Wednesday April 11th
When April arrives I try to schedule a couple of trips up to Ft Desoto Park in Tampa Bay in hopes of finding spring migrants.
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Nanday Parakeet at the Pier parking lot |
Today the spring migrants were not very numerous and only a sampling was evident on this visit. The shorebirds, gulls, terns and such were more evident. Hundreds of Royal terns were on-hand plus a few Forster's and Least Terns. Lots of Laughing Gulls and a couple of Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were still around.
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Dunlins and Short-billed Dowitchers |
Found a couple of American Oystercatchers, a Wimbrel, Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlins, Short-billed Dowitchers, Western and Least Sandpipers, Willets, Marbled Godwits and Sanderlings.
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Least Terns have arrived |
As for the migrants I was able to find the Tennessee Warbler and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the mulberry trees, plus Orchard Orioles, and a great many Cedar Waxwings, Indigo Buntings, a pair of Northern Parulas, a pair of Worm-eating Warblers and a couple of Prairie Warblers.
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Forster's Tern
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At the east Beach Turnaround I had about six Lesser Scaups and several Red-breasted Mergansers and several Barn Swallows swooping overhead.
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Black-belled Plover |
Also found a couple of Reddish Egrets at the lagoon. One was the usual Red plumage and the other was a white-morphed Reddish Egret.
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Ruddy Turnstones |
I checked out the Terria Verde ponds before entering the park and met up with a large group of birders from Portland, Oregon lead by Steve and Bill. They had already identified a female Greater Scaup and several Lesser Scaups were still present. Also still on-hand at the ponds were a few dozen Redheads and Blue-wing Teal. a few Red-breasted Mergansers were resting on the far shore. Least Terns were swooping the pond as they searched for a fish for lunch. A Gray Kingbird was seen on a nearby wire
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White Ibis |
I'll try to get back here again before migrantion ends in the hoops of greater prospects.
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A female Orchard Oriole |
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Royal Terns |
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A Whimbrel and Black-belled Plover |
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Whimbrel and a Willet |
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An Indigo Bunting at the fountain |
Beautiful photos! Looks like you had great trip to Fort de Soto! What a great variety of shorebirds! The Least Terns have just arrived here on the east coast of Florida as well.
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