June

Today starts a new month and a new bird count. As of 1am this mourning my first bird for July is a pair of Barred Owls hanging out at my work. A good start.

June ended with just 103 different birds observed. My year list is 243 plus 5 non-countable birds (Egyptian Geese - Pembroke Pines, Fla, Swamp Hens - STA5 Water Management Site, Black-Hooded parakeet - Ft DeSoto Park & Florida City, and Mitred & Yellow-Chevron Parakeets - Kendall, Fl).

My life list is at 260 birds plus the 5 non-countables.

In June, besides backyard, neighborhood, and workplace sightings, we visited , all in Florida, Six Mile Cypress Slough, Bunche Beach, Harns Marsh, Crew Marsh, Wild Turkey Strand Preserve, Pine Island, Florida, Matheson Hammock park, Cutler Ridge, Florida, University of Miami campus, Kendall Baptist Hospital, and Babcock-Webb WMA. Some of my best sightings were Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, breeding least terns and Wilson's plovers, and Snowy Plovers are new lifers for me. Enjoyed finding the parrots in Kendall - Monk, Mitred and Yellow-Chevroned, and watching the Burrowing Owl family on Domestic St. A Purple martin roost has developed on the high-tension wires on Domestic St as well. Very special are the soaring, as many as eight at a time, Swallowtailed Kites observed at work in late afternoons. The Nighthawks remain active at my work and at Domestic Street.