broad-winged and Short-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon. Other birds seen en route included Mottled Duck, White-crowned Pigeon and Gray Kingbird. Keys Hawkwatch Director Rafael Galvez greeted us upon our arrival at Curry Hammock and provided a brief history of the Hawkwatch as well as raptor ID tips with his trademark boundless enthusiasm. Also present during our visit were Nils Navarro, author of "A Comprehensive Field Guide to the Endemic Birds of Cuba" (he'll give a presentation tomorrow morning at Fairchild), Cuban bird guide Ernesto Reyes, Joni Ellis, Director of Optics for the Tropics, Mark Hedden from Florida Keys Audubon and several other Hawkwatch volunteers. Among the numerous raptors seen at Curry Hammock were Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Broad-winged and Short-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon. Several shorebirds were seen along the beach: Black-bellied and Piping Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Least and Western Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher. Other birds encountered while at Curry Hammock included White-crowned Pigeon, Common Ground-Dove, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, and Yellow-throated, Prairie, Palm and Black-and-white Warbler. On our return to Miami, we added one more raptor to our list: a Swainson's Hawk that flew directly over our vans!